Construction Delay Factors: Essential Knowledge for Construction Management

This article is about the Factors influencing Construction projects Duration and providing unique causes of encountered Delays, and Time Extension Claims for consideration in construction management..

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Construction Delay Causes

(Quoted from an article by Raymond N. NKADO, University of Witwatersrand)

The duration of construction projects right from inception to completion is assuming great importance in the construction industry. Clients or consumers are no longer content merely with minimal cost and adequate functional performance for their projects; increasing interest rates, inflation and other commercial pressures, among other factors, mean that it is in many instances most cost-effective to complete a project within the shortest possible time.

 There is no consensus in the literature on the identification of factors which affect stipulated, planned or achieved construction times of buildings. One reason for this is that researchers have largely viewed the subject from diverse prospective. Such view points include identification of discrete factors which affect productivity on site and taking a systems view of the construction process and end product.

he following factors have been traced to be the construction time influencing factors, with different weights assigned to them by each individual planner.

. Factors pertinent to Clients

• Financial ability/ financial arrangement for the project
• Previous working relationship
• Category ( Public, private)
• Priority on construction time
• Specified sequence of completion
• Possible changes to initial design

. Factors pertinent to Consultants

• Completeness and timeliness of project information
• Build-ability of design
• Provision for ease of communication
• Previous working relationships
• Priority on construction time

. Factors pertinent to contractors

• Availability of suitable management team given firm's current work load.
• Programming construction work.
• Previous performance of site management team
• No of sub-contractors

. Factors pertinent to Contract Form

• Suitability to project time
• Use of standard form of contract

. Factors pertinent to project conditions

• Function or end use ( office, residential, industrial,...)
• Complexity
• location

. External Factors

• Weather
• Regulations
• Statutory undertakes ( water, gas, etc..)

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