Major causes of construction delays under client category and contractor category

Abstract

Delays can be defined as the late completion of works as compared to the planned schedule on the contract. Delays can be avoided or minimized only when their causes are identified. When delay occurred in to our project, it will have adverse consequences on project objectives in terms of time, cost and quality. The aim of the study reported in this paper was to identify causes of delays that could threat project objectives in construction projects. A comprehensive literature review from various sources through books, conference proceedings, the internet, and civil engineering journals was made to carry out the study. The results of this study identified seventeen causes of delay in construction projects under two major categories of construction delays that were category of contractor related factors and category of client related factors. The study also revealed that the category of client-related causes of delays was identified to be the most significant category that had high influence on delay. It is hoped that this study will become the foundation of further research in the area of project delays and mitigation measures.