Abstract

Delays are major problems that face the Western Australia’s construction industry. Delays can lead to many negative effects such as cost overruns, and is of high concern to those who are involved in the construction industry. This study was set to identify the major causes of delays in the Western Australian construction industry, by means of a literature review and a questionnaire survey. A total of 48 delay factors were obtained from literature review and were further categorised into eight major groups that contributed to the causes of delay. The questionnaire survey was distributed to the targeted respondents from a combination of clients, contractors, and consultants in Perth, Western Australia. About 32 respondents participated in the survey. Based on the data received, albeit limited, the top ten most important causes identified were: (1) Shortage of skills; (2) Financial difficulties; (3) Shortage of labour; (4) Unrealistic deadlines for project completion; (5) Unforeseen ground conditions; (6) Poor organization of the contractor or consultant; (7) Poor communication; (8) Underestimation of time of completion; (9) low speed of decision; and (10) Design errors made by designers.

Key words: Delays, construction projects, construction industry, Western Australia, delay factors.