Qualitative responsibility analysis of building construction delay: A case study of delayed hostel construction project in India

Abstract

Recent trends on research on construction delays show the need for separate studies on individual construction projects and activities with surgical precision. This research identifies major causes of delay in education building construction projects by qualitative responsibility analysis. A case study was conducted on construction of a student's residential complex located in a premier institute in India. Regular site visits, in-depth analysis of project documents and personnel interviews with the representatives of the client, consultant and contractor were periodically done. The study identified 39 common delay factors. These identified factors were then classified into four categories based on responsibilities viz., client-related, contractor-related, consultant-related, and other natural elements. The various issues and delay factors obtained from the real-time case study were compared with general delay factors analyzed from the literature review to arrive at the most critical factors of the delayed project. The analysis revealed that the percentage responsibility for the delay from contractor, client and consultant are 44, 28 and 18, respectively. The remaining 10 per cent factors were due to unforeseen natural Force Majeure. The delay analysis revealed that all stakeholders of the project are more or less responsible for the project delay.