DELAYS FACTORS IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF KLANG VALLEY, MALAYSIA

Abstract

The problem of project delays in construction industry is a global phenomenon; Malaysia is no exceptional. Delays are always considered as costly to all parties involved in the project and very often it will results in dispute, claims, total abandonment and blight the feasibility for project owners and retard the development of construction industry. Therefore, the objectives of this paper are to identify the main causes and contributor to the project delays because delays can be minimized only when their causes are identified. Moreover, it is also aimed to investigate the most critical stage throughout the process of project development pertaining to the project delays as well as to recommend various methods that could be adopted by the construction industry players to mitigate the problems. In order to achieve the said objectives, a total of twenty one factors of delays which was then grouped under owner related, contractor related and consultant related delay factors and ten methods to mitigate the project delays were based on literature review. The structural questionnaires were distributed to the targeted respondents in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The findings from this paper shown that owner’s slow in decision making was perceived to be the most significant factor and main causes to the project delays. All of the respondents claimed that working drawing stage being the most critical stage in governing all of these owner’s related delay factors. Besides that, the contractor is deemed to be the main contributor to the project delays in Malaysia construction industry. It is assumed by all of the respondents that the contractor should be responsible for any delays at the construction stage which is considered as the most critical stage in governing the project delays. In order to mitigate the project delays, awarding bids to the right and experience contractor was suggested to be the utmost effective solution in resolving those contractor’s related delay factors.CSFs; Project delay, construction industry, construction project development, mitigates delays, Malaysia