Causes, Effects, and Control Measures of Construction Change Orders in the U.S.

Abstract

Change orders have a significant impact on many aspects of construction projects. They are known to be the primary cause of litigation in the construction industry. Change orders are almost inevitable due to the uniqueness of each project from many perspectives, such as the type of building, complexity of the design, human factors, and the available resources. Change orders are the formal mechanism to implement design changes during the execution phase. These changes are usually the outcome of lack of visualization by the owner, misunderstanding, miscommunication between different parties involved in the project, shortage in resources, and other factors. This research aims to investigate and rank causes, effects, and control measures of change orders in the construction industry in the U.S. This research presents the results of a questionnaire surveying owners, contractors, and consultants. A total of 123 industry professionals in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) field, with either significant or final decision-making authority on reviewing, issuing, and approving change orders responded to the survey. Results indicated that owners are the primary source followed by consultants and contractors, respectively. Some of the more important control measures identified in this research are collaboration and visualization technologie