Causes And Effects Of Time Overrun In Building Construction Projects In Ethiopia

One of the most common,complex and risky problems in construction projects is delay.Delay of a construction project can be defined as the late completion of works as compared to the planned schedule or contract schedule.Projects can be delayed due to number of reasons caused by the employer,contactor,both or neither of them for controllable or uncontrollable reasons.They may occur early or later in the project development phase on or with other delays.The objective of this study was to identify the major causes of delays,the effect of delays,and the methods of minimizing delays in construction projects in Ethiopia.This study was carried out with literature and a questionnaire survey.A total of fifty five factors and eight groups that contribute to the causes of delay,the six major effects of delay,and fourteen methods of minimizing delays were identified based on literature review.The questionnaire survey was distributed to project managers of three main parties of the construction industry;client,contactors and consultants.Based on the survey findings the top ten major factors contributing to construction project delay,insufficient site investigation,change order/variation,incomplete documents(drawing and specification),late site hand over due to unpaid compensation to owners,late delivery of drawings,failure to control the progress against the schedule,and unrealistic completion time set by the client;the six major effects of delay on construction project,time overrun,cost overrun,dispute,arbitration,litigation and total abandonment;sixteen most effective methods of minimizing construction project delays,Proper project planning and scheduling;competent project manager;availability of resources;frequent progress meeting;Complete and accurate project feasibility study and site investigation;Commitments to project;awarding bids to the right/experience consultant and contractor;multidisciplinary/competent project team;Commitments to project;accurate initial cost estimates;competent and capable of clients representative;use of appropriate construction methods;performs a pre-construction planning of project task and resources needs;and project management assistances,from the perception of the employer and his agents(consultants)were determined.