The Construction Delays in Saudi Arabia - Coursework Example

Management Summary of thesis The main focus of the thesis is related to the construction delays in Saudi Arabia. It highlights the major reason for the underperformance of the construction companies in Saudi Arabia. The vital reasons for the delays in the public sector construction projects in Saudi Arabia are focused. The thesis also contains the details related to the remedies undertaken by the Saudi Arabian government to overcome the challenges of delay and increase the chance of project success. In the project, it is observed that majority of the investment in Saudi Arabia are made in the private construction sector. The country has the ability to manage multiple projects at a time and this has been achieved from the availability of the funds. In order to achieve success and grow at a high pace, the construction industry in Saudi Arabia has devoted adequate amount of money in constructing hotels, airport terminals, hospitals and also real states (Assaf and Al-Hejji, 2006). However, it is observed from the details of the thesis that these projects undertaken by the government are subject to delays. The root causes of delay are identified to be plenty; however, major are discussed in the thesis. Labour issues have emerged to a vital issue of the years in the global construction industry. The quality as well as the quantity is lacking in the global construction industry. The labour lacks the required skills and thus the quality of work is questioned. The attempt of the Saudi Arabian government to build a good education system for the labours so that they can learn the skills that are required for the work have failed. The volume of training centres is also insufficient to support the number of workers. Apart from that, due to the low payment structure of the workers in the construction industry, young population is reluctant to join it as they do not receive an adequate amount to be comfortable in their livelihood. Thus, continuous efforts are needed for attracting available talents to the new job market both in the public and private sector. The labours should learn to access the advanced technologies that are used in the construction industry and if they are not aware of the right functions of the machines, the projects have th4e tendency to get delayed or even become unsuccessful as right skills and knowledge are not applied. Thus, distance education, MOOCs and other innovative delivery systems should be employed in order to get maximum access to the educational instructions. The main aim of educational development is the scope of its access. Provisions should be made for the labours so that they can develop their career as well as look after their personal life. The bridge between knowledge and skills among the individual labours should be eliminated so that they are encouraged to join the public and private sector construction industry. Another major reason for the delay in the construction projects in Saudi Arabia is the financial issues. Proper funding for the construction projects are very important as weak finance may lead to severe consequences. Attempts are to be made for fixing the financial issues. This financial crisis has restricted the use of advanced technologies for the project management purposes and as a result the quality to the projects has decreased to a great extent. If the financing is secured for the projects, then the construction managers, consultants and owners are secured to communicate the status of changes that should take place in the project so that their mutual benefits and targets are fulfilled. Another striking reason for the delay is that professional management is grossly needed. Right professional managers are required along with right skilled labours. Mismanagement among the managers leads to disastrous condition in the construction industry. The managers are often responsible for poor project plans and that are also poorly executed and bad fiscal management. The management effectiveness in different levels should be improved with the employment of better management techniques. There are many roles assigned for the mangers if the project needs to succeed. The individual roles are subject to certain competencies; without these competencies the job of the managers will not succeed. The construction industry in Saudi Arabia lacks in right skilled managers and thus the talent hunt should be improved so that they can employ efficient managers who can make the project successful in the long run. However, it has been decoded from the thesis that the main causes for the delay are known but the solutions are not. The solutions are needed to be figured put in order to make development in the construction sector of Saudi Arabia (Barnow, Trutko and Piatak, 2013). Main idea of the thesis The main idea of the thesis focuses on the issues that are encountered by the construction industry in Saudi Arabia. The number of construction projects is higher as the investments are higher but the maintenance of the same are not adequate enough for the success. However, it is also observed that the funds that are devoted for the construction projects initially are not applied till its completion and thus the quality of the project declines as there is lack of appropriate funds. The main issues that are figured out in the thesis are the lack of skilled labour, lack of proper professional management and financial crisis (Baloyi and Bekker, 2011). Theses issue have restricted the success of the projects as a result the investments made are also futile. The thesis also enlightens the possible ways that should be adopted for the improvement of the situation in Saudi Arabia. The recommendations for improvements are related to the increase in economic development of the country that is ensured through job openings in both technical and managerial jobs. The existing programs in the projects should be concentrated as it should be executed by the proper graduates who are responsible for the work. The lack of labour in the construction industry should be improved by expanding opportunities for women. There is adequate vacancy for the technical, supervisory and managerial positions for the women so that they can excel and also the projects receive effective support for its completion (Assaf, Al-Khalil and Al-Hazmi, 1995). Main issues and debates The main issues related to the delay of construction projects in Saudi Arabia are the following: The performance of the bidder contractor in the Government Tender System is not effective enough. There is considerable delay in the subcontractor work. There are poor skilled, experienced and less qualified contractors who are also the technicians for the project. There is lack of proper scheduling and planning of the projects by the contractors. There is considerable delay in the payments by the owners. There is shortage of qualified engineers in the project. There is delay in the preparation of shop drawings. There are problems regarding the follow of adequate cash. There is inadequate early planning for the projects. The non- utilization of the professional construction contractual management (Faridi and Sayegh, 2006). Main issue addressed The main issue that is addressed in the thesis pertains to the shortage of skilled labour and effective mangers along with shortage of funds for the success of the projects. These issues are addressed as they are the most vital reasons for the delay of the projects in Saudi Arabia. Problem worth tackling The issues or the problems that are described in the thesis are worth tackling as this are all human made. The government of Saudi Arabia have the responsibility to manage the issues that are arising due to different construction delays. The thesis highlights the possible tackling procedures that can be useful for the projects. The recommendations that are provided on the thesis are worthy as it explains how the projects should be managed. Important papers relating to the thesis The three important papers that are related to the thesis are the following: 1) “Delays and cost increases in the construction of private residential projects in Kuwait” written by P. Koushki, K. Al-Rashid and N. Kartam in 2005 in the Construction Management and Economics journal Volume No. 23 Issue No. 3 pages: 285—294. 2) “Change management in construction projects” written by Q., Hao, W. Shen, J. Neelamkavil and R. Thomas in 2008 in the publication of NRC Institute for Research in Construction NRCC-50325. 3) “Causes of delay in large construction projects” written by S.A. Assaf and S.A. Al-Hejji in 2006 in International Journal of Project Management volume no. 24 pges349-357. Emergence of research questions The research questions are formulated based on the situation that is prevalent in construction sector of Saudi Arabia. The construction industry in Saudi Arabia has been encountering a number of issues which are vulnerable for the success of the projects. The research questions are set in such a way that the issues are derived and the solutions are also suggested for the improvement of the prevailing condition. Reason for using the research methodology The research methodology used for answering the research questions are based on the previous studies that are based on the same issue. The studies related to the delay in the construction industry have highlighted the main issues that have restricted the success of the main projects in Saudi Arabia. Reason for ascertaining that findings are correct The previous studies have aligned with the findings that are highlighted in the thesis which indicates the success of the thesis pertaining to the topic. Improvement of work The research could have been improved if direct information regarding the delay in construction projects in Saudi Arabia is used. However, the thesis gives emphasis on the general issues that are encountered in the construction industry and have linked with that of Saudi Arabia. Summary of key findings The key findings are as follows: 1) The issues that restrict the success of the construction projects in Saudi Arabia are lack of skilled and knowledgeable labours, inefficient professional managers managing the projects and lack of adequate funds for the development of the projects. 2) The recommendations provided for the improvement of the situation relate to the expansion of jobs to both men and women population, research more issues which are related to the delay of the construction projects, consideration of organisational innovation that can allow flexibility so as to improve work. Most interesting key findings The most interesting finding in the thesis is that the managers of the construction projects that are undertaken in Saudi Arabia are not efficient enough to manage the whole system as they lack the specific skills and leadership. Findings relating to literature The findings addressed in the thesis relates to the literature review as it highlights the same issue that is related to the construction industry in Saudi Arabia. Reference List Assaf, S.A. and Al-Hejji, S.A., 2006. Causes of delay in large construction projects. International Journal of Project Management, 24, pp. 349-357. Assaf, S.A., Al-Khalil, M. and Al-Hazmi, M., 1995. Causes of Delay in Large Building Construction Projects, Journal of Management in Engineering, pp. 45-50. Baloyi, L. and Bekker, M., 2011. Causes of construction cost and time overruns: The 2010 FIFA World Cup stadia in South Africa. Acta Structilia, 18(1), pp.51-67. Barnow, B., Trutko, J. and Piatak, J., 2013. How Do We Know Occupational Labor Shortages Exist?.Employment Research Newsletter, 20(2), p.2. Faridi, A. and Sayegh, S., 2006. Significant Factors Causing Delays in the UAE Construction Industry.Construction Management Economics, 24(11), pp.1167 - 1176 Read More