The Factors Affecting Time Overruns in Construction Projects in Saudi Construction Industry - Research Proposal Example

The Factors Affecting Time Overruns in Construction Projects in Saudi Construction Industry - Research Proposal [Instructor’s Name] [Date] The Factors Affecting Time Overruns in Construction Projects in Saudi Construction Industry - Research Proposal Background to the Context The completion of construction projects within its planned time frame and budget is a critical factor in determining the efficiency and success of the whole project; however, this area has received considerable attention in the past due to persistent problems noted in this regard (Alwi & Hampson, 2002; El-Razek, et al., 2008). Ahmed et al. (2002) have stated overrun problems associated with large scale construction projects to be a “universal phenomenon”. In majority of countries around the world, funds raised from construction activities are considered as a useful source for regulating and helping the national economy, owing to their humongous size and macro level impacts on a country’s economy. As the construction industry in countries like Saudi Arabia has grown considerably, the problems associated with, which mostly relate to efficient operations such as “overruns”, have also grown (Alinaitwe, et al., 2013; Bubshait & Al-Juwait, 2002). In Saudi Arabia, construction industry has experienced growth on a consistent basis and there are never ending large scale construction projects being carried out in the country. Keeping in view such a booming construction sector in the Saudi market, construction companies and consultancy providers have showed keen interest since long which has thereby resulted in the availability of modern resources and construction machinery and techniques in the country. Rationale for the Research Despite the availability of various control techniques and project control tools, many construction projects in Saudi Arabia do not get completed on time. Apart from this, the considerable size and growth in the construction industry of Saudi Arabia renders it important to investigate the factors which have an influential role in determining this sector’s performance. The pace at which construction activities are being carried out in the country require consideration of the time within which these projects are completed and whether the management and planning of time is efficient enough to ensure on time completion of construction projects (Al-Gahtani & Mohan, 2007; Iyer, et al., 2007; Alwi & Hampson, 2002). This research will explore the causes of time overruns and suggest ways to avoid exceeding construction project time within the context of construction industry of Saudi Arabia (Bubshait & Al-Juwait, 2002). In this regard following research aim has been proposed. Proposed Research Aim Keeping in view the discussion presented above, this study aims at exploring the factors which influence time overruns in construction projects in the Saudi Arabian construction industry. Proposed Research Objectives Keeping in view the proposed research aim, the researcher has set the following research objectives which are to be attained from the conduct of the proposed research work: To identify factors which influence time overruns; To evaluate the different point of views with regard to the importance of factors influencing time overruns in construction projects in Saudi Arabian construction industry. To identify the problems that may lead to projects delay. To determine ways to minimise the delay of the construction projects. To ascertain main inhibiting factors of controlling time on construction projects. To analyse mitigating measures to control project delays on projects. To formulate recommendations to ensure time certainty on construction projects. Proposed Research Objectives After having established the research objectives for the proposed research work, the researcher will look for answers for the following research questions on the basis of findings and analysis of information gathered through primary sources: What are the factors which influence time overruns? What are the point of views of construction companies and consultants with regard to the importance of factors influencing time overruns in construction projects in Saudi Arabian construction industry? What are the problems that may lead to projects delay? How can the delay of the construction projects can be minimized? What are the main inhibiting factors of controlling time on construction projects? How mitigating measures can be used to control project delays on projects? How time certainty on construction projects can be ensured? Significance and Scope of Proposed Research The proposed research work can be considered as an important study since it explores in detail the time overrun issues in construction projects in the Saudi Arabian construction industry. Apart from this, keeping in view the booming and growing Saudi Arabian construction industry, the present literature provide little research to understand how construction projects are being carried out in the country and what implications overruns have on the projects. As a result, the proposed study can be considered as an important contribution to the existing literature. On the other hand, as far as the scope of the proposed research work is concerned, the researcher will limit the investigation of research problem to Saudi Arabian construction industry only. In addition, only time overruns will be considered for evaluation of their implications and what factors cause them. Proposed Structure of the Dissertation The proposed research work will be presented in a formal report form and will comprise of five chapters. The names of the five chapters and a brief overview of the contents of each chapter are provided as under: Chapter Name Brief Overview of Chapter Contents Chapter 1 - Introduction Introduction will be the first chapter of the final report. In this chapter, the researcher will introduce a brief background to the context and discuss the need to carry out proposed study. On the basis of that discussion, research aim, objectives and questions will be formulated. Apart from this, the chapter will also include discussion related to significance and scope of the research. Chapter 2 - Literature Review As the name suggests, the chapter will provide a detailed review of the literature, which includes both theoretical review and review of empirical evidences gathered by researchers in the past relating to the research topic. On the basis of review provided in this chapter, the researcher will also formulate research hypotheses under the conceptual framework for the study. Chapter 3 - Research Methodology In this chapter, the researcher will provide a detailed discussion about the research methods and approach used to carry out the study. The chapter will include discussion about data collection techniques used, sources of information, sampling of respondents, data analysis techniques and limitations associated with the research methodology adopted. Chapter 4 - Findings and Discussion In this chapter, the researcher will provide detailed analysis and discussion of the findings obtained from primary research carried out through surveys and interviews. Chapter 5 - Conclusion and Recommendations In the last chapter, the researcher will provide conclusion for the study on the basis of findings and analysis presented in fourth chapter and it will be then followed by recommendations for construction companies and future researchers. Preliminary Review of Literature Since this report provides a proposal for the research, therefore a preliminary review of the literature and key terms has been provided herein. The final report will include a more detailed review of the literature. Time Overruns According to Al-Gahtani & Mohan (2007), time overruns refer to the delays in the projects which prolong the completion of a project beyond its planned completion date. There may be various reasons behind time overruns and may include external and internal factors. Types of Time Overruns Researchers in the past, such as Ahmed, et al. (2003), Al-Gahtani & Mohan (2007) and Alaghabri, et al. (2007), have categorised delays or time overruns into different types, which are as follows: Excusable Delays Concurrent Delays Compensable Delays, and Critical Delays (Al-Najjar, 2008). According to Vidalis, et al. (2002), all these types of time overruns or delays have different impacts on the overall project, which may be external impact or internal impact. In a similar manner, the causes of these time overruns may also stem out from external or internal sources. Vidalis, et al. (2002) have explained how different types of delays are related in a sequential manner. The following diagram summarizes the sequential relationship: Figure 1: Relationship between Different Types of Time Overruns (Vidalis, et al., 2002) It can be noticed in the above presented diagram that there are two types of delays which include excusable and non-excusable delays. These delays may be concurrent or non-current or they may be critical or non-critical. On the other hand, excusable delays may also be categorised into compensable and non-compensable delays. Factors behind Time Overruns As mentioned earlier, there are various factors which may result in time overruns and delays and they may be external and internal factors. A quick skimming of the existing literature and empirical evidences reveal a list of factors which may be considered as major causes of time overruns in construction projects. These factors are provided in the following table along with the researchers and authors who have quoted them as major factors in their respective works: S. No. Factors Causing Time Overruns Researchers / Authors 1 Lack of necessary equipment, tools and resources (Kouskili & Kartan, 2004) 2 Issues related to supply of resources and suppliers (Kouskili & Kartan, 2004) 3 Strikes by workers (Iyer, et al., 2007; Kouskili & Kartan, 2004) 4 Insufficient or inappropriate human resource (Stoner, et al., 2005; Kouskili & Kartan, 2004) 5 Delays in payments to third parties and suppliers (El-Razek, et al., 2008) 6 Lack of communication (Berechman & Wu, 2006) 7 Inefficient management (Alinaitwe, et al., 2007; Masambaji & Ssegawa, 2008) 8 Poor oversight of processes and control (Alinaitwe, et al., 2007; Masambaji & Ssegawa, 2008) 9 Disputes (Bubshait & Al-Juwait, 2002) Apart from these factors, there are numerous other reasons, both external and internal, which may cause time overruns in construction projects. According to Alwi, et al. (2002), the factors which give rise to time overruns can be categorised on the basis of different stakeholders involved in a construction project, which may include owner, contractors, consultant, suppliers of material and labour, the contract of construction itself, relationships between parties and other external factors. Other than the factors mentioned in the table presented above, Alwi, et al. (2002) have included in their list factors such as financial matters, slow decisions being made, unrealistic target setting, construction methods applied in the project, frequency of mistakes, lack of quality and control, lack of planning, low productivity and efficiency of labour, weather, regulations governing construction projects, and any unforeseen events which can cause the project to be delayed (Alwi & Hampson, 2002). Summary The brief literature review provided in this section of the proposal indicates that there are numerous reasons for time overruns to occur in a construction project. Researchers in the past have come up with various reasons as to why time overruns can take place. On the basis of literature reviewed in the final project report, the researcher will be able to develop research hypotheses for the proposed study in line with the research aim and objectives as mentioned in the first section of this report. Proposed Research Methodology The researcher of the proposed study has planned to conduct primary research for carrying out the proposed research work. In this regard, a mixture of both qualitative and quantitative research approaches would be used, which has been discussed in detail in the following section. Research Approach This research will adopt a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques. The qualitative research approach will enable the researcher to conduct a detailed evaluation of the information or research findings at hand and thereby determine conclusion to a particular research objective (Rugg & Petre, 2007; Saunders, et al., 2007). On the other hand, quantitative technique will enable the researcher to carry out statistical analysis and thereby obtain empirical findings to accept or reject a hypothesized relationship or phenomenon (Rugg & Petre, 2007; Saunders, et al., 2007). The research methods will include conducting a detailed literature review on causes of delay in construction projects from global perspective and focusing on Saudi construction industry. This will be followed by undertaking quantitative approach through a questionnaire survey to generate information from construction companies/consulting companies in an attempt to make recommendations to avoid time delays on construction projects in Saudi Arabia. Thus, the study will involve both primary and secondary research approaches (Rugg & Petre, 2007). Data Collection As mentioned earlier, the researcher will make use of both primary and secondary research methods to conduct this study. In this regard, for primary research, interviews and surveys will be carried out with a sample of respondents selected from the construction companies and consultancy firms operating in the construction industry in Saudi Arabia. Apart from this, secondary information will also be taken into consideration for evaluating and reviewing the literature existing on the subject area under consideration and to understand what factors and how do they influence time overruns in construction projects. In this regard, following are the potential data sources, which will be considered by the researcher for collecting secondary information: University library, Online database Books, Journal papers / conference papers Case studies and project records from construction firms and consulting companies. All the sources used and authors works included in the proposed research will be appropriately cited so as to give credit to third party’s works and avoid any instance of plagiarism. Keeping in view the ethical considerations of conducting a research work, the research will inform all respondents of survey process and interviewees about the nature and implications of the study. Moreover, the researcher will also obtain express consent from each respondent and interviewee before conducting survey or interview with him or her. Lastly, confidentiality of each respondent and interviewee will be upheld by way of not disclosing the identity or any other personal information in the research report. Sampling of Respondents for Interviews and Survey The objective of the researcher will be to select at least 50 respondents for surveys and 5 individuals from different companies and groups as the interviewees. The method for sampling respondents for survey will be convenient sampling, which allows the researcher to select respondents randomly on convenient basis. On the other hand, the five interviewees will be selected from five different construction and consultancy companies operating in the Saudi Arabia. Interview and Survey Design The interview with five representative from different construction and consulting firms will be conducted at their organizational premises. The researcher will inquire interviewees about the perceived factors and implications of time overruns and how their organizations manage such overruns. All interview questions will be open ended, thereby giving the interviewees liberty to explain their point of views. On the other hand, survey questionnaires will be used to obtain data which can be analysed statistically. The survey questionnaire will include statements pertaining to different factors, as identified from the review of literature, and the respondents will be asked to respond their agreement against each of the statement in questionnaire on the basis of a five point Likert scale. The survey will be aimed at investigating which factors are considered as most influential in causing time overruns. Data Analysis Since the researcher has proposed both qualitative and quantitative research approaches to be used in the study, therefore both qualitative and quantitative information will be considered for analysis. This follows that the researcher will make use of both qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques in the proposed study. For qualitative research analysis, the researcher will make use of thematic analysis technique. The interview responses will be gathered and evaluated on the basis of thematic analysis technique by considering the common themes and patterns observed in the interview responses. After identification of common themes in the responses is complete, the researcher will match them against the themes identified from the review of literature in the report. This will enable the researcher to formulate a qualitative evaluation and conclusion regarding specific matters inquired in the interviews from interviewees. On the other hand, the researcher will also conduct quantitative analysis while considering the quantitative information obtained from surveying the sample of 50 respondents from different construction and consulting firms. The analysis will be conducted using various statistical techniques, which include descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The statistical analysis will be performed using the statistical software SPSS. Anticipated Outcomes The researcher expects that the respondents of survey and interviewees will be able to identify the factors which influence the time overruns in the construction projects with specific reference to Saudi Arabian construction industry. The researcher also expects to find out the implications of these factors and time overruns on the overall performance and efficiency of construction projects. In addition to these expectations, it is also anticipated that the researcher will be able to formulate concrete recommendations on the basis of findings obtained from primary analysis for construction companies and consulting firms, which will be aimed at bringing efficiency in carrying out construction projects and reducing time overruns. Expected Limitations of the Proposed Study Keeping in view the proposed research methodology for the conduct of the planned research work, there are a few limitations which may be faced by the researcher upon following the method. These limitations are presented as under: First of all, the researcher has planned to carry out this proposed study with a limited number of individuals (sample) and therefore, it can be expected that a limited point of view will be obtained through the primary research. Since the researcher has considered construction projects and construction industry in Saudi Arabia as the primary focus of this study, the obtaining which will be obtained from the proposed research work will not be applicable on industries and time overrun issues other than the construction industry and projects therein. Apart from this, the researcher expects to face limitations associated with the time and resources available to conduct the proposed study. Due to limited time and resources, the researcher will not be able to conduct a more in depth analysis and consider larger sample size for survey and interviews. Proposed Program and Timetable The proposed research work will begin on 23rd September 2014 and be completed by 27th March 2015. This completion date implies the final submission of the research work in a formal report form as per the requirements of the university. Keeping this time frame in view, the researcher will follow the below presented Gantt chart: Weekly Timeline 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Submission of Proposal Approval of Proposal Beginning of Research Final write up of first chapter Submission and Changes (if any) Final write up of second chapter Submission and Changes (if any) Final write up of third chapter Submission and Changes (if any) Final write up of fourth chapter Submission and Changes (if any) Final write up of fifth chapter Submission and Changes (if any) Draft Submission of Report Submission and Changes (if any) Final Submission of Report List of References Ahmed, S. M., Azhar, S., Kappagantula, P. & Gollapudi, D., 2003. Delays in: A brief study of the Florida construction industry. Proceeding of the 39th Annual Conference of the Associated Schools of Construction. Clemson, Clemson University. Alaghbari, M. W., Khadir, R. A., Salim, A. & Ernawati, 2007. The significant factors causing delay of building construction projects in Malaysia. Journal of Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 14(2), pp. 192-206. Al-Gahtani, K. & Mohan, S., 2007. Total float management for delay analysis. Journal of Cost Engineering, 49(2), pp. 32-37. Alinaitwe, H., Apolot, R. & Tindiwensi, D., 2013. Investigation into the Causes of Delays and Cost Overruns in Ugandas Public Sector Construction Projects. Journal of Construction in Developing Countries, 18(2), pp. 33-47. Alinaitwe, H. M., Mwakali, J. A. & Hansson, B., 2007. Factors affecting the productivity of building craftsmen: Studies of Uganda. Journal of Civil Engineering and Management, 13(3), pp. 169-176. Al-Najjar, J. M., 2008. Factors Influencing Time and Cost Overruns on Construction Projects in the Gaza Strip, Gaza: The Islamic University. Alwi, S. & Hampson, K., 2002. Identifying the importance causes of delays in building construction projects. The 9th East Asia – Pracific Conference on Structural Engineering and Construction. Bali, s.n. Berechman, J. & Wu, Q., 2006. Cost overrun risk analysis in transportation infrastructure investment. UBC P3 Project, Working Paper 2006-05, Vancouver: Phelps Centre for the Study of Government and Business. Bubshait, A. A. & Al-Juwait, Y. A., 2002. Factors contributing to construction costs in Saudi Arabia. Cost Engineering, 44(5), p. 30. El-Razek, M. E. A., Bassoioni, H. A. & Mobarak, A. M., 2008. Causes of delay in building construction projects in Egypt. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 134(11), p. 831. Iyer, K. C., Chaphalkar, N. B. & Joshi, G. A., 2007. Understanding time delay disputes in construction contracts. International Journal of Project Management, 26(2), pp. 174-184. Kouskili, P. A. & Kartan, N., 2004. Impact of construction materials on project time and cost in Kuwait. Journal of Construction and Architectural Management, 11(2), pp. 126-132. Masambaji, C. N. & Ssegawa, J. K., 2008. EVA as a possible tool for effective project control in developing countries. Paper presented at the symposium on Construction in Developing Countries: Procurement, Ethics and Technology, Trinidad and Tobago: s.n. Rugg, G. & Petre, M., 2007. A Gentle Guide to Research Methods. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill. Saunders, M., Lewis, P. & Thornhill, A., 2007. Research Methods for Business Students. New York: Pearson Education. Stoner, J. A. F., Freeman, R. E. & Gilbert, D. R., 2005. Management. 6th ed. New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India. Read More