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Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR)
Vol-3, Issue-8, 2017

ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in
To Identify the Various Constraints for
Delays in Construction Work and
Suggesting Remedial Measures for the
Same
1 2 3
Mr. Rajmane Harish R , Dr. Gupta. A. K & Prof. Desai. D. B
1PG Student, Civil Engineering Department, Dr.J.J.Magdum College of
Engineering, Jaysingpur, Maharashtra, India.
2 Principal & Prof., Dr.J.J.Magdum College of Engineering, Jaysingpur, Maharashtra, India.
3
Associate Prof., Dr.J.J.Magdum College of Engineering, Jaysingpur, Maharashtra, India.
limitations causes in everywhere throughout the
world and gathering of information to set up a
ABSTRACT: A constraint is defined as anything that survey. Utilizing this questionnaire, a review will be
limits an organization or entity from moving toward done among contractual workers, experts and
or achieving its goal. Needs and constraints in a designers. The outcome got from this questionnaire
multiparty working situation bring complications in will give us extreme reasons for development delay,
project management. The aim and scope of this so we can discover the answer for limit them in
project is to identify the constraints in construction future development projects. The aim of this
project working environment. If constraints are dissertation is to identify the various constraints in
better understood at the outset, it is believed that construction industry& analyze them on the basis of
better performance can be assured. Recognizing and
expelling constraints from bottleneck exercises help
to lessen instabilities in development procedures and
builds the straight forwardness of project
management. This study was carried out based on
literature review and a questionnaire survey. The
data for this study will be gathering through a
detailed questionnaire survey. The questionnaire
form is forwarded to various construction industries
through email and in personal. The objectives of the
study are to successfully reduce the constraints
which will help to decrease the unnecessary wastage
and loss of both money and time because of
inadequate planning. Postponement in development
project would cause for additional cost and
misfortune in budgetary return or different
advantages from extend. In this way, delay is
expensive for both proprietor and temporary worker.
The overview discoveries showed that the main
drivers of monetary related deferrals are a result
poor cash flow management followed by late
payment, insufficient financial resources and
financial market instability. The methodology of this
thesis work incorporates an itemized investigation of
worldwide writing identified with development
attaining higher performance towards its goal (Chua
and Shen, 2003). Identifying and removing
discussion carried out with experts in locality. The constraints from bottleneck activities help to reduce
expandfocus principles & techniques will be uncertainties in construction processes and increases
applied for gathering the various causes from the transparency of project management (Feng, Lei,
professional literature & also from local experts. Yang, Hong, Pang, Yao and Wang, 2011). Needs
This investigation will give a solution for delay in and constraints in a multiparty working situation
development project by limiting the constraints in bring complications in project management. Needs
development industry. are diversified when the client is a large organization
such as a public client or a corporate client.
1. INTRODUCTION However, constraints in construction projects limit
their achievement of high performance that we are
Nowadays, companies struggle to survive unaware of the existence of the constraints, or, we
in a global competition. Every company tries to find tend to put more emphasis on the project goals. The
the best philosophy which is suitable with their construction working environment involves multi
strategy to gain any and every advantage among their party participation. Needs and constraints in a multi
rivals. Companies should be more focused on party working situation bring complications in
understanding their own structure in terms of project management(Lau and Kong 2006).These can
processes whether they are in the production or further develop into conflicts and disputes, which
service sector (Simsit, Gunay and Vayvay, 2014). bring cost consequences, direct and indirect, to
Constraints become important factors which focus on clients and contractors. The project team members
the weakest rings in the chain. Constraints are have to meet client’s needs on one hand and to
defined as anything that limits a system from
Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) PAGE 333
Collection of information through literature
overcome constraints on the other hand. With the review and preliminary study of the factors are
limited literature for the constraints in the causing constraints in delay of construction work.
construction working environment, it is important to The collected data will be the base for the further
progress of the study. In our study, we firstly
identify the potential constraints in the construction
project, which will help to decrease the unnecessary
wastage and loss of both money and time because of
inadequate planning(Jacob and McClelland, 2001).
Controlling the constraints is thus a precondition for
high performance of the project. Constraints is based
on the idea that every system has at least one
bottleneck which can be defined as any kind of
situation that impedes the system to reach high
performance level in terms of its purposes. A
constraint is defined as anything that limits an
organization or entity from moving toward or
achieving its goal. Constraints logic forms major
portions of the organization's philosophy of
continuous improvement. It is applied to identify
what factors limit an organization from achieving its
goals, developing a solution to the problem, and
getting the individuals in the process to invent the
requisite changes for themselves. It has been realized
that reducing and eliminating critical constraints
through better means of look ahead planning are the
keys to achieving reliable workflow and,
consequently, increased productivity. Constraint
modeling is an indispensable step in construction
planning. Reliable planning depends on effective
identification, formulation, and satisfaction of key
constraints in production processes. Reducing
uncertainties in the workflow requires new
methodologies and tools that can deal with other
types of constraints rather than only the process
constraints. Construction projects are facing a greater
number of uncertainties and more severe risks, which
could cause much bigger losses than in the past.
Construction projects are subject to numerous
constraints of various types, including contractual
due dates, resource limitations, and safety, financial,
and managerial constraints (Mirzaei and Mabin,
2014). Construction projects are characterized by
their complexity, uniqueness, and the fact that there
are various types of constraints imposed by
stakeholders. If constraints are better understood at
the outset, it is believed that better performance can
be assured.
2. IDENTIFICATION
OF CONSTRAINTS
2.1. Introduction
The public concern and regulations require
classified the constraints into five categories based the environment to be protected such as air
on literature review they are as follows protection, tree preservation, traffic limit, noise
control and so on. In the planning and design stage
2.1.1 Economic Constraints
of the project, the responsible people need to go to
The economic constraints mainly happened the “Environmental Department” to apply for the
with budget limit and allocation of the money. Due approval justification for the project. This takes time
to the budget limit, the adopted construction system and will affect the project progress. If the approval is
may not be the best option for achieving the project not obtained on time, the whole project will be
goal and quality. It will affect the proceeding of the delayed, or could not be carried out. There are also
project. As for the allocation of money to be used in other technical constraints arising from air
the project, if the money is not effectively allocated, protection, tree preservation, traffic limit, limit due
it will affect the progress of the project. The effect to excavation permit for works, etc(Lau and Kong,
on the project is the product quality and performance 2006).
of the project (Muhwezi, Acai and Otim, 2014). 2.1.4 Technical Constraints
2.1.2 Legal Constraints
There are quite a few technical constraints
The legal constraints exist because there are arising from restrictive site area and congested
many regulations that are ruling the construction surroundings which are particularly applied to the
project. The legal constraints are mainly related to site environment in India. On one hand, building
work law, safety regulations, and supervision plan. projects in India are usually constrained wither
For example, as prohibited by law, certain types of strictive site area where storage space, transportation
construction work could not be carried out during and temporary works require input of careful
Sunday and public holidays. As for the impact of the planning by design engineers, while the design and
legal constraints, from one side, it may affect the construction of the building works itself can be fairly
schedule and lead to project delay (Lau and Kong, certain at the outset. On the other hand, coordination
2006). of services works also poses technical constraints in
construction. While having electrical wiring,
2.1.3 Environmental Constraints ventilation duct work, fire services and plumber
works with further complication of broadband

alignment, telephoning system and security system collect particular data and information. This provides

give rise to technical constraints that demand the basis to identify the constraints in delay of
coordination and collaboration of multiparties in construction work. The collected data will be the
terms of design and construction. Technical base for the further progress of the study.
constraints are more readily recognized at the outset The processes plays vital role in completing
and at the stage of design, but this does not mean that the construction task in desired way. Financer’s
all constraints can be overcome (Lorterapong and expectation, requirements and participation will be
Ussavadilokrit, 2013). direct influencing factor for causing constraints in
delay of construction work. The Financers will feel
2.1.5 Social Constraints
the value of the capital that he has spent on if only
No construction work could proceed in rural his desires and expectation are delayed due
area without people’s involvement. The social factors constraints in the completion of project. So in order
constitute constraints in the construction working to get a better understanding regarding Financers
environment. It is not surprised to learn that views and desires on the timely completion, a direct
undesirable effects come from a relative small interview has conducted and the data has been
number of key persons and the constraints are human tabulated.
constraints (Wang, Shou and Wang, 2015).These
3.1 Primary Data
social constraints may appear minor and
insignificant, but is very complicated to deal with. The primary data was obtained using the
Sometimes it may arouse big problems for the survey method. These include the distribution of
project and will at the same time affect the progress questionnaires and collection of data from key
of the project. Constraints related to people can respondents and professionals pertaining to the
appear in three different forms: construction industry. In order to achieve the aim and
a) Human resistance objectives of the study, welldesigned questionnaire
b) Emotional constraints were formulated to gather information from appropriate
respondents. Data obtained was analyzed to get
c) Ownership of the problem
meaningful conclusions and recommendations.
In implementing changes, there will be human
The design of questionnaire was done based
resistance. So constraints have to be thought of
on the analysis made in various literature reviews.
during the planning stage before actual Various data’s have been collected for designing the
implementation so as to minimize the effect of questionnaire. Total 26 questions related to different
human resistance. As for the emotional constraints, factors were designed but those questions having
there is tendency for people to take defensive action more impact on delay have selected. Questionnaire
rather than ‘toleration’ even the rational minds tell was generally designed in the rating of factors on
them not to. In this stance, people are emotional five point scale was given in the questionnaire.
disturbed. In situations when constraints are
concerning job security, the impact of the emotional 3.1.1 General
constraints can be even greater and can cause
After identifying the problem and setting
devastative effects. As for the ownership of the
the objectives of the research, the research
problem, people may at times facing problems
methodology has carefully designed to achieve these
caused by others or by Act of God. It is easy to say
objectives. The questionnaire is designed and
that they do not cause the problem and thus are not
distributed to the Engineers, Contractors, Architects,
responsible for it. Someone have to be held
Builders. In this chapter the research objectives are
responsible for whatever causes there are. Moreover,
restated and the general approach for achieving these
providing an answer to a problem even if you are objectives is illustrated. This chapter discusses the
aware of it sometimes may not bring the expected design and the development of the questionnaire
results. which is more applicable to the study.
3. RESEARCH STRATEGY 3.1.2 Activities Conducted
Data collection is a vital part of research. In questionnaire was designed to collect information

this project, data was collected from Maharashtra, from Engineers, Contractors, Architects, and
Kolhapur and Sangli region through direct interview Builders.
based on standard questions formulated. A
The questionnaire contains a set of simple 1) A comprehensive review of the literature related
and straight forward questions whose purpose is to to the topic of this study is performed.
2) To achieve the study objectives, several research
techniques have been reviewed and the questionnaire
technique has been selected due to the applicability
to this research.

3) The questionnaire is developed based on
the
literature findings and preliminary
discussions with
some parties involved in public projects.
4) Toensure
respondents (ranging from 1 to 5),
questionnaires were sent to major projects,
A is the highest weight (i.e. 5 in this
and their contractors and consultants.
5) The data collected were presented, tabulated
and
6) A discussion of the results is
analyzed using suitable statistical techniques. with the
findings of the literature and delay causes
were
identified and ranked based on their severity.
3.1.3 Weightage for Effect of Delay
It is important to identify the degree
much the respondents agree or disagree on
the
severity of these causes based on their
own
experience and knowledge. To achieve this, a
rating
scale was designed which consists of 5 point
scale.
Table 3.1 shows the guidelines for causes
regarding
to their severity weightage.
Table 3.1: Weightage for Effect o
Category
Sr.
1
is not affected by these No.
factors at all.
Slightly
2 significant
having effect in total
Moderately
3 significant
(M.S.)
.However, delay could
Very
4 significant
(V.S.)
Extremely
5 significant
(E.S.)
completion time as
Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary

Research (IJIR)
possession, which consequently causes delays in
financial the project as whole.
resources 4.4 Financial Market Instability
Financial The external factors of poor economic

market conditions such as currency and inflation rate
instability would
4.1 Late Payment
Late payment is defined as failure of a

paymaster to pay within the period of honoring of
certificates as provided in the contract. The parties
involved in the process of payment claim such as
client, contractor, superintending officer, architect,
quantity surveyor, banker and other construction
players may cause a payment to be delayed. A
delayed payment by a party who is involved in the
process of payment claim may have an influence on
the supply chain of payment in whole (Rahman,
Takim and Min 2009).
4.2 Poor Cash Flow Management
Cash flow management is defined as a

process of monitoring, analyzing and adjusting
projects cash flow. The most important aspect of
cash flow management is to avoid extended cash
shortages that are caused by having too great a gap
between cash inflows and outflows. A wellmanaged
cash flow is important to enable the delivery of a
successful project by performing a cash flow analysis
on a regular basis to identify cash flow problems. In
analyzing the cash flow of a project, cash flow
forecasting is an essential method to head off cash
flow problems. It is then important to develop and
employ strategies that will maintain an adequate cash
flow for the project. Therefore, a wellmanaged cash
flow will improve the project’s cash flow and
subsequently improve the timely performance of a
project. Conversely, a poorly managed cash flow
represents the opposite.
4.3 Insufficient Financial Resources
One of the most important factors causing
delays in high rise projects is the shortage of
resources. Main causes of delays are the insufficient
resources of an organization. Lack of funds may
affect the project’s cash flow and lead to delay in site
3. All working drawings must be clearly drawn
significantly give impact to project’s cash flow and indicating all the dimensions and labels to scale
hence affect the timely performance of the project. so as to avoid confusion during construction.
Figure 3.2 shows the financial related delays and their 4. Site management and supervision should be
categories. done correctly. Administrative staff should be
assigned to make necessary arrangements to
5. RECOMMENDATIONS TO complete projects within the specified time
while meeting quality and cost requirements.
REDUCE DELAY PROBLEMS
5. Owners may demand design changes during
construction, but only to the extent that no
Delays can be avoided or minimized when their
adverse effects occur with respect to mission
causes are clearly identified. According to the
critical activities.
preceding findings, the following recommendations
can be made as ways to minimize and control delays in 6. Delivery of construction materials to a site
construction projects: should not be late so that work may be
executed in the planned order.
1. Contractors should not be rewarded jobs for 7. Generally, large projects may entail having
which they lack sufficient expertise. They should many subcontractors working under main
gain necessary experience before the bidding contractors. If a subcontractor is capable and
stage. Inadequate experience of contractors is the reliable, the project can be completed on time
most important factor in causing delays. as planned. If the subcontractor underperforms
Contractors with inadequate experience cannot because of inadequate experience or capability,
plan and manage projects properly, and this may the project may face delays. The use of many
result in deleterious consequences. subcontractors may lead to a high risk of
delays.
2. Contractors should pay more attention to
preparing effective planning and scheduling. 8. Inspection and testing by consultants is an
During construction, planning and scheduling important activity during construction since
may be revised if necessary conditions occur. poor quality inspection may result in lower
Only a project that is well planned and scheduled quality of work.
can be well executed.

types of constraints, we suggest that the middle
9. The quality and experience of the labour force managers are empowered to take up adaptive
can have a major impact on projects. management in response to the prevailing conditions.
Unqualified workers may lead to inefficient Delay is a serious issue in construction
work and cause accidents during construction. industry as it impacts the time and cost of projects.
10. Clients should ensure that proper planning and
costing of the works are made during the pre
contract period so as to avoid intermittent
stoppage of works as a result of funding
constraints since this not only increases the
construction period but also impacts on the
contractors overhead costs and costs associated
with mobilization and demobilization during
the period within which the works were
suspended.
11. Delays in deliveries to construction sites,
approval of design documents, and progress
payments are delay factors caused by owners.
Sites should receive deliveries as soon as
possible. Design documents should be
approved promptly; otherwise, work progress
could be delayed. Progress payments should be
made on time to contractors to finance the
work.
12. Owners should make decisions as quickly as
possible so as to avoid delay.
13. Since many parties are involved in a project
(client,consultant,contractor, and
subcontractors), communication and
coordination with other parties is a crucial
factor in the timely completion of the project.
Effective communication avoid most delays.
Proper communication and coordination
channels between the various parties should be
established during each phase of construction.
Problems with communication may result in
misunderstandings and, therefore, delays in the
execution of the project.
6. CONCLUSION
To have a good understanding of the

identified constraints at the planning stages, we
suggest the management to have the constraints
documented and to consider these constraints in the
relevant project planning agenda and schedule as
well as the designing of the organizational structure.
At the implementation stage, the management should
keep track of the progress and be aware of the
constraints they encounter. The management should
ensure that enough resources, which include money,
facilities, staffing and effort, are allocated to
decrease the limitations from the constraints
encountered. In view of the nature of the different
expected to be encountered during the project
Delay in construction projects would cause for extra implementation and maintenance period. A good
cost and loss in financial return or other benefits prediction of the constraints helps make good project
from project. Thus, delay is costly for both owner planning and resources allocation. Project managers
and contractor. The extent of delays should be can judge whether the constraint is maintained
reduced by identifying the root causes of financial through the whole progress of the project.
related problems and find out the solutions that are
able to reduce the extent of delays in construction
7. REFERENCES
project. The survey findings indicated that the root
causes of financial related delays are because of poor Chua D. K. H. and Shen L. J.,(2003), “Key
cash flow management followed by late payment, Constraints Analysis with Integrated Production
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instability. Contractor’s instable financial and Management, Vol 7, pp 753764.
background, client’s poor financial and business
management, difficulties in obtaining loan from Feng J. C, Lei L. I, Yang N, Hong Y. Z, Pang M,
financiers and inflation were identified as the most Yao X, Wang L.C.,(2011), “Critical Chain
significant underlying causes. All parties involved in Construction with Multiresource Constraints Based
the construction project agreed on the fact that on Portfolio Technology in South to North Water
clients should bear the greatest responsibility and Diversion Project” Journal of Water Science and
play the most important role in lessening the impact Engineering, Vol 4, No.2, pp 225236.
of financial problems and delays.
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project managers not only understand the “Quantification of Delay Factors Using the Relative
characteristics of the constraints, but also predict the Importance Index Method for Construction Projects
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mainly appeared in the planning and definition stage.
It affects the proposal and design of the project. The
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Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR)

Vol-3, Issue-8, 2017

Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) PAGE 334

alignment, telephoning system and security system collect particular data and information. This provides

Data collection is a vital part of research. In questionnaire was designed to collect information

Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) PAGE 335

Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary

Financial The external factors of poor economic

Late payment is defined as failure of a

Cash flow management is defined as a

Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) PAGE 337

To have a good understanding of the

Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) PAGE 338

Lorterapong P. and Ussavadilokrit M.,(2013),

Lau E. and Kong J. J., (2006), “Identification of

Mirzaei M and Mabin V. J.,(2014), “Exploring

Muhwezi L. , Acai J. and Otim G.,(2014), “An

Rahman H. A, Takim R and Min W. S.,(2009),

Wang J. ,Shou W. And Wang X.,(2015), “A

Xiang P; Zhou J; Zhou X; and Ye K.,(2012),

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