Post on 02-Oct-2021
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DelayCausesAnalysisincomplexconstructionprojects;aSemanticNetwork
Analysisapproach
BehrouzZarei1,HosseinSharifi2,YahyaChaghouee3
Facultyofentrepreneurship,UniversityofTehran,Iran1
ManagementSchool,UniversityofLiverpool,Liverpool,UK2
DepartmentofMediaManagement,ScienceandResearchBranch,IslamicAzadUniversity,Tehran,Iran3
Abstract
Delaysareamongthemostcrucialadversariestothesuccessandperformanceofconstructionprojects,
making delay analysis and management a critical task for project managers. This task will be highly
complicatedinlarge-scaleprojectssuchasconstruction,whichusuallyconsistofacomplexnetworkof
heterogeneousentitiesincontinuousinteraction.Traditionalapproachesandmethodsfortheanalysisof
delaysandtheircauseshavebeencriticisedfortheirabilitytohandlecomplexprojects,andinparticular
fortaking intoaccountthe interrelationshipsbetweendelaycauses.Addressingthisgap,thisresearch
introducesanalternativeapproachfordelaycausesanalysisbyadoptingSemanticNetworkAnalysis(SNA)
method.ThepaperreportstheresultsfromaninvestigationofdelaysinconstructionprojectsintheOil-
Gas-Petrochemical (OGP) sector using SNA. Themethod’s capacity to identify and rank delay causes,
which can assist managers in selecting appropriate measures for eliminating them, are empirically
examinedanddiscussed.ThepaperarguesthatSNAleadstoamorecomprehensiveunderstandingofthe
maincausesofdelayinlargeandcomplexprojects,allowingabetteridentificationandmappingofthe
interrelationshipsbetweenthesediscretefactors.
Keywords: Delay Analysis, Semantic Networks Analysis, Construction Project Delay, Petrochemical
Industry.
1. Introduction
Delaysareidentifiedasamajorissueforsuccessfulprojectmanagement.Delayisacommonproblemin
mostprojects,themagnitudeofwhichvariessignificantlyfromprojecttoprojectandindustrytoindustry
(Wa’eletal.,2007).Theliteraturecontainsextensivestudiesofthesubjectacrossvariousindustries(see
Wu(2016)inAviationIndustry,RuqaishiandBashir(2015)inconstructionindustry,Fallahnejad(2013)
andFouche´andRolstadas(2010)andDey(2012)inOilandGasindustry).
Delaysnotonlyaffectthedeliveryoftheproject,butcanleadtoothersourcesofinefficiencysuch
ascostoverrunaswellasmanagerialandrelationshipissues(SambasivanandSoon,2007).Thefieldof
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ProjectManagement(PM)hasattemptedtodiscerndelaycauses,seekingtoassistmanagersintackling
thiskeyproblem(seeArditiandPattanakitchamroon(2006);AssafandAl-Hejji(2006);Sambasivanand
Soon (2007);Gill (2008);BraimahandNdekugri (2008); Sweiset al. (2008);Dey (2012); YauandYang
(2012);YangandKao (2012);Doloietal. (2012);Fallahnejad (2013);Amoateyetal. (2015); Joslinand
Müller (2016)). According to Gunasekaran and Ngai, (2012) attending these aspects of project
managementarebecoming increasingly important to theproductionplanningand control function in
operationsmanagement,
Construction projects are vital to many industries, including energy, water resources
development,communication,architecture,publichealth,andOil,GasandPetrochemical(OGP)(Gardezi
etal.,2014).Othersectorsandindustriesarealsoindirectlyaffectedbytheperformanceofconstruction
projects, which signify the prominent role of such projects in national economies. As such, delays in
constructionprojectscanposeacriticalthreattothesuccessofnationalinfrastructuralplans.
Studieshaveshownthatevenwithtoday’sadvances intechnology,managementsystemsand
techniques, project completiondates still get pushedback (Sweis et al., 2008).Sambasivan and Soon
(2007)andYangandOu(2008)seedelaysinconstructionprojectsasaglobalproblem,beingoneofthe
mostcommonlyrecurringissuesintheindustry(Tumietal.,2009;YangandKao,2012;Doloietal.,2012).
YangandOu(2008)usedastructuralequationmodelling(SEM)approachtoidentifythereasonsfordelay
inconstruction,andcategorisedthecasuesas:(1)contractrelated,(2)managementrelated,(3)human
related,(4)non-humanrelated,(5)designrelated,and(6)financerelated.YangandKao(2012)findthree
main reasons for this: construction projects (1) generally have highly complicated situations during
execution,(2)involvemanyprojectstakeholdersandinterfaces,and(3)areinfluencedbymanyexternal
factors.Gardezietal.(2014)arguethatthelevelofriskanduncertaintyinconstructionprojectsishigher
thanothersectors,whicharelargelyduetothefactthatsuchprojectshavecomplexandtimeconsuming
designs, involving processes and methods which are more likely to be affected by unprecedented
circumstances.
OneofthemostimportantfieldsinvolvingextensiveconstructionprojectsistheOGPindustry.
Projects in this sector are usually ofmega scale,with the potential to affect national economies. An
understandingofdelaycausesandtheirdynamicsisthereforeparticularlycrucialforthissector.Recent
eventsintheMiddleEastregioncoupledwithreducedoilpricesnecessitateimprovedproductivityand
efficiencyinOGPprojectsinwhichdelayanalysisplaysakeyrole.
Themethodologyappliedinmostoftheextantliteraturedealswiththeoccurrenceofdelaysand
theirtangibleliabilitiesfortheprojects.However,suchmethodshavebeencriticisedforfailingtosupport
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analysis of complex projects in complex environments (Farrow, 2007; Yang and Kao, 2012). Complex
projectslikelargeconstructionprojects,particularlyintheOGPsector,involvevariousstakeholdersand
actors, and multiple nodes and factors that interact and communicate within interwoven networks.
Understandingcausalfactorsofdelay,andtheprioritisationofthesefactors,requiresamethodologythat
accommodatestheinterwovennatureofthesefactorsandtheirpotentialliabilities.Forthispurpose,this
studyemploystheSemanticNetworkAnalysismethod,whichisadvocatedforstudiesinvolvingstructure
andbehavioursincomplexnetworks(Pereiraetal.,2011).
Thepaperpresentsanovelapproachtothestudyofprojectdelaysandanalysisoftheirrootcauses.
SNA,whichpresentsanetworkviewoftheprojectsandtheirinterrelationships,foregroundsthemeaning
ofdelayfactorsasunderstoodbyvariousentitiesandmanagersinvolvedinindustryprojects.Applying
themethodresultsinamoreaccuratehierarchisingoftheidentifiedcauses.Whiletheempiricalresults
maybe considered specific to the chosen sector, the resultsprovidenew insights intoexaminingand
dealingwithdelaysmoreefficientlyandeffectively.Thestudyofferstwokeycontributions:(1)presenting
anewmethodforanalysingdelaysinprojects,theSemanticNetworkAnalysis,and(2)suggestinganorder
ofsignificanceforfactorsthatarecriticaltoconstructionprojectdelaysintheOGPindustry.
2. Literaturereview
2.1.Projectdelays
Cost,timeandqualityhavebeenrecognisedasmajordeterminantsofprojectsuccess.Projectmanagers
aimtoachievethebestofthe“GoldenTriangle”-budget,scheduleandquality(Riazietal.,2013).Timeis
reportedtobethemostimportantfactor(Gill,2008;ChangandLi,2014).AsnotedbyGill(2008),time
haseffectsoncostandqualityaspectsofprojects.Efficientcontrolofprojectdelayisthereforeneeded
foroptimumprojectperformanceandsuccess(ChangandLi,2014;Kariungi,2014).
Delayisagapbetweentherealprojectcompletionanditsscheduledcompletiontime(Zwikael,2006).
Inotherwords,delayisastateinwhichatimeextensionisrequiredforexecutingallorpartofaproject,
consequentlypostponing itscompletion (ManavazhiaandAdhikarib,2002;FugarandAgyakwah-Baah,
2010;Gardezietal.,2014).Delaysareknowntobethemostimportanteventsthatcauseinconvenience
forprojectmanagers(Carden,2007),creatingmajordifficultiesforprojects(AibinuandJagboro,2002).
Delayshaveconsequencessuchasreductioninprojectproductivity,increasedcosts,missedopportunities
and elimination of projects’ economic feasibility (Long et al., 2004). Aibinu and Jagboro (2002) and
Amoateyet.al(2015)foundsixpotentialnegativeconsequencesforprojectdelays,namelytimeoverrun,
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costoverrun,dispute,arbitration, litigationandtotalabandonment.ManavazhiaandAdhikarib (2002)
reportedprojectdelays’actualimpacttobeonprojectcostandbudget.
Delayscanoccurinvariousformsandmodes.TaherandPandey(2013)suggestthatdifferenttypes
ofdelaycouldhavedifferenteffectsonnon-criticalactivities,forwhichadditionalelaboratedanalysisis
needed to work out such impacts (Taher and Pandey, 2013). Following is a summary of delay types
demonstratedbyWilliams(2003),Kikwasi(2012)andTaherandPandey(2013):
i. Excusabledelaywithcompensation:delayscausedbytheclient'sactionsorinactions.
ii. Excusabledelaywithoutcompensation:delaysinwhichneithertheconsumernorthecontractor
isdeemedaccountable.
iii. Non-excusabledelay:Thisdelayiscausedbycontractor’savoidanceofthecontractagreement.
2.2. Delaysinconstructionprojects
Delaysintheconstructionindustryhavebeenasubjectofstudyinawidearrayofworksundertakenin
severalcountries(RuqaishiandBashir,2015;AlavifarandMotamedi,2014).Studieshaveshownvaried
approachestotheexaminationofprojectdelays,andhavereporteddiverseresults.Fallahnejad(2013)
identifiedfourcategoriesofstudyforfindingthemaincausesofprojectdelays:studiesinconstruction
projects,studiesinlongtermandlarge-scaleprojectssuchashighways,studiesinpublic/governmental
project,andstudiesinOGPprojects.Researchershavesuggestedandclassifieddifferenttypesofdelays
intheseindustries.Elawi(2015)categorisedthecausesofdelayinroadandbridgeconstructionprojects
intermsofownercauses,contractorcauses,consultantcausesandotherstakeholdercauses.Arditiand
Pattanakitchamroon (2006) introduced fourmethods fordelayanalysis in constructionprojectsas “as
plannedvs.as-builtscheduleanalysismethod”,“impactas-plannedscheduleanalysismethod”“collapsed
as-built schedule analysis method”, and “time impact analysis method”. Assaf and Al-Hejji (2006)
identified56reasonsfordelayinlargeconstructionprojects.AlavifarandMotamedi(2014)summarised
causesofdelayfromtheirreviewoftheliterature,findingavarietyoffactorswhichdiffernotonlyfrom
onecountrytoanother,butbasedontheresearchers’approachandappliedmethods.Table1showsa
fewofthesummarisedstudiesbyAlavifardandMotamedi(2014).Asshowninthetable,planningand
schedulingisonefactorsharedbymoststudies.
2.3. DelaysinOGPindustryconstructionprojects
OGPconstructionhasattractedtheattentionofresearchersduetotheimportanceofthisindustry.As
Weijermars(2009)andSalazar-Aramayoetal.(2013)contended,thedependenceofmanyeconomies
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onoilandgas,pushestheindustrytooperateathighintensitylevelsworldwide.Constructionprojects
inthisfieldarecharacterisedbyintensiveinvestments(CastilloandDorao,2013).
Country Researchers Majorcausesofdelay
SaudiArabia Assafetal.(2006) • Slowpreparationandapprovalofshopdrawings• Delaysinpaymentstocontractors• Changesindesign/designerror• Shortagesoflaborsupply• Poorworkmanship
SaudiArabia Al-KhalandAl-Ghafly(1995)
• Cashflowproblems/financialdifficulties• Difficultiesinobtainingpermits• “Lowestbidwins”system
UnitedArabEmirates(UAE)
FaridiandEl-Sayegh(2006)
• Slowpreparationandapprovalofdrawings• Inadequateearlyplanningoftheproject• Slownessofowner’sdecisionmaking• Shortageofmanpower• Poorsitemanagementandsupervision• Lowproductivityofmanpower
SaudiArabia AssafandAl-Hejji(2006)
• Changeinordersbytheownerduringconstruction• Delayinprogresspayment• Ineffectiveplanningandscheduling• Shortageoflabor• Difficultiesinfinancingonthepartofthecontractor
Iran AmiruddinBinIsmail(2012)
• Delayinprogresspaymentsbyclient• Changeordersbyclientduringconstruction• Poorsitemanagement• Slownessindecisionmakingprocessbyclient• Financialdifficultiesbycontractor• Lateinreviewingandapprovingdesigndocumentsby
client• Problemswithsubcontractors• Ineffectiveplanningandschedulingofprojectby
contractor• Mistakesanddiscrepanciesindesigndocuments• Badweather
Table1.SummaryofpreviousstudiesofthecausesofdelayinconstructionprojectsinMiddleEast
region(AlavifardandMotamedi,2014)
Salazar-Aramayoetal.(2013)assertthatOGPconstructionprojectsarenotonlyinternallycomplex
andhigh-risk,butalsosubject topressure fromdifferent stakeholders,whichexacerbatescomplexity.
Jergeas (2008)assessedthetimeandcostoverruns in threemegaoil sandsprojects inCanadaovera
three-year researchperiod. Their findings show thatdelay causesare rooted in “feasibility study, risk
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management,primarycostandtimeestimation,andengineering”.Sepehri(2006)studiedIranianSouth
Parsconstructionprojectsandreportedthatfailureandtimeoverrunhappenmoreinplanningphases
than in construction or control phases. This author presented some failure factors including “project
planning,qualityassurance,testing,configurationmanagement,anddevelopmentprocess”.Thuyetetal.
(2007) conducteda survey to identify the risk factorsaffectingOGPconstructionprojects inVietnam,
identifyingfivefactorsasthemajorcausesofprojectdelay:(1)bureaucraticgovernmentalsystemsand
lingeringprojectapprovalprocedures,(2)poordesign,(3)incompetenceofprojectteams,(4)inadequate
tenderingpractices,and(5)delaysininternalapprovalprocessesbytheowners. IntheirstudyofOGP
industry,JergeasandRuwanpura(2010)alsoclassifiedthecausesofcostandscheduleoverrunsas:(1)
misplacedoptimism,(2)misguidedobjectives,(3)misalignedstrategies,(4)misdirectedexecution,and
(5)missing links.Additionally,Dey (2012) found thedelay factors ina refinery constructionproject in
centralIndiatobe:(1)technicalrisks;(2)financial,economic,andpoliticalrisks;(3)organizationalrisks;
(4)naturalhazards;and(5)statutoryclearancerisks.Fallahnejad(2013)conductedasurveytoidentify
andrankthecausesofdelayingas-pipelineconstructionprojectsinIran.Thisresearcheridentifiedthe
top ten important causes of project delays that are: importedmaterials, unrealistic project duration,
client-relatedmaterials,landexpropriation,changeinorders,contractorselectionmethods,paymentsto
contractors,obtainingpermits,latedeliveryoforderedmaterialsbysuppliers,andcontractors’cashflow.
InAddition,RuqaishiandBashir(2015)reviewedstudiesonthedelayanalysisofOGPconstruction
projects,andsummarisedthemaincausesoftheseprojectsintoeightgroups:(1)Client-relatedcauses,
(2) Contractor-related causes, (3) Consultant-related causes, (4) Material-related causes, (5)
Labour/equipmentrelatedcauses, (6)Contract-relatedcauses, (7)Contractrelationship-relatedcauses
and(8)Externalcauses.
While the studies reviewedabovepresent somekey factorsofdelays in the industry, they fail to
prioritisethevarietyofcausesthatarise.Resourceconstraintslimitprojectmanagers’abilitytoattendto
everyfactoratonce.Therefore,projectmanagersneedawaytoprioritisedelaycausesanddealwith
themaccordingly.Besides,incomplexprojectenvironmentsliketheOGPindustry,crossimpactsoften
emergefromtheinterplaybetweenkeyfactors.Understandingthisinterplayisthereforeimportantfor
identifyingandmanagingdelaycausesincomplexprojects.Theabsenceofsuchanapproachtothestudy
ofdelaycausesinthecurrentresearchonthesubjecthasnecessitatedandmotivatedourstudy.
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3. Researchmethod
This research aims to extend our knowledge of project delaymanagement, where the planning and
controldimensionofprojectsandtheiroperationsmanagementplayakeyrole.Thisresearchaddresses
agapintheliteraturebyidentifyingboththecausalfactorsandtheirmutualeffectsoneachother.This
willbe important forpresentingamoreaccurateviewof the factorsand theway the factorsmaybe
prioritised. Thiswill assist in developingmethods for dealingwith delays and their causes in amore
effective way. By mapping the effects of each delay factor on the other, the main causes may be
highlighted,andthosewhichmustbeprioritizedclarified.
ThisresearchadoptedSNAtoaddressthiscriticalvoid,asthefollowingsectionexplains.Toexamine
this approach, it was imperative to provide a suitable field of study. Suitability in this study entails
economic importance,andasignificantdegreeofcomplexity.TheOGP industry,whichasdiscussed is
knownforitsglobaleconomicimportance,wasselectedasasuitablecontexttoworkfrom.Resultsfrom
thestudyofthissectorcaninformothersectorsandtypesofconstructionprojects.
3.1.SemanticNetworkAnalysisasthemethod
Variousanalysismethodshavebeendevelopedoverthetimefortheanalysisofdelayinprojects.Some
main methods include global impact, as-planned, impacted as-planned, net impact, time impact,
collapsing, isolated delay type, snapshot and window analysis, and SEM (Kao and Yang, 2009). As
reiteratedbyYangandOu(2008)findingthecausesofdelay,whichaffectproject’scriticalpathsandtheir
completion, is a key aspect in suchmethods.Whilemost knownmethodshavepaid attention to the
causesofdelay,themethodshavebeencriticisedfortheirabilitytoidentifycriticalpathchangesanddeal
with more complicated delay types (Yang and Kao, 2012). Besides, existing methods have failed to
illustratetherelationshipbetweendifferentdelaycauses,andhowtheidentifiedcausesaffecteachother
andcollectivelyinfluencescheduledelays(YangandOu,2008).Suchinsightofdelaysandtheircauses,
particularlyincomplexprojects,canhelpthemanagerstoidentifyprioritiesforattendingandresolving
thecauses.Thereisaneedtherefore,fornewapproachestoidentifyingandanalysingdelaycauseswhich
canpresentaprioritymodelofthecausesbasedontheanalysisoftherelationshipbetweendifferent
causes.TheSemanticNetworkAnalysisisabletodothis.
SNA as the alternative to existing methods is found to be a useful approach for addressing
complicatedcircumstancesas it is interested inextrapolatingtherelationsbetweenfactors(Atteveidt,
2008).SNA,whichinherentlyisbasedonqualitativeassessmentofnetworksandtheiractors’perceptions
andbehaviour,providesamorein-depthviewofthepotentialcausesofdelaybeyondstatisticalbased
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approaches such as SEM. Yang and Ou (2008) who applied SEM in their study, refer to the limited
informationusersmayreceivefromthecorrelationcoefficientbasedanalysisofrelationshipbetweentwo
causes,whichwouldbetoosimpletopresentaholisticperceptionofthekeycausesofdelay.
Socialnetworkanalysisandcomplexnetworktheoryhavepreviouslybeenappliedtostudythe
behaviorandstructureofcomplexnetworkssuchastechnologicalnetworks,biologicalnetworks,social
networks,organisationnetworks,informationnetworks,andsemanticnetworksamongothers(Pereira
et al., 2011). The concept of semantic networkswas first introduced byQuillian (1968). Themethod
established a foundation for knowledge modelling and representation (Helbig, 2006), which was
supportedbyanadaptable formal framework inorder to systematically analyse systemsanddevelop
applications(Drieger,2013).
SNAreferstoacollectionofresearchtechniquesthatconsidereachconcept/occurrenceasanode
inanetworkandasemanticrelationshipamongthenodes(JungandPark,2015).Themethodanalyses
therelationshipbetweenconceptsbyrecordingco-occurrenceofconcepts (Ohetal.,2013).Semantic
NetworkAnalysishasbeenusedbyZareietal.(2014)asanewmethodologyfortherecognition,analysis
andprioritisationofinefficiencyfactorsintheorganisationaldiagnosisprocess.
Themethodologyisdefinedinthreesteps:(1)therecognitionofkeyfactors;(2)therecognition
ofelementsdetermininganddefiningeachofthekeyfactors; (3)analysisoffactoreffects. Inthefirst
step,theresearcherscanstheoccurrenceofthefactorsbeforeattemptingtoidentifythemainfactorsof
inefficiencyaccordingtotheevidence.Primarilyqualitativemethodologiesareemployed,suchasfocus
groups or Delphi. Information and ideas are collected through interviews with informants, who are
identified as key people in the organisation, selected for their direct knowledge and expertise of the
matterathand.Thedataisthenanalysedtoextractandprioritisethekeyfactorsthatareresponsiblefor
inefficiencies.Inthesecondstep,thesekeyfactorsarebrokendowntotheelementsthatcomprisethem.
Inthethirdstep,theeffectsofeachelementontheotherelementsaredeterminedandillustratedwith
SNA.
TheprocessofSNAinvolvesanetworkapproachthat includesthefollowingkeyelementsand
symbols:
i. Nodes:nodesencodeconceptswhicharerecognisedasthekeyfactors.AsmentionedbyDrieger
(2013),nodescanbequantitativelycharacterisedbyameasurewhichindicatesthenumberof
adjacentnodes,todenoteanode’sconnectedness.
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ii. Edges:Edgesrepresentrelationsbetweentwonodes,whichareweightedaccordingtostatistical
quantities of adjacent nodes, such as their centralitymeasures (Drieger, 2013). In ourmodel,
relationsaredividedintothefollowingcategories:
a. Is-From:thefactorwhichisconstructedfromotherfactors(R-I).
b. Can-affect:thefactorthathasdirecteffectonotherfactors(C-A).
iii. Hubs:Hubsrepresent importantnodes inanetwork,oftencorrespondingtohighlyconnected
nodes.
Afterfinalisingthenetwork,theelements,whichareidentifiedasHubs,areaddressedandimproved.
Theoretically, improvementoftheseelementsisexpectedtohavesignificanteffectsonoverallproject
efficiencyaswellasimprovingotherfactors.Theapplicationofthismethodindelayanalysisprovidesthe
opportunitytoresolvetheaforementionedlimitationsofpreviousmethods.Thestrengthsofthispaper’s
contributioninclude:
i. Itcanhandleanalysisofcomplexenvironmentswherecomplicatedrelationshipsandprocesses
exist.
ii. Thenetworkofcausesofdelayidentifiedusingthemethodcanhighlightcriticalpathchanges.It
meansthatmoreimpactfulnodeswillbegivenpriorityforimprovementandchange.
iii. Itresolvestheproblemofmethodefficiencybyremovingdependenceonthetimeofdoingthe
analysis.
iv. Themethodidentifiesliabilityallocationclearlythroughrecognitionoffactorsandsubfactors,as
wellastherelationshipsbetweenthem.
3.2.Researchdesignanddevelopment
Theempiricalstudywascarriedoutthroughacasestudyapproach,todemonstratethesuitabilityofthe
proposedapproaches(Arenaetal,2014).Asamethod,casestudyisidealforstudiessuchasthiswhere
itenablestheinvestigationofacontemporaryphenomenonwithinitsreal-lifecontext(Stewart,2012;
Verschuren,2003;Palmberg,2010;ZachandMunkvold,2012).Themainunitsofanalysisinresearchlike
thisareorganisationalunits,whichareincontinuousandevolvingrelationships.Theirrelationshipsare
intrinsicallycomplex instructure,andare thereforedifficult toaccessconceptually(Easton,2010).The
inherentflexibilityofthecasestudymethodsuitsthestudyofsuchcomplexandevolvinginteractionsin
the industrialmarket (BeverlandandLindgreen,2010).Casestudiesprovidetheopportunity formore
contextualassessmentofsocialandbehaviouralaspectsofthetargetindustry(Kurkkioetal.,2011).A
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multiplecasestudyapproachwaspreferredasitsuitscollectingcomparativedata,hencebeinglikelyto
yieldanaccurateandgeneralisableresult(Kurkkio,Frishammar,andLichtenthaler,2011;Stewart,2012).
ThisstudyfocusesonIranianOGP.TheOGPindustryhasbeenreportedbyKurkkioetal.(2011)
tobecomplex.Itconsistsofmultipleiterativeactivities,forwhichacasestudyisafeasibleapproach.In
theMiddleEastregion,Iranhasthelargestgasandoilreserves.TheOGPindustryisthemainindustryin
Iran,comprisingupto60%ofgrossnationalrevenuesandabout80%offoreigncurrencyrevenues.Large-
scaleinvestmentshavebeendirectedtotheIranianPetrochemicalIndustryinrecentyears,inaccordance
withnationaldevelopmentplans.Suchcapacity-developmentprojectsrequireextensivecompetencies,
andprojectefficiency.Thesuccessofsuchprojectshasbeenhamperedlargelybyexcessiveprojectdelays,
causingconcernsforindustryleadersaswellaspolicymakers(Fallahnejad,2013;Zareietal.,2015).
Prior studies have reported significant delays in Iranian petrochemical construction projects.
AccordingtoIMO(2013),theaveragedelaysintheIranianpetrochemicalconstructionprojectswere500,
470 and 357 days in 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively. Based on a review of the Iranian Industrial
ManagementOrganisation’sreportsondelaysinpetrochemicalconstructionprojects(IMO,2013),three
petrochemicalconstructionprojectswiththelongestdelaysin2012-2013wereselectedforthecasestudy
in the research.The initial studyof the cases includedananalysisof the industry typesanddelays in
variousfirmswithinthesector.26constructioncontractorsintheseprojectswereidentifiedandselected
fordatacollection.Thesefirmscomprehensivelyrepresenttheindustryconsideringthescopeandsizeof
the projects the firmswere responsible for. Besides, our early investigations and examination of the
documentsshowedthatdelaysinthesefirms’projectsweremoreimpactfultothesuccessoftheoverall
projects.
Afocusgroupmethodologywasselectedforcollectingthedataintheresearch.Focusgroupsare
analytically challenging, as the team tends to deal with and combine three levels of data, including
individual,group,andgroupinteractions(Onwuegbuzieetal.,2009).AccordingtoZareietal.(2014)the
optimalsizeofafocusgroupisbetweensixandeightparticipants.
The aim of the focus group panels was primarily to seek agreements among the members of the
discussion.Thiswasachievedbyfocusingonandrecordingthedisagreementsbetweenthemembers.For
selectingtheexpertpanel, theresearchteamrequestedformally fromCEOsof26firms inthe Iranian
Petrochemical industry to introduceoneof theirexpertswith tenormoreyearsof jobexperience to
represent them. As the result, the expert panel was a representation of 26 firms in the Iranian
Petrochemical industry, who were recruited to the research process following their agreement to
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participate inthestudy.Mostofthefirmsapproached inthestudywereverykeento learnwhytheir
projectsfacedelayssothatthecompanycanbetterhandlethem.
Following initial meetings to explain the objectives and approach to the study, focus group
sessionswereplannedandconducted.Eachsessionincludedatleasteightexpertstodiscusscausesof
project delay and break down contributing factors in detail. In total, 21 sessionswere heldwith the
participants in the identificationphase. The sessions took2 to3hourseach,whichwere chairedand
controlled by amoderatorwhowas assisted by an observer (co-researcher). The primary role of the
moderatorwastoinitiate,observe,facilitateandconductdiscussions,whiletheobservertookfieldnotes
andobservedtheparticipants’non-verbalcommunicationpatterns.Thesessionswerevoicerecorded.
DatafromeachsessionwasanalysedthroughthefollowingstepsasproposedbyZareietal.(2014):
i. Overview:readingthetranscriptsseveraltimestogetthegist.
ii. De-contextualisation:categorisingdataaccordingtothethemesintheresearchguide.
iii. Coding:organisingthetextaccordingtoemergingcategorieswithineachtheme.
iv. Conceptualisation:identifyingthemainconceptsintheemergingcodesandsub-codes.
v. Re-contextualisation:re-arrangingthetextaccordingtotheemerginglogic.
vi. Documentation:documentingtheoutputswhichwaspresentedtoparticipantstovalidatethe
processofanalysisinthenextsession.
ThevalidityandreliabilityofthedatawasverifiedfollowingBeverlandandLindgreen(2010)asfollows:
i. Constructvalidity:Multipledocumentswereexaminedandmultiple informantswereaskedto
provideadditionalinformationinfollow-ups.
ii. Internal validity: Through searching for indications of negative effects, used for ruling out or
accountingforalternativeexplanations.
iii. Externalvalidity:Achievedthroughselectingthetargetfirms,andusingexpertopinion,tomake
casesasuniqueaspossible.
iv. Reliability:Usingastandardisedinterview/discussionprotocol,andcarefulwrite-upofdata.
To examine and validate the results from this stage, follow up interviews were undertaken with
15informants.Theselectionofinformantswasundertakenbyfirstidentifyingthepotentialtopexecutive
managersoftheselectedpetrochemicalfirms.Fromalistof50managers,15informantswereselected
randomly.All15informantsweremalemanagerswhohadmorethanfifteenyearsofjobexperienceand
hadbeeninvolvedwithuptofivedifferentmanagerialpositionsattheIranianpetrochemicalindustry.
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Intheseinterviews,theparticipantswerepresentedwiththeresultsfromthefocusgroupstudiesand
SNAanalyses,andaskedtocommentonhowtheoutcomerelatestotheirproblems,andwhetheritwould
informtheirfutureviewsanddecisions.Figure1presentsaflowdiagramofthestepstakenthroughthe
fieldstudy.
Fig.1.Theresearchstepsflowdiagram
4. Findings
Inthefirststep,theresearchteamexaminedandevaluatedtheproject’sdelaysandtheircausesbased
ontheprojects’documents.Reviewofthedocumentsandevidenceshowedthatthecausesofdelaycan
becategorisedinfivestandardprocessesofprojectmanagement(i.e.PMBOK’scategories)asfollows:
A-Delaysrelatedtoinitiatingprocesses
B-Delaysrelatedtoplanningprocesses
C-Delaysrelatedtoexecutingprocesses
D-Delaysrelatedtocontrollingprocesses
E-Delaysrelatedtoclosingprocesses
Thesecategorieswerediscussedinthefirstfewsessionsoffocusgrouppanels.Thediscussionsledtoa
refinedversionofcategoriesbasedonthefollowingpoints:
1-Thedelaysinexecutingprocessareprimarilyduetotheproblemsofcontractingprocess,andtherefore
contractualproblemsaretherootcausesofprocessissues.Inaddition,itwasexpressedandagreedthat
delaycausesarevariedacrossdifferentprocessesundertakenbydifferentcontractors.Consequently,it
Follow up interviews with 15 informants
Selection of three
main projects with the
most delays
Identification of delay causes in selected projects
Modification and
agreement on the
identified delay causes
Identification and
agreement on the
relationship between
delay causes
Validation of the results
26 contractors were selected
and their documents
were reviewed
The focus groups were formed and
21 sessions conducted
Follow up interviews with 15 informants
Review of the Iranian
Industrial Management
Organization’s Reports
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isnotpossibletogeneralisesuchcauses,andthereforecategorisingthemundergenericthemesisnot
helpful. The panel members therefore concluded that classification of “delays related to executing
processes”shouldchangeto“delaysrelatedtocontractingprocesses”.
2-Theprocessesrelatedtoprojectclosing,inpracticecomeinplayaftertheproject’sexecutingprocesses
andhandingovertotheprojectowners.Sincethescopeofthisresearchcoveredprocessesuptothe
projectdeliverytoowners,thepanelconcludedthat“delaysrelatedtoclosingprocesses”isoutsidethe
scopeofthisexerciseandshouldbeomitted.
BasedonthesepointsthedelaysoftheprojectsweregroupsinfourcategoriesasshowninTable2.
Group Definition
A Delaysrelatedtotheinitialnegotiations
B Delaysrelatedtocontractingprocesses
C Delaysrelatedtoplanningprocess
D Delaysrelatedtocontrolprocess
Table2.DifferentcategoriesoftheIPIprojectcausesofdelays
Investigating the relations between elements of each category was a key factor in the
investigation,andone importantcontributionofthisresearch.Figure2depictsthe“Is-From”(I-F)and
“Can-Affect”(C-A)relationsbetweencausegroups,anddemonstrateshowtheemergenceofaproblem
inonegroupleadstodelayinothers.Thisrequiredidentificationoftheelementsofeachcategory(as
depicted in Table 3). For this purpose, the participants in focus groupswere asked to list what they
considerthemainconstitutingelementsofeachcategory.Thesefactorswerethencollated,analysedand
finalisedinageneralsessionattendedbymembersofallexpertpanels.Thefinalconsensusonthelayout
oftheelementsisdepictedinTable3.
14
Fig.2.SemanticnetworkofdelaycausesofIPI
DelayCategory Components
A-Initialnegotiations
AbsenceofindustrialfeasibilitystudyandcapacityplanningIncompleteandineffectivecontractsLackofrequiredEPdocumentsorincompletedocumentsfromEPInaccurateorwrongestimationofcostsUncontrollablefactorssuchasmonopoliesormarketfluctuationsLackofreviews,feedbacksandcorrectiveactionsTimeconsumingprocessofreviewingandconfirmingsuggestionsandplansbyEPFrequentchangesintechnicaldesignbyEPLongtimelagsbetweenthechangesannouncedbyEPLackofstandardandwell-definedcommunicationsystemsbetweenEPandequipmentmanufacturesUncleardefinitionsofresponsibilitiesanddutiesofEPandequipmentmanufactures
B-Contractingprocesses
AbsenceofindustrialfeasibilitystudyandcapacityplanningIncompleteandineffectivecontractsLackofrequiredEPdocumentsorincompletedocumentsfromEPTimeconsumingprocessofreviewingandconfirmingsuggestionsandplansbyEPFrequentchangesintechnicaldesignbyEPLongtimelagsbetweenthechangesannouncedbyEPDelayedpaymentsbyEPDeficiencyofprojectmanagementsystemsUnpunctualdeliveringofequipmentandmaterials
15
C-Planningprocess
IncompleteandineffectivecontractsTimeconsumingprocessofreviewingandconfirmingsuggestionsandplansbyEPFrequentchangesintechnicaldesignsbyEPDelayeddeliveryofequipmentandmaterialsbyEPLackofstandardsandwell-definedcommunicationsystemsbetweenEPandequipmentmanufacturersInefficientorganizationalstructureandinternalprocessesofequipmentmanufacturingcompaniesLackofuseoraccesstonewsoftwarefordesigningDeficiencyofmotivationalsystemsinequipmentmanufacturingcompaniesDeficiencyofhumanresourcesmanagementonequipmentmanufacturingcompaniesLackofpowerfulmanagementinequipmentmanufacturingcompanies’resourceplanningandprocurementDeficiencyofproduction/projectplanningsystemsonequipmentmanufacturingcompaniesDeficiencyofqualityplanningsystemsDeficiencyoffinancialplanningsystemofequipmentmanufacturingcompaniesChangesinthescopeoftheprojectsimplementationbyEPwithoutinvolvingtheequipmentmanufacturingcompaniesLingeringprocessofopeningLCandprovidingmaterialsandgoodsInefficientmanagementofsubcontractorsofequipmentmanufacturingcompaniesInefficientwarehousingsysteminpetrochemicalfactorysites
D-Controlprocess
InaccurateorwrongestimationofcostsbyequipmentmanufacturingcompaniesTimeconsumingprocessofreviewingandconfirmingsuggestionsandplansbyEPFrequentchangesintechnicaldesignsbyEPDelayeddeliveryofequipmentandmaterialsbyEPDelayedpaymentsbyEPDeficiencyofmotivationalsystemsinequipmentmanufacturingcompaniesLackofpowerfulmanagementovertheresourceplanningandprocurementofequipmentmanufacturingcompaniesChangesinthescopeoftheprojectsimplementationsbyEPwithoutinvolvingtheequipmentmanufacturingcompaniesLingeringprocessofopeningLCandprovidingmaterialsandgoodsDeficiencyofprojectcontrolsystemsofequipmentmanufacturingcompaniesAbsenceofanyanalysisofthepasteventsorperiodicalreportsbyequipmentmanufacturingcompaniesLaterequestsforcorrectionsorrevisionsofdelaycausesandpropositionofstrategiesforcompensatingthedelaysbyequipmentmanufacturingcompaniesLackofintegratedcontrollingsystemsforproductionLackofintegratedqualitycontrollingsystemsinequipmentmanufacturingcompaniesDeficiencyofhumanresourcescontrollingsystemsinequipmentmanufacturingcompaniesDeficiencyoffinancial/budgetcontrollingsystemsinequipmentmanufacturingcompanies
Table3.DelaycausesinIranpetrochemicalprojects
16
InFigure3,“Result-In”(R-I)isappliedtodemonstratetherelationshipbetweenfactorsleadingto
delaysineachgroup.Uncoveringsuchrelationshipsisofgreatvaluetothemanagementofprojects.Take,
forinstance,groupA,whichincludeselevenelements.“Absenceofindustrialfeasibilitystudyandcapacity
planning”(factor1)can“resultin”someproblemssuchas“lackoftherequiredEngineeringProcurement
(EP)documentsorincompletedocumentsfromEP”(factor3)and“Uncontrollablecontextualfactorssuch
asmonopoliesormarketfluctuations”(factor5).“IncompleteandineffectiveContracts”(factor2)may
cause “Lack of reviews, feedbacks and corrective actions” (factor 6). This network also shows that a
problemsuchas“UncleardefinitionofresponsibilitiesanddutiesofEPandequipmentmanufacturers”
(factor11)resultsfrom“Timeconsumingprocessofreviewingandconfirmingsuggestionsandplansby
EP”(factor7),“FrequentchangesininformationanddocumentspresentedbyEP”(factor8)and“Long
lags between the changes announced by EP” (factor 9). Figure 3, drawn using Edraw 7.9 software,
illustrates an overall image of relationships using four categories of delay sources, and the detailed
componentsofeach.Theseconnectionsweresuggestedbythefocusgroupsparticipants,whowereasked
fortheirviewontherelationshipsbetweenfactorsandtheirelements.Thesummarisedresultswerethen
presented,discussedandfinalisedinthefinalgeneralsession.
Themainrelationshipsinthesemanticnetworkarebetweencategories,whichmaybereferred
toasexternal relationships.With15directeffects fromAonB,33 fromAonCand53 fromAonD,
categoryA can create101 causal relationships. Fromall 167direct delay relationships, nearly 61%of
delaysresultfromcategoryA,38%fromcategoryCandjust1%fromcategoryB.Therelationshipsand
theirvaluesareshownintable4.
A-6,A-11andA-1with35,28and23relationshipswithdelaysources,respectively,arethemost
effectivefactorsofcategoryA.Thesefactorshaveconsiderableinfluenceonothercategories.C-6andC-
4with10and7relationshipswithincategoryD,respectively,havethegreatesteffectsonthisgroup.As
aresult,therefore,improvingtheperformanceofprojectsandreducingtheirdelayscanbeachievedby
consideringandimprovingfactorsA-6,A-11,A-1,C-6andC-4ascriticaldecisionsforthemanagers.
17
Fig.3.SemanticNetworkofdelaycausesinIPIprojectsandtheirrelationships
Findings NoofRelationship Mosteffective Mostvulnerable
Effecton Effectfrom FactorNo.
value. FactorNo.
value.
DelayCategory
D* ID** D ID D ID D ID
A 101 172 0 0 6 15 35 - - -
B 2 11 15 0 - - - - - -
C 64 0 35 3 6 10 0 10 6 6
D 0 0 117 172 - - - 13,14 19 42
D*:DirecteffectID**:Indirecteffect
Table4.Externalrelationshipsofdelaycategories
18
Another importantaspectof thedata is the frequencyof factorsand their ranking,whichare
analysedandpresentedinTable5.Inthisstep,thesignificanceofelementsisascertainedthroughthe
opinionsoftheexpertsinthefocusgroups.Accordingtotheresults,themostprominentcausesofdelay
inthepetrochemicalindustryare“Inaccurateorwrongestimationofcostsininitialnegotiation(A-4)”,
“TimeconsumingprocessofreviewingandconfirmingsuggestionsandplansbyEPintheplanningprocess
(C-2)” and “Time consuming process of reviewing and confirming suggestions and plans by EP in the
controlprocess(D-2)”.
GroupA Frequency GroupB Frequency GroupC Frequency GroupD Frequency
A-1 12 B-1 12 C-1 13 D-1 12
A-2 13 B-2 13 C-2 15 D-2 15
A-3 11 B-3 11 C-3 10 D-3 10
A-4 15 B-4 14 C-4 9 D-4 9
A-5 10 B-5 10 C-5 12 D-5 7
A-6 11 B-6 9 C-6 13 D-6 14
A-7 14 B-7 8 C-7 11 D-7 10
A-8 10 B-8 14 C-8 14 D-8 11
A-9 9 B-9 13 C-9 13 D-9 12
A-10 12 C-10 12 D-10 11
A-11 12 C-11 12 D-11 11
C-12 11 D-12 10
C-13 13 D-13 12
C-14 9 D-14 10
C-15 8 D-15 14
C-16 9 D-16 13
C-17 9
Table5.Frequencyofeachfactor
5. Discussion
Themost recurring issue in the construction industry is delay (Tumi, Omran, and Pakir, 2009; Doloi,
Sawhney, Iyer,andRentala,2012;AlavifarandMotamedi,2014),which isassociatedwiththe levelof
19
uncertainty(Gardezi,Manarvi,andGardezi,2014),andcomplexityofprojectsinthissector(Tumi,Omran,
andPakir,2009;YangandKao,2012;Doloietal.,2012).TheOGPindustryplaysacrucialeconomicrole
in many economies (Fallahnejad, 2013; Farboudmanesh et al., 2013; Salazar-Aramayo et al., 2013;
Ruqaishi and Bashir, 2015), and is shaped largely of construction projectswith intensive investments
(CastilloandDorao,2013).Withdelaybeingthemainfactoraffectingtheproductionplanningandcontrol
dimensionofoperations(GunasekaranandNgai,2012),itsmanagementisthereforecriticaltothissector
and its success. This paper contributes to the field of study by presenting a new and comprehensive
approachtotheinvestigationofdelaycausesincomplexenvironmentsuchasOGP.Thecriticalnatureof
theindustrytotheeconomy,whichmotivatedthisstudy,highlightstheimportanceofidentificationof
causesofdelay.
The study uncovers some limitations of existing project delay analysismodels, especially the
modelswhicharemodifiedforOGPprojects,suchasthosedevelopedbyThuyetetal. (2007),Jergeas
(2008),JergeasandRuwanpura(2010),Dey(2012),andFallahnejad(2013).Asarguedinthepaper,these
methods are not found to satisfy the requirements formanaging complex projects in large business
environments(KaoandYang,2009;YangandKao,2012).Furthermore,akeygapidentifiedintheextant
studiesisthatresearcherswhilehaveattemptedidentifythecausesofdelay,butmostlyhaveneglected
the interplay and interactionbetween such causes. In the studyofprojectmanagement systems, the
causalmodelsareveryimportantastheconceptof“time”iscrucialformanagersinthisarea.Inproject
management,thedynamicsofelementsinvolvedintheprocessoftheprojectsareofgreatimportance
tomanagers.InterviewswiththeIranianpetrochemicalmanagersshowedhowimportantitisforthem
toresolvethedelaycausesinasystematicandstepbystepapproachduetoresourcelimitations.The
introducedmethodenablesthemanagerstoidentifyandremovekeydelaycauses,whichwillbefollowed
byfurtheriterativereviewsthroughthetimeaswellasexaminationoftheeffectsdelaysmighthaveon
othercauses.
TheresultsfromthefieldstudyconcludedthatIranianpetrochemicalconstructionprojectssuffer
from a range of key issues including technical, financial, economic, political and organisational risks,
alongsidebeingsensitiveandpronetonaturalhazards.AssuggestedbyDey(2012),suchriskswillcause
delay.Thedelaycauseswereidentifiedinthisstudyattwolevels,whicharegenerallyconsistentwiththe
findings ofAlavifar andMotamedi (2014) andRuqaishi andBashir (2015) in their studies of delays in
constructionprojectsintheMiddleEast.
Theexpertfocusgroupsinitiallyhelpedintheidentificationofthecauseswhichwereorganised
infourgroups,namelyinitialnegotiations,contracting,planning,andcontrolprocesses,alongwithseveral
20
keyconstitutingfactorsundereachgroup.ApplicationofSNA,astheadoptedmethodforanalysisofthe
datafromfocusgroupsessions,provedveryeffectiveresultinginamodelrepresentingdelaycausesand
external relationships between them. The approach also included ranking of the sub-factors by the
membersofpanel.Thiscapacityfordetectinginterrelationships,andrankingtheminorderofpriority,
aretwokeyadvantagesofSNAcomparedtothepreviousmethods(Atteveldt,2008;KaoandYang,2009;
Pereiraetal.,2011;YangandKao,2012;Ohetal.,2013).
TheanalysisoftherelationshipnetworkusingSNAassistedinamoreaccurateidentificationof
themainfactorcausingdelaysinIranianpetrochemicalconstructionprojects.Theoutcomeshowedthe
“initial negotiations deficiencies”, a stage in which different stakeholders’ conflicting views and
expectationsapplypressuretotheprocess(Salazar-Aramayoetal.,2013)toconstitutethemaincausein
thiscase.Inaddition,theanalysisofthesub-factorsshowed“Lackofreviews,feedbacksandcorrective
actions”tobethemostsignificantfactor.Theresultssuggestthatproblem-solvingintheinitialstageof
project negotiation should be prioritised in the examined industry. The analyses imply that such an
approachcouldreducethedelayofconstructionprojectsand improvetheirefficiencysignificantly.As
JoslinandMüller(2016)suggest,theprojectsuccessdependson:(1)Projectefficiency,(2)Organisational
benefits,(3)Projectimpact,(4)Stakeholdersatisfaction,and(5)Futurepotentials.Itisthereforeexpected
that resolving the“initialnegotiationdeficiencies” inconstructionprojectswouldmakeprojectsmore
successful.Theempiricalstudyandtheinformationandinsightsproducedduringitscourseprovedhighly
usefultothemanagersofthestudiedfirm.Theapproachtodelayanalysishelpedtheexecutivemanagers
tolocatedelayproblemseasierandwithmoreconfidence,allowingthemtoaddressthembyappropriate
measures in time. In thiscase,previousstudieshavesuggestedmeasures for improvingthisaspectof
projects(Javedetal.,2014):
i. Changingthenegotiationstrategiesemployed
ii. Changingthescenariosusedinthenegotiations
iii. Changingnegotiationstandardsandlaws
iv. Revisingthenegotiationprocessesandreinforcingtheiragility
v. Negotiatingthroughqualifiedindividuals,andassigningappropriateincentivesforthem.
The validation follow up interviews provided strong support for the research exercise and the
achievedoutcome.Mostofthemanagersfoundtheresultsextremelysupportiveinshapingtheirattitude
towardsandunderstandingofthecomplexanddynamicnatureofdelays.Aconsiderablenumberofthe
managersexpressedintentiontoaccepttheoutcomefromthestudyandintroduceandimplementthe
identifiedcorrectivemeasures.
21
ApplicationofvisualmethodssuchasSNAinexaminingaphenomenon,wherevariousstakeholders
withdifferentviewsareinvolved,isaneffectiveapproach(Drieger,2013).Suchmethodsassistinafaster
andmoreaccurateformationofacollectiveviewfromthevariedanduniqueinterpretationsofdifferent
stakeholders.Theresearchsupportedthiseffectfurtherbyshowingthattheuseofvisualmodeledtoa
unified interpretation of project delays and their causes in focus group sessions. In otherwords, the
introductionofvisualmethodscanassistinoriginatingtransformationintheprojects.
Conclusion
AnimportantcontributionofthispaperistheadoptionandapplicationofSemanticNetworkAnalysis
intheidentificationandanalysisofconstructionprojectdelaysinOGPindustry.Themethod’scapacityto
identify and rank delay causes can assistmanagers in selecting appropriatemeasures for eliminating
them. Furthermore, thismethod is able toaccount for interrelationshipbetweendelay causes,which
compensatesfortheweaknessofpreviousmethods.Theapplicationofanalyticaltoolsandmethodsin
addressingindustryandprojectsproblemshasbeenanestablishedresearchexerciseformanydecades.
Theincreasingcomplexityinfirmsandtheirprojectshashowevercalledforadvancinginterdisciplinary
approachesthatcanhandlesuchcomplexities.Thisresearchattemptedtakingtheexistingprojectdelay
studies,whichhavegenerallyapproachedprojectanalysisusingtechniquessuchasStructuralEquation
Modeling(e.g.studiesdonebyAtteveldt(2008);YangandOu(2008);KaoandYang(2009);YangandKao
(2012)) further by applying an analysis method which is used in social and technological fields. The
successfuloutcomeofthismethodinanalysingprojectdelaysandtheircausesshowedthatresearchin
project management can be further enriched and extended through introducing interdisciplinary
approaches.
In addition, the suggestedmethod (SNA) canbe a startingpoint for usingArtificial Intelligence in
projectdelaymanagementandcouldleadtonewtoolsforprojectmanagement.ApplicationofSNAin
this study opens theway for the application of themethod in the study of other aspects of project
management,particularlyincomplexenvironments.Theproposedmethodologyandthefindingscanbe
applied in similar project environments in order to explore delay dynamics, and develop tactics for
improvingtheeffectivenessandefficiencyofconstructionprojects.Thepapersuccessfullybridgesthe
gap between theory and practice, which will benefit practitioners and managers who seek to more
effectivelymanagetheirprojects.Thesefindingscouldbeusedasausefulroadmapforidentifyingand
removingdelaycausesatdifferentlevelsofconstructionprojectsinthepetrochemicalindustry.Managers
canapplythefindingshere indevelopingbetterstrategies forhandlingconstructionprojectdelays. In
22
addition, the researchmethodand resultswill helppetrochemical constructionprojectmanagersand
policymakersunderstandtheeffectsofthesedelaysonconstructionprojectoutcomes,andimprovethe
efficiencyofconstructionprojectmanagementinthePetrochemicalIndustry.Theresearchprovidesboth
academiaandpracticesectorswithanoveltoolfordelaycausesanalysis.Thiscanbeextremelyusefulin
developingcountrieswhichtypicallysufferfromefficiencyandeffectivenessproblemsinprojects.
AlimitationofthisstudyisthattheresultsarebasedononefieldofOGPprojects,howevertheapplied
methodprovesitsefficiencyasagenericmethodologyforcomplexprojectenvironments.
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