Delay Mitigation in the Malaysian Construction Industry

TLDR

Proper construction management is crucial for mitigating delays in Malaysia’s rapidly growing economy. The study aims to identify locally practiced delay‑mitigation tools, uncover key delay‑causing factors, and propose recommendations. Data were collected via questionnaires and interviews with construction project stakeholders. Delays predominantly occur during construction, involve multiple parties, and are alleviated by experienced managers and skilled laborers, which can accelerate industry growth.

Abstract

This paper describes the importance of applying proper management in dealing with delays in construction for a growing economy. The main objective of this paper is to identify the management tools that are practiced in the local construction industry in mitigating delay. It also aims to identify the main factors that lead to project delays and to suggest recommendations on how to overcome or mitigate effects of the problem. Data is gathered from responses from questionnaire survey and interviews with those involved in construction project. The surveys and research findings indicate that delay incidents occur mainly during the construction phase of a project and one or more parties usually contribute to delay. This paper highlights the importance of having more experienced and capable construction managers as well as skilled laborers to enable the industry to develop at a faster rate either nationally or internationally.