Kandil Mohammed Ibrahim_Sameh_Dissertation

University
of
Bath

Faculty
of
Engineering
and
Design

Department
of
Architecture
and
Civil
Engineering

Causes,
Effects
and
Methods
of
Minimizing
Delays
in
Dubai

High-‐Rise
Construction
Projects

This
Dissertation
is
submitted
in
Accordance
with
the

Requirement
for
the
Degree
of
Master
of
Science
in
International

Construction
Management
in
the
University
of
Bath
2016

Sameh
Kandil
Mohammed
Ibrahim

Supervisor:
Dr.
Vaughan
Coffey

April
2016

2

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”

Benjamin Franklin, (1706-1790) American statesman, scientist and
philosopher

3

Copyright Notice
Attention is drawn to the fact that copyright of this dissertation rests with its
author. This copy of the dissertation has been supplied on condition that
anyone who consults it is understood to recognize that its copyright rests
with its author and that no quotation from the dissertation and no
information derived from it may be published without the prior written
consent of the author.
Restrictions on Use
This dissertation may be made available for consultation within the
University Library and may be photocopied or lent to other libraries for the
purpose of consultation.
Signature: ………………………….
Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this work are entirely those of the author except
where indicated in the text.

Sameh Ibrahim

4

Abstract
Delays happen regularly and have been perceived to have become a
normal occurrence in most construction projects worldwide and in the
Emirate of Dubai. This study, a first for Dubai, focuses on identifying the
factors that most contribute to the delays of high-rise projects in Dubai,
evaluates the effect of these delays and examines some effective methods
of minimizing their impacts. A comprehensive literature review on these
issues was conducted and a questionnaire survey prepared.
A total of 60 causes that contribute to the delays were identified and
categorized into five major groups, 14 effects have been identified into five
major groups, and 9 methods have been identified for minimizing the
delays and 12 methods have been specifically identified under the
methods of “effective planning and scheduling practices”.
A survey questionnaire was distributed to 16 clients, 27
consultants/designers and 25 contractors working on large high-rise
projects in Dubai. Participants were asked to indicate the level of
importance of each cause, the level of occurrence of each effect and the
effectiveness of each minimizing method. The delay causes, effects and
minimizing methods were then analyzed and ranked based on the Relative
Importance Index.
Finally, recommendations are made that will assist high-rise practitioners
to reduce, control and avoid delays and thus improve the performance of
Dubai’s high-rise sector in attracting more investors and assisting the
sectors of tourism and business, meeting the EXPO 2020 demands and
stabilizing the Dubai real estate market prices.

5

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank GOD who gives me the health, patience and strength
to write my dissertation.
Special thanks for my supervisor Dr. Vaughan Coffey at the Queensland
University of Technology in Australia for his support, guidance, advices
and patience.
I am thankful for all ICM program team at the University of Bath in the
United Kingdom for their tremendous support during my two years study
period.
I am very grateful to my wife May, my daughters Karen and Helen and my
parents too for their understanding and continuous support.
Finally, I would like to show my deepest appreciation and gratitude for
whoever contributed in the supplied questionnaire in favor of concluding
this dissertation.

6

Table of Contents
Abstract 4
Acknowledgement 5
List of Figures 8
List of Tables 9
List of Appendices 10
Chapter 1: Introduction 11
1.1 - Background of the Study 11
1.2 - Statement of the Problem 12
1.3 - Aims and Objectives 13
1.4 - Limitations 13
1.5 - Research Methodology 14
1.6 - Research Potential Significance 15
1.7 - Research Structure 15

Chapter 2: Literature Review 17

2.1 - Chapter Introduction 17
2.2 - Three Dimensions of Delay Causes
2.2.1 - The Characteristics of Construction Industry Globally and 18
Associated Delay Causes
2.2.2 - The Characteristics of Construction Market in Dubai and 21
2.2.3 - The Characteristics of High-Rise Building Projects Globally and 26
2.3 - Effects of Delays 28
2.4 - Methods of Minimizing Delays 30
2.5 - Chapter Summary 40

Chapter 3: Research Methodology 46

3.2 - Research Methods 46
3.3 - Literature Review 47
3.4 - Data Collection 48
3.5 - Questionnaire Design and Structure 48
3.6 - Pilot Study 49

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3.7 - Selection of Participants 50
3.8 - Questionnaire Distribution and Collection 50
3.9 - The survey Sample 50
3.10 - Data Analysis 51
3.11 – Chapter Summary 53
Chapter 4: Results and Discussion 54

4.2 - Survey Questionnaire Results 54
4.2.1 – Respondents’ Profile 54
4.2.2 – Causes of High-Rises Delays in Dubai 59
4.2.3 – Effects of Delays 61
4.2.4 – Minimizing Delay Methods 63
4.3 – Results Discussion 66
4.4 – Testing of the Original Hypotheses 71

Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations 74

5.2 - Research Conclusions 74
5.3 - Research Recommendations 77
5.4 – Recommendations for Future Research 82

Appendix - A The Cover Letter of Questionnaire 84
Appendix - B The Survey Questionnaire Form 86
References 94

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List of Figures

Page
Figure No. 1.5.1 Schematic Diagram of Research Methodology 14

Figure No. 2.4.1 Procurement Routes for Projects over £50m 31

Figure No. 2.4.2 Procurement Routes for Projects between 5&£50m 32

Figure No. 2.4.3 Comparison between Site-built & Modular Schedule 35

Figure No. 2.4.4 KONE Jump-Lift 36

Figure No. 2.4.5 Schedule of Values 38

Figure No. 3.3.1 Three-Step Literature Review Approach 47

Figure No. 3.10.1 Relative Importance Index Formula 52

Figure No. 4.2.2 Type of Respondents’ Organizations 55

Figure No. 4.2.3 Positions of Respondents’ Organizations 55

Figure No. 4.2.4 Education Level of Respondents 56

Figure No. 4.2.5 Respondents’ Experience Level 56

Figure No. 4.2.6 Participants’ Projects Size 56

Figure No. 4.2.7 Type of Contracts 57

Figure No. 4.2.8 Number of Projects 57

Figure No. 4.2.9 Respondents’ Delay Experience 58

Figure No. 4.2.10 Average Delayed Time 58

Figure No. 4.2.11 Average Delayed Time Granted 59

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List of Tables

Page
Table No. 2.1.1 Summary of Previous Studies of Project Delay Causes 17

Table No. 2.5.1 Client-related Delay Causes 40

Table No. 2.5.2 Consultant/Designer-related Delay Causes 41

Table No. 2.5.3 Contractor-related Delay Causes 42

Table No. 2.5.4 Regulations-related Delay Causes 43

Table No. 2.5.5 Unforeseen Conditions-related Delay Causes 43

Table No. 2.5.6 Delay Effects 44

Table No. 2.5.7 Minimizing Methods of Delays 45

Table No. 3.9.1 Z-Score 50

Table No. 4.2.1 Questionnaire Response Rate 54
Table No. 4.2.2.1 RII and Ranking of Delay Causes 59

Table No. 4.2.2.2 Top 15 Delay Causes 61

Table No. 4.2.3.1 RII and Ranking of Delay Effects 62

Table No. 4.2.3.2 Top Seven Delay Effects 62
Table No. 4.2.4.1 RII & Ranking of Main Minimizing Methods 63
Table No. 4.2.4.2 Top Five Main-Minimizing Methods 64
Table No. 4.2.4.3 RII and Ranking of Sub-Minimizing Methods 64
Table No. 4.2.4.4 Top Six Sub-Minimizing Methods 65
Table No. 4.4.1 The Overall Rank of Delay Causes 71

Table No. 4.4.2 The Overall Rank of Main Minimizing Delay Methods 72

Table No. 4.4.3 The Overall Rank of Sub-Minimizing Delay Methods 72

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List of Appendices

Page
Appendix A The Cover Letter of Questionnaire 84

Appendix B The Survey Questionnaire Form 86

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Chapter 1
Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
The places that we live, work and play in have an influence over the quality
of our lives and so the construction industry has a significant role to play in
society in availing a better-built environment through the creation of
facilities such as residential, office, hotel, retail, hospital and school
buildings. It can also provide infrastructure facilities, such as rail, bridge,
road, power and water plants. “Construction is an integrated process that
utilizes the full construction team, bringing the skills of all the participants
together in delivering value to the client”, Williams (1998:p.201).
The delivery of this value to the client can be attained through utilizing a
work system called the project. A project is a temporary in nature and has
clear start and end dates and specific objectives. The project offers a
unique product, service or outcome that didn’t exist before the project
initiation. The project can be considered successfully completed when the
targeted objectives are accomplished to the satisfaction of the client,
Heldman and Mangano (2011:p.2-3).
The project should achieve the objectives to the client’s satisfaction within
the specified time, cost and quality, Atkinson (1999:p.338). Therefore, time,
cost, quality and client satisfaction are generally bundled as success
criteria for any construction project. However, these objectives can be
jeopardized by delays that in most construction projects worldwide happen
regularly and have been perceived to become the norm. According to
Sweis (2008:p.666), a delay is defined as the time overrun beyond the
contract date that the parties agreed upon for delivery of the project.
Delays result in extension of project duration, which subsequently leads to
cost overrun paid for by the client, or loss of revenues encountered by the
contractor.
Doloi et al. (2011:p.480) noted that 55% of the construction projects in the
India encounter delays and are not delivered on the completion date that
has been stipulated in the contract. Also, Assaf and Al-Hejji (2006:p.349)
confirmed that the time overrun in Saudi Arabia’s construction projects is
70%, which means that 45 out of 76 projects, considered in this study,
were delayed beyond contractual completion dates.
The causes of delays in the construction industry are many and varied but
can be grouped mainly under six categories, namely; client delays,
consultants/designers delays, contractor delays, third parties delays,
unforeseen conditions and ‘Acts of God’ (i.e., force majeure).
Delays in construction projects have profound effects and repercussions
on the developers, the builders, consultants/designers, end users and
ultimately the country where the project is located. Thus the need to
identify the causes of delays becomes crucial due to the importance of
delivering projects considering the bottom lines of time, cost, quality, safety

12

and client satisfaction. Identifying these causes will assist the construction
practitioners in UAE and globally to reduce, control and avoid delays and
thus improve the construction industry performance in serving the
community.
1.2 Statement of the Problem

High-rise buildings represent Dubai’s economic power. Many cities such as
Hong Kong, China, India, Malaysia and Singapore amongst others, have
achieved their economic progress through the preparation and
implementation of comprehensive plans to establish successful high-rise
investment projects, Farouk (2011:p.01).
The government of Dubai has created a strategy of diversity from a purely
oil-based economy to a service-oriented and tourism-based one thus being
able to draw substantial foreign investment into the Emirate, Ali and Al-
Kodmany (2012:p.405). Based on this strategy and due to the scarcity of
land in urban areas and the rise in land prices Revekar and Pippal (2013:
p.02), there is a growing need for buildings that rise on a smaller footprint of
land, than spread over a wider area. The need for high-rise buildings has
also emerged to serve the tourism, business and real estate sectors by
providing hotels/serviced apartments, commercial offices and residential
apartments.
Recently, the award of hosting EXPO 2020 to the city of Dubai has
provided the stimulus for more growth in building of high rise structures to
accommodate the rising needs for more hotels and serviced apartments
offering accommodation for the 25 million visitors anticipated to travel to
Dubai during the Exhibition period between October 2020 to April 2021,
MEED Insight (2013:p.20). A plan has also been established to build, in the
wake of hosting EXPO 2020, the world’s tallest commercial tower (Burj
2020), which will offer a substantial number of commercial office spaces
and proximity to metro stations, cargo facilities, airport and ports, Gulf
Business (2014).
Despite the importance of high-rise projects, for the Emirate of Dubai to
achieve the aforementioned diversification strategy and meet EXPO 2020
requirements, the construction of high-rise buildings in Dubai faces the
problem of delay throughout project execution. As mentioned by Ren et al.
(2008:p.749), delay is a common problem in the construction industry in
Dubai and this is reinforced by another study Faridi and El-Sayegh
(2006:p.1167), which indicated that 50% of the construction projects in the
UAE encounter delays that extend the time completion beyond the target
date stipulated in the contract.
Delays in the completion of high-rise projects in Dubai affect all those
involved in projects and the city itself in a such way that actionable
solutions need to be proposed and recommended urgently in order to
achieve the Emirate’s strategic aims for building high-rises.

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The current and growing importance of high-rise buildings for the Emirate
of Dubai and the effects of its late delivery were the starting point for this
research.
1.3 Aims and Objectives
In view of the criticality of 50% of Dubai construction projects being
delayed, this study was conceived and focuses on identifying the factors
that most contribute to the delays of high-rise projects in the emirate,
evaluates the effect of these delays and examines some effective methods
of minimizing their impacts. The point of departure of this research is in
proposing improvements to boost the performance of the high-rises sector
in order to ensure attraction of more investors, serve the sectors of tourism
and business, meet EXPO 2020 demands and stabilize Dubai’s variable
real estate market prices.
To attain the aims of this research, the following objectives have been
identified:
1- To identify the characteristics of construction industry, Dubai
construction environment and high-rise projects.
2- To identify the major causes of delays in Dubai high-rise projects
that result from each character and the effects of these major
causes.

3- To identify the methods of minimizing these delays in Dubai high-
rise projects.

Three Hypotheses are identified to realize these aims and these are:
1- Off-the plan sales, concrete elements and curtain wall cycles,
Client's unreasonably imposed tight project duration and
consultant’s poor supervision and site management are the most
significant causes of delays in Dubai High-rise projects.
2- BIM, effective planning and scheduling practices and Top-Down
construction are effective practices to reduce delays on high-rise
projects.
3- Developing codes of practice for scheduling, developing detailed
scheduling specifications within the contract documents and
establishment of a relevant and effective professional body for
accreditation of planning engineers are effective methods to
improve scheduling practices.

1.4 Limitations

The research will be limited to the following:
1- The major causes of delays only.
2- High-rise buildings only.

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3- High-rise projects in the Emirate of Dubai only.
1.5 Research Methodology

The methodology that has been adopted for this research is to identify the
problem, set up the aims and objectives and perform a comprehensive
literature review to identify the characteristics of construction industry,
Dubai construction environment and high-rise projects and the related
major delays causes attributed with these characteristics. Also identify
through the literature review, the potential effects of delays in addition to
some of the applicable methods of minimizing delays.
After performing the literature review, a survey through a questionnaire will
be distributed to professionals representatives from the client,
consultants/designers and contractor organizations then the data collected
from the questionnaire will be analyzed to draw conclusions, test
hypotheses and make recommendations for better practices in
developing/constructing high-rise buildings at the Emirate of Dubai. Figure
1.5.1 below presents a schematic diagram of research methodology.

Figure 1.5.1 - Schematic Diagram of Research Methodology

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1.6 Research Potential Significance

By shedding more light on the major causes of delays in Dubai high-rise
projects, evaluating the effects/impacts of such delays and by proposing
methods for minimizing and/or eliminating these delays, this study will
assist high-rise practitioners to reduce, control and avoid delays and thus
improve the performance of the high-rise sector generally and thus be able
to attract more investors and assist the sectors of tourism and business,
meeting the EXPO 2020 demands and stabilizing the Dubai real estate
market prices.
Only few researches defined the causes of delays in Dubai, however, the
undertaken researches discussed the construction delays in general rather
than specific type of projects such as high-rises. Also there is no research
studied the delays causes through its three dimensions that are industry,
country and project type.
In terms of delays impacts, none of previous studies analyzed the effect of
delay on the country itself and the end users. In relation to minimizing
delay techniques, there is no study explored the effect of Building
Information Modeling, design and build procurement route, partnering
approach, pre-fabrication technology, effective planning and scheduling
practices, Top-Down construction methodology, jump lift technology and
sustainable business practices on minimizing Dubai high-rises’ delays.
In spite of the fact that this research will focus on the Emirate of Dubai, the
findings and recommendations will be relevant to the other developing
countries in the region that are investing in high-rises, especially the State
of Qatar, where the World Cup 2022 will be hosted and Saudi Arabia
where the World’s tallest tower will be constructed.

1.7 Research Structure

The dissertation is presented in five chapters and appendices, as follows:
§ Chapter 1 – Introduction: This chapter outlines the critical delay
issue as the area of research interest that is present in construction
projects worldwide, the importance of high-rise construction for the
economy of the Emirate of Dubai (especially for EXPO 2020),
followed by the aims and objectives of the research, hypotheses to be
tested, limitations of the research, research methodology, research
significance, and research structure.

§ Chapter 2 – Literature Review: This chapter reviews the extant
literature regarding the characteristics of construction industry, Dubai
construction environment and high-rise projects. The chapter
continues with an investigation of the delay causes that are related to
each characteristic and finally concludes on the causes and classifies
these into five groups (developers, contractors,
consultants/designers, regulations and unforeseen conditions).

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Effect of these delays on the Emirate of Dubai, end users, developers
and other project stakeholders are also considered from the literature.
Methods for minimizing of delays are proposed to reduce or eliminate
the causes of the identified delays.
Finally, a list of major delays causes (classified into five groups) in
Dubai high-rise projects, effects of these delays and minimizing
methods are concluded for the sake of preparing the questionnaire
survey.

§ Chapter 3 – Research Methodology: This chapter outlines the
rationale behind the selected research method, how the questionnaire
is designed, how the participants are selected, methods of
questionnaire distribution and collection, sample size determination
and data analysis methodology.
§ Chapter 4 – Results and Discussion: This chapter presents the
data collected from the questionnaire, details the analysis of the data
and discusses the results of the analysis and the results of testing the
three hypotheses.
§ Chapter 5 – Conclusions and Recommendations: This chapter
provides conclusions for the research and makes recommendations
for future study and for improvements in high-rise construction
projects in the Emirate of Dubai.
§ Appendices: The appendices will be made up of references and
survey questionnaire cover letter and form.

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Chapter 2
Literature Review

2.1 Chapter Introduction
In chapter 1, the background and rationale for the research was
presented, aims, objectives and significance discussed and the basic
research problem and areas of interest were outlined. Chapter 2 now
reviews relevant literatures on the subject of delays in construction projects
in an attempt to examine the delay causes, effects and minimizing
methods in Dubai projects in order to fill the gap in the area of knowledge
related to the subject of construction delays in Dubai’s high rise projects.
Several studies have explored the subject of construction delays and
examined the reasons for such delays, their effects and methods that have
been used in different countries to minimize such effects. The causes of
delays in all of these studies were found to be numerous and differ from
one country to another. Sweis et al. (2008:p.666) summarized those studies
that took place between 1998 and 2006, and shown in table 2.1.1:
Table 2.1.1 – Summary of previous studies of the delay causes in the Middle Eastern
countries (Sweis et al, 2008).
On the other hand, only few studies have been undertaken to define the
causes of delays in construction projects in the Emirate of Dubai. Such
studies that exist were concerned with the construction delays in general
building projects rather than on specific type of projects such as high-rise.

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To date, no formal studies have identified the causes of delays in relation
to Dubai’s high-rise projects with their unique features and challenges.
Moreover, no study has actually analyzed the main sources of delay
causes in construction projects. The delay causes need to be scanned
through specific dimensions in a similar fashion to a PEST analysis, which
analyses the four dimensions of a commercial market (Political, Economic,
Social and Technology), where the business will take place, Hancock (2008:
p.8-5).
The delay causes on construction projects covered in this study are
examined through the three dimensions of a construction market (industry
characteristics, country characteristics and project type characteristics).
Most of the previous studies in UAE focused on particular delay effects
such as cost, time, quality, disputes, etc., but none of the previous
research shed light on the effects of delay on the country itself or the
project end users.
Previous studies recommended several methods for minimizing delays in
the UAE but amongst them there is no study exploring the effects of
utilizing BIM (Building Information Modeling) techniques, design and build
procurement methodologies, partnering approach, pre-fabrication
technology (modular technique), effective planning and scheduling
practices, Top-Down construction methodology, jump lift technology and
sustainable business practices on minimizing high-rises’ delays in the
Emirate of Dubai.
2.2 Three Dimensions of Delay Causes
2.2.1 The Characteristics of the Construction Industry Globally and

The construction industry has unique characteristics that differ from other
industries, e.g. manufacturing. It is therefore important to first understand
the specific characteristics of the construction industry in order to conclude
the potential delay causes attributed with these characteristics. These
characteristics and the potential demerits within them are listed below:
Characteristic 1: Short-term relationship: the construction projects have a start
and end date for carrying out the pre-agreed scope of work between the
developer and the contractor, thus the project is temporary in nature and
the relationship between the project team members can be described as a
short-term relationship. This short-term relationship more than any other,
has labeled the construction industry as having a lack of continuity, Nawi et
al. (2014:p.03). The potential delay causes associated with the short-term
relationship are as follows:
• “Redundancy of experienced professionals’’- It is difficult to make
use of the team members full experience that has been gained in
previous projects, because they are continually changing, Dubois
and Gadde (2002:p.629). Nesan (2012:p.48) confirmed that the

19

construction knowledge is often tacit and although initially retained
by the individuals undertaking a project, disappears once the project
is completed. Also, William (1998:p.201) pointed out that many firms
choose a new team for each project, which ultimately may destroy
the experience and development of knowledge that has been
gained by any one team on its previous projects. Laterally, this
happens in cases where the team members cannot be mobilized to
another project within the same firm; this happens often in the
construction industry due to the fluctuation of workload that makes it
very difficult to keep all the workers employed on a permanent
basis, Myers (2007:p.2-11).
• “Shortage of skilled labours’’- as many skilled labours are obliged to
become self-employed, or to leave the industry when they have
been terminated upon project completion, often they become unable
to secure another job, especially during recession times. Moreover,
a shortage of skilled labours can also happen when contractors are
unwilling to provide development training to the workers, as there is
a likely chance to lose more experienced workers to other firms in
case of failure in securing more projects in the future, International
Labour Office Geneva (2001:p.39). Egan (1998:p.19) confirmed that it is
specifically the short-term relationship that inhibits the development
of skilled and experienced teams.
• “Increase in safety incidents and accidents’’- the numbers of safety
incidents and accidents among temporary workers often can
increase as the short-term relationship encourages the workers to
work for longer hours in order to make the most money through the
overtime rates paid, International Labour Office Geneva (2001:p.36).
Also, due to them being temporarily employed, often they are less
likely to be provided with the training or instruction needed to work
safely. Safety incidents and accidents consume project time as they
affect the labour productivity due to the investigating and reporting
that takes place after an accident, Doloi et al. (2012:p.483).
Characteristic 2: Labour-Supply: labour supply refers to the practice of
outsourcing labourers to the contractor. In the construction industry the use
of sub-contracted labour-supply has now became the norm as confirmed
by, Hancock (2007:p.1-7). The majority of contractors across the world prefer
the option of subcontracted labour-supply because it is cheaper than
employing and being responsible for the welfare of direct labourers, as
these temporary workers are not entitled to holiday pay, redundancy
money, sick leave, pension rights and the other benefits that are linked
with permanent work positions, Myers (2007:p.87).
The potential delay causes associated with labour-supply approach is
“higher rates of labour turnover’’ as the labourers employed through
subcontractors are not treated the same way as directly employed
labourers so that the job search in another firms is always pursued for
seeking permanent positions and more competitive wages, Svedaite and
Tamosiunas (2013:p.66). Also “labour strikes” are a result for the unfair
wages, which could be associated with the subcontractor labour-supply
practice.

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Characteristic 3: Fragmentation Nature: Nawi et al. (2014:p.03), have described
fragmentation, as being due to the large number of firms involved overall
on construction projects. Coffey (2010:p.116), referred to up to nine levels of
sub-contractors employed to undertake various portions of the work in
Hong Kong residential projects under a main contractor who managed the
project.
In Dubai, there are 8,170 construction companies listed by the Dubai
Chamber of Commerce and 73% of these are small firms with less than 20
employees, Bakheet (2007:p.05).
Nawi et al. (2014:p.01) added that fragmentation refers also to the problem
of coordination between different organizations (client, local authorities,
consultant, contractors, subcontractors, etc.) during design and
construction.
The potential delay causes associated with fragmentation in both of its
forms are as follows:
• “Lack of communication in the supply chain’’- poor communication
has been recognized in the fragmented industry among the client,
local authorities, designers, main contractor, subcontractors,
quantity surveyor, suppliers, facility manager and specialists during
design and construction phases and even in handover phases, Nawi
et al. (2014:p.04). The poor communication leads to increases in
design and construction time in addition to cost increase variations.
• “Lack of training programs’’- due to the small size of majority of
construction firms, there is no budget allocated for training the
labour force or providing continuing professional education to
professionals employed within contractor organizations.
Characteristic 4: Focus on the Next Employer: the construction industry tends
not to care so much about the current client, once a contract is progressing
but is already looking for tendering for the next one. Construction
companies perform little researches into what their clients are actually
looking for, Egan (1998:p.13) and Myers (2007:p.86). Furthermore, the
construction industry has no defined process for auditing client satisfaction
comparable with other industries such as in electronics or car
manufacturing.
The potential delay causes associated with focusing on the next employer
are generally the “compromising of quality standards’’ whilst undertaking
construction tasks leading to rework that causes delays to the project, Doloi
et al. (2012:p.485).
Characteristic 5: Inefficient Lessons Learned Practice: in construction projects,
the lessons learned are not well organized so that it is not easy to capture
and transfer these lessons to other projects, Egan (1998:p.27).
The potential delay causes associated with the absence of this practice is
the “Reoccurrence of errors due to the absence of organized lessons
learned’’ during the project execution, several unprecedented problems are

21

solved, which are not documented for others to learn. This will give chance
for repeating the same mistakes and get projects delayed.
Characteristic 6: Site-based Activity: unlike manufacturing industry, which is a
factory-based, construction is an open site-based activity. Being an open
site activity generally means there are external factors that influence the
construction process. These factors are weather that affects the
construction of super structure and ground conditions that affect the
construction of sub-structure.
The associated delay causes with construction being a site-based activity
are termed “ weather conditions’’ and “ground conditions’’ which both set
back the project progress and cause delay to the overall project completion
date, El-Sayegh and Faridi (2006:p.1167-1172).
Characteristic 7: Lowest Price Overriding Best Value: In the construction
industry, clients tend to not differentiate between obtaining the best value
and selecting the lowest price. In his report ‘’Rethinking Construction’’ Egan
(1998:p.07) confirmed that the majority of clients are selecting
designers/consultants and contractors exclusively on the basis of lowest
tendered price.
The potential delay causes associated with focusing on the lowest bids
are:
• “Inadequate experience of the nominated contractor’’ and
“Inadequate experience of the nominated consultant/designer’’- as
there is difficulty in providing quality and good service when the
contractors and designers/consultants have been selected on the
basis of lowest cost and not the previous project experience or
delivered quality levels, Egan (1998:p.14). Furthermore, this
perceived inadequacy of experience of contractors and consultants
leads to the phenomenon of “consultant’s poor supervision and site
management’’ and “lack of main contractor’s control over the
subcontractors’’. In addition there is the preparing and issuing of “a
faulty soil investigation report’’, which is the responsibility of the
nominated designer and is considered to be one of the main
reasons for increased project durations and adds more risks for
contractors, Doloi et al. (2012:p.482).
2.2.2 The Characteristics of Construction Market in Dubai and

Dubai has unique characteristics that differ from other countries. It is quite
important to understand these characteristics in order to conclude the
potential delays causes attributed with them. These characteristics have
been specifically discussed in articles by Ren et al. (2008:p.749-751) and El-
Sayegh and Faridi (2006:p.1167-1176) and these characteristics are listed
below:

22

Characteristic A: Contractual relationship
• Traditional procurement approach- most of the construction projects in
Dubai adopt the traditional procurement approach where the designer is
responsible for design and then the contractor for execution.
The potential delay causes associated with this approach are “design
changes’’ and “low of constructability of the design’’ as explained by Kong
and Gray (2012:p.51) and Nawi et al. (2014:p.03). Design changes during
construction issued by clients occur relatively easily and often in the
traditional procurement approach, which causes delay to the project as
discussed in the research of Assaf and Al-Hejji (2006:p.353). Also the low
constructability of design due to the absence of contractor input into the
design, leads to rework, increasing costs and longer construction duration,
Nawi et al. (2014:p.03).
Characteristic B: Climate:

• Dubai climate- Dubai has dry hot weather and humid environment
especially during the summer.
The associated delay cause is “reduction of labour productivity’’, Ren et al.
(2008:p.750). The declining levels of labour productivity lead to delay in the
site progress as confirmed by El-Sayegh and Faridi (2006:p.1167-1174).
Characteristic C: Laws and Regulations
• Uncertainty of Contract Clauses- the use of liquidated damages (LDs)
globally is an incentive (or a threat) to contractors to facilitate delivery of
projects on time and for avoidance of delay. As confirmed by Mullen (2013),
the application of LDs under UAE law presents a degree of uncertainty as
the enforceability of the LDs clause is handled differently in Dubai to most
places elsewhere in the world. Simply the judge can on own
recognizances, revise the original contract agreement between the two
parties in the favor of either client or contractor.
The associated delay cause is “ineffective delay penalties’’; hence
increasing the probability of extending project completion, as confirmed by
Assaf and Al-Hejji (2006:p.352).
• Real-estate regulations- the regulations governing escrow1
accounts help
developers to collect the majority of apartment sale price prior to handing
over the unit to the buyer, contrary to the regulations in other jurisdictions,
for example in Canada, where the developer can only receive the balance
of 80% of unit selling price just after the unit handover, Naini (2011:p.130).
The associated delay cause is “Inefficient Off-Plan Sale’’, that is declining
the developer’s incentive to deliver the units on time since the trustee
allows a release of 95% of the purchasers’ payments held to the developer

1
A
deed,
a
bond,
money,
or
a
piece
of
property
held
in
trust
by
a
third
party
to
be
turned
over
to

the
grantee
only
upon
fulfillment
of
a
condition
(Merriam
Webster,
2016)
http://www.merriam-‐
webster.com/dictionary/escrow

23

before the units are even registered in the name of the purchasers and
therefore often buyers wait an unusually long time for their development
that they have already largely paid for in advance, Naini (2011:p.132).
• Obtaining permits/approval from municipality- the obtaining of approval from
the municipality to start construction activities and connect different utilities
into the completed buildings such as potable water, power, drainage, gas
and communication sometimes involves a long period of administration
causing inactivity on projects, especially if there is no early planning, or
there is inefficient preparation by developers and insufficient time
dedicated by contractor to obtaining these permits.

The associated delay causes of this phenomenon are “late of site
handover to start construction’’ and “late obtaining of a permanent power
connection’’. The permanent electricity connection to the completed
buildings is always very late and the developers are regularly struggling to
connect power to their buildings. Some properties in Dubai have stood
empty for more than a year while waiting for electricity to be connected, as
confirmed by McGinley (2012).

• Bidding regulations- according to UAE law, foreign firms wishing to bid for
projects must form a Joint Venture (JV) or other partnership with the local
companies.
The associated delay cause due to the current bidding regulations is
termed “local partner’’ as there always differences in the work procedures
and systems between the foreign firm and its local partner. The local
partner must have at least 51% share of the joint venture, which gives him
the authority to make immediate decisions and in case conflict arises it is
not easy to change the local partner’s decision. This can affect the work
progress at site, Ren et al. (2008:p.750).
Characteristic D: Demographic:
• Dubai population- Emiratis make up only 20% of the total population of
UAE and the other 80% are basically comprised of expatriate labourers
and professionals who are on work visas provided by UAE Immigration
Department, Gallacher (2009:p.13). The workforce in construction industry in
the UAE is made up of mixed nationalities, which often results in confusion
due to critical languages barriers among labourers.
The associated delays cause is termed “miscommunication amongst the
labour force’’ as often affects the work progress at site, Ren et al.
(2008:p.756).
Characteristic E: Cultural Norms:
• Client absolute power- it is normal in Dubai for clients to issue a change
order after undertaking a site visit without considering taking the necessary
prompt action with respect to their contractual obligations. The associated
delay cause is “issuing multiple change orders’’.

24

• Disrespect for contractual obligations- some of clients in Dubai don’t always
take a swift action with respect to their contractual obligations related to
payments to their contractors, Ren et al. (2008:p.756).

The associated delay is “client’s irregular payments to the main
contractor’’ as it is common in Dubai for contractors to experience delays
in the monthly payment from clients, which disturbs their cash flow and
subsequently affects their payment to sub-contractors and suppliers. Late
payments are one of the critical delay causes in Dubai projects, El-Sayegh
and Faridi (2006:p.1172).

• Religious events- like Christmas festive in the West that has an impact on
the project progress, in the UAE and during the Holy month of Ramadan it
was found that there is a serious decline in the progress at site.
The associated delay cause is “time lost due to religious festivals’’ is
further compounded by contractors producing optimistic schedules without
considering these interruptions.
Characteristic F: Operation Environment:
• Low entry barriers- with bid/tender list entry thresholds set at a capital
requirement of less than one million dirhams, there are large numbers of
small contractors that win bids who are not able to eventually execute large
or medium size projects. The associated delay cause with the low entry
barrier is ‘‘large amount of small contractors’’.
• Getting a rapid return on investment- developers often impose unrealistic
contract duration times in order to start realizing rapid return on their
investment, El-Sayegh and Faridi (2006:p.1171). The associated delay is
“unreasonably imposed tight project duration’’. Mistakes made regarding
setting of a realistic project time estimation, or the intentional imposition of
compressed contract durations cause delays later to the project
• Fast tracking approach- it is usual for developers in Dubai to urge their
designers to complete design work within a very short period of time, which
prevents the designer providing a complete set of design documents for
subsequent construction.
The delay associated with such client behavior is “release incomplete
design documents’’. The effect of unreasonable timeframes for design
teams to produce clear and complete design output, is producing
documentation that contain errors and discrepancies, which later hinder
the project progress, Zaneldin (2006:p.458).
• Incomplete design documents and specifications- either due incomplete
materials selection/specification, or specialized works descriptions, at the
time the contract commences, the developer isn’t always in position to
specify or select these materials for purchase.

The associated delay is ‘‘imposing many provisional sums (PS) and prime
cost sums (PC) into the contract’’ the subsequent ratification of PS and PC
sums later on downstream during project execution stages, disturbs the

25

project schedule and hinders the contractor achieving a timely project
completion. Another associated delay is the “developer’s nomination for
sub-contractors and suppliers’’ as the developers prefer to hire their own
sub-contractors and suppliers for the specialized works, they often,
according to the contract agreement, instruct the main contractor to enter
into a sub-contract agreement based on certain conditions such as
advance payment, duration and penalties that in most cases don’t suit the
main contractor and later on causes conflicts and delays until the final
agreement is signed.

• Consultants’ delay- it is time-consuming for consultants in Dubai to
approve documents submitted by the contractor such as; requests for
information, material submittals, shop drawings and method statements.
The associated delay is “late approval of ongoing site documents’’.
• Over commitment of managers- most of contractors’ project managers in
Dubai are over committed as they often have more than one role to play
within the same project or they may be engaged in more than one project.
The associated delay is “unavailability of method statement’’ as the
contractors’ project managers don’t have the enough time to prepare the
method statements. The method statement may hinder the contractor from
commencement of work in case the method statement is not available or
approved.
• Inadequate resources- due to the high demand for labourers in Dubai
projects, the majority of hired labourers are from South Asia and may have
inadequate training or limited experience. The associated delay is
“mistakes during construction’’.

• Ineffective human resource function- most of site roles cannot be filled by
professionals with the required experience or knowledge due to the lack of
experienced human resources staff who have the ability to hire talents
within tight time constraints on the majority of projects. The associated
delay is “hiring unqualified professionals’’.
• Bad scheduling practices- in several projects, there was a lack of data
available for estimating activity duration, resource overestimation of
productivity, inadequate progress monitoring and the lack of incorporating
requirements for schedule control in the contract documents, El-Sayegh and
Faridi (2006:p.1172). The associated delay cause is “inadequate early
planning and scheduling’’ Assaf and Al-Hejji (2006:p.356).

• Lack of high quality professional- some of the consultant’s site staff in Dubai
don’t have enough experience in design practices thus the design
problems can’t be discovered until the contractor raises queries.
Furthermore they don’t always possess confidence in issuing instructions
to correct errors in the drawings and any discrepancies in the contract
documents until they consult with their managers. The associated delay is
“late catching up the deficiencies in drawings and specifications’’ and “lack
of quick correction for deficiencies in drawings and specifications’’. The
late catching/correction of contract documents errors leads to more delay

26

as the progress will be declined and furthermore, the municipality needs
extra time to approve the new design solution/modification, Ren et al.
(2008:749-p.755).
• Excessive bureaucracy- the excessive bureaucracy in making the
decisions in the client side leads always to “slowness of clients’ decision-
making process’’, Assaf and Al-Hejji (2006:p.352), which affects the progress
at site.

Characteristic G: Booming:

• Booming market- the construction market in UAE is currently booming and
therefore all major suppliers are busy to satisfy the on-going projects
concurrently. The associated delay with the booming period is “late
delivery of long lead items”. Mismanaging procurement of long-lead items
that need longer delivery periods, leads to project delay, Harbin and
Daneshgari (2014:p.45).
• Over commitment of construction firms- given the current high demand in
the Dubai construction market, most of the construction firms are over-
loaded by taking on more projects than they can judiciously manage so
that it is common in Dubai that the advance payment which is paid by client
to the contractor upon project commencement, is used by contractor to
finance other urgent or more profitable projects, other projects therefore
suffer delays. The associated delay is “misuse of advance payment’’.
2.2.3 The Characteristics of High-Rise Building Projects and

High-rise buildings have unique characteristics that differ from the other
types of buildings. It is crucial to understand these characteristics in order
to draw conclusions about the potential delay causes attributed to them.
These characteristics are listed below:

Characteristic I: Repetitive Concrete Elements Cycle:
Due to the repetitive nature of high-rise building, one-day delay in
executing concrete elements (slabs, columns and core walls) for a high-
rise of 60 stories in the first floor cast, potentially means 60 days
accumulated delays if the delay continues and hasn’t been mitigated in the
construction of subsequent floors. However, in a low-rise building of 8
stories the comparative delay effect is only 8 days, which can more easily
be mitigated. This means that the concrete elements cycle in high-rise
projects is a major cause for delays if it is not planned and executed
properly from the outset. According to Leung et al (2003:p.01), in
construction of high-rise buildings, one of the most critical topics is to
ensure the completion of the structural frame in order to form floor areas
for the execution of finishing and electromechanical services works. The
structural frame is on the critical path in the overall schedule of work, Leung
et al (2003:p.01).

27

The associated delay is “failure to meet planned cycle of concrete
elements’’, which will delay delivering the high-rise concrete structure and
subsequently the project completion date will slip considerably.
Characteristic II: Repetitive Curtain Wall Cycle:
External cladding on high-rise buildings maintains indoor air quality, during
the construction phase, Acuna (2000:p.31). Suitable indoor air quality is
compulsory to provide in order to start the finishing and fit out work inside
each floor. For instance, the gypsum board ceiling needs before the
installation commencement, an airtight area to avoid the humidity and sea
spray, which can cause severe damage to the ceiling panels, as illustrated
by Knauf (2014:p.13).
The associated potential delays are “failure to meet planned cycle of
curtain wall installation’’ which will delay the dependent finishing works and
thus delay the project completion. Also “inadequate monitoring of curtain
wall production at factory’’ which will affect the timely delivery of material to
site to commence panels installation and thus achieve the planned cycle of
curtain wall panels. Finally, “lack of coordination among curtain wall and
other linked trades’’ such as façade lighting, which will delay the glazing
panel production and thus delay the planned cycle at site.
Characteristic III: Confined Site Area:
The allocated area for material storage at site is a common logistic
challenge in construction of most high-rise buildings due to the often-
limited size of construction site, often in urban or city centre conditions,
Kumar and Singhal (2011:p.179).
The associated delay is ‘‘improper site logistic plan’’ which leads to
disruption and project delay.
Characteristic IV: Deep Excavation:
High-rise buildings need deep excavation for the foundations and in Dubai;
this nearly always experiences a ground water table that adds uplift
pressure on foundations after being cast. The ground water table and its
uplift pressure affect the building if serious cracks in concrete are existed.
The associated delay is “basement leakage’’ as these cracks offer a
pathway for ingress of ground water inside the basements due to concrete
shrinkage and/or foundation settlement, Davidson at el. (2014:p.245). Water
leakage in basements of high-rise buildings has an impact on the timely
delivery of the building, as it delays the other trades (finishing and
electrometrical services) at underground levels (parking levels).
Characteristic V: Vertical Transportation:
The use of exterior hoists for vertical transportation up to and between
working areas during construction is an important process. Moving the
required workers and materials with these hoists at the right time is crucial
to the work progress on any high-rise project.

28

The associated delay is “hoist breakdowns during construction’’ as these
inoperative hoists may cause project delay due to cables becoming twisted
in the high winds, Kone (2014:p.01).

2.3 Effect of Delays
Delays in completion of high-rise projects in Dubai affect the developer, the
end user, the builder, the designer/consultant and the city itself. The
adverse effects of delays on different stakeholders are as follows:
Developer: the delays in handing over the high-rise projects on time will
affect adversely the developer as it will cause substantial monetary
damages as explained below;
1. Cost overruns resulting from extending the project beyond its
completion date and the cost of acceleration in order to mitigate the
delays as confirmed by Sambasivan and Soon (2007:p.517). Both costs
have to be paid by the developer they influence or cause the delays.
2. High-rise developers always take loans from the banks to build and
pay back the loan by collecting money from the apartments buyers
using an ‘’Off-Plan Sale’’, Fattah (2011). Off-plan sale offers the
developer the opportunity to collect a percentage of the apartment
sale value early from the buyer, even before the commencement of
the construction on site.
Apartment buyers in Dubai pay 10% to 15% of sale contract price
upfront and make further installments based on how much work has
been completed (progress at site). This means the less progress at
site, the less payment comes from buyer to the developer and thus
the more difficulty for the developer in paying back the loan to the
bank plus the burden of increasing the borrowing cost due to the
longer duration of interest charges.
3. Developers may suffer losing their contracts with the buyers if they
delay handing over the purchased apartments to those buyers in
accordance with formal contract periods and by agreed legal
completion dates. This is exacerbated by the fact that buyers now
have the right according to the new law drafted by Dubai Land
Department, Standard Chartered (2013:p.04), to cancel their contracts
with the developer and have all of their paid money refunded.
End User (Buyer): the delay in handing over the apartment units to the end
user (buyer) on the date stipulated in the Purchase Sales Agreement
(PSA) between the developer and buyer, will cause, according to Naini
(2011:p.132), substantial monetary damages to the buyer due to:
1- Loss on potential rental/sale property price, which it may be at peak
value for only a certain period of time. For instance, before the
global financial crisis, which hit Dubai in 2008, the rent and sale
prices were at peak value and then were deeply slashed due to the
crisis, Irwin and Shukurov (2014:p.04). Buyers who were delivered the

29

keys late after at this time, lost the opportunity to rent or sale their
own property at elevated prices as they originally planned. As
mentioned previously, around half of the projects in Dubai before
the crisis of 2008 underperformed as explained by John (2007) who
noted that during 2007, 50% of the on-going Dubai residential
projects were expected to be delayed by up to two years beyond
their original scheduled completion dates.
2- Difficulty in paying-back the bank loan due to the delay of getting
return on their investment.
3- Increase buyer’s frustration, uncertainty and distrust of high-rise
investment activity in Dubai.
The Emirate of Dubai: the delays in handing over the high-rise buildings on
time will affect the Emirate of Dubai as explained below:
1- The inflation may become a real consequence of any failure in
handing over the EXPO 2020 focused high-rises projects on time.
This inflation could result from a need arising to accelerate the
delayed projects, as the only option available for developers to
deliver on time. However, this acceleration will push the cost of
materials and labour up, especially given that another global-scale
event, the FIFA World Cup, will take place in neighboring Qatar in
2022, Irwin and Shukurov (2014:p.11). These increases will fuel
inflation through the Emirate of Dubai.
2- Residential property prices have increased at a fast pace with the
returned investors confidence in Dubai real estate market, improved
construction market regulations, population growth, Slim (2013:p.03)
and winning of the bid to host the EXPO 2020 event, Irwin and
Shukurov (2014:p.04). These prices will keep going up because
EXPO 2020 is expected to create 300,000 jobs and a high
percentage of these jobs will be converted into permanent ones as
confirmed by Slim (2013:p.05), and this will generate an increase in
the demand for residential units during and after EXPO 2020. As a
result, the Dubai real estate market needs more supply of residential
units in order to meet the increased demand and also to control the
price inflation in the real estate sector. Availing these units on time
without ‘’delay’’ will stabilize the market earlier and reduce
overheating of real estate prices, Standard Chartered (2013).
3- There will be a significant impact on Dubai resulting from any delays
in handing over on time the high-rise buildings for hotels and hotels
serviced apartments that are dedicated for EXPO 2020. The failure
to meet EXPO 2020 construction demands will affect negatively the
Emirate’s image and after recovering from the 2008 financial crisis,
weaken again the trend of returning confidence in Dubai’s economy
worldwide. This confidence is enviable as confirmed by Irwin and
Shukurov (2014:p.09), as it will lead to more tourists and businesses
attracted to the emirate of Dubai.

30

Builder (Contractor): the delays in handing over the high-rise projects on time
due to builder influence and contribution can cause the following issues to
occur:
1- Cost overruns, inflation in labour and materials prices and the
application of liquidated damages, which may significantly reduce
builders’ profit margins.
2- Increase the safety incidents and accidents amongst labourers on
site due to compromising of safety standards when fostering the
option of acceleration in order to catch up on the delays.
3- Impose an adverse effect on builder reputation as confirmed by
Afshari et al. (2011:p.42), as contractor reputation is important for
winning future business but the inability to deliver on time will limit
the chance of securing more business in the future, especially with
the same developer, KPMG (2009:p.2).
Designer/Consultant: late handing over the high-rise projects on time due to
designer/consultant influence and contribution in delays can cause the
following:
1- Loss of part of the pre-agreed professional service fees as the
designers/consultants monthly payment might be linked with Key
Performance Indicators (KPIs). The loss of fees might be a result to:
ü Incidence of claims awarded to contractor due to design
errors and negligence.
ü Failure of designer to predict accurately time and cost for the
project.
ü Incidence of claims awarded to contractor due to late
response and negligence by consultant related to the cycle of
review, approvals and inspections during the construction
period.
2- Loss of consultant/designer reputation is a result of the project
delays.
2.4 Methods of Minimizing Delays
There is a need to establish methods that help in minimizing the
construction project delays and the knock-on impact on cost, quality and
client satisfaction. Several researchers have provided research-based
recommendations on suitable methods for minimizing delays on
construction projects.
These methods offal within the domains of contractual arrangements,
construction methodology and techniques, project management and
manpower/real estate rules. Some of the more successful methods that
can be used to tackle individually or collectively these four categories are:

31

Method 1: Partnering: “It is essential to create long-term relationships
throughout the supply chain on the basis of mutual interest in order to
improve the construction delivery in terms of time, cost and quality”, Egan
(1998:p.29). The CIOB describes partnering as ‘’ a management approach
used by two or more organization to achieve specific objectives by
maximizing the effectiveness of each participant’s resources’’, CIOB
(2010:p.06).
Partnering can tackle the fragmentation issue as confirmed by the findings
of an earlier study by Chan et al. (2003:p.523). Apparently, partnering can
reduce the requirement for contract award based solely on competitive
tendering; hence clients can be assured that they are getting value for
money in terms of the efficiency and quality of the deliverables, Egan
(1998:p.31).
Egan (1998:09) confirmed in his report ‘’Rethinking Construction’’ that
where the partnering is used over a series of construction projects, the
expected cost savings could reach 50% and the time reduction could reach
80%.
In the UK, AGENT (a major commercial developer) has used a partnering
approach in order to reduce its capital costs by 33% and total project time
by 50%, Egan (1998:p.09). Moreover, as shown in Figure 2.4.1, it has been
highlighted in a survey run by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) in
the UK that the most efficient procurement route for projects over £50m
(275 million Dirhams) is partnering, CIOB (2010:p.16).
Figure 2.4.1 – Procurement Routes for Project Over £50m (CIOB, 2010)
The adoption of partnering arrangements should be encouraged to foster
an efficient construction industry in terms of guaranteeing/improving time,
cost, quality and client satisfaction, Chan et al. (2003:p.532).
Method 2: Design and Build (DB): It is essential to seriously consider adopting
more non-traditional forms of integrated project delivery rather than the
current traditional one (design-bid-build) most often used in Dubai, in order
to improve construction project delivery. DB is an integrated project

32

delivery approach, where the contractor is involved in the design stage,
Koch et al. (2010:p.01). This allows the contractor’s experience and
constructability knowledge to be harnessed right at the front end of a
project, which helps to achieve a better back-end (Execution Stage)
delivery.
DB is a procurement route where the client has to provide a brief that
consists of clear and comprehensive bid documents (RFP) and design
sketches prepared by the client’s appointed consultant, Ling (2012:p.12).
The appointed contractor then undertakes the detailed design based on
the client’s brief, Davis (2008:p.11), and subsequently is engaged for the
construction of the project.
The DB route allows the contractor to offer their clients a guaranteed price,
high level of quality, project time reduction, single point of responsibility,
constructability, better co-ordination and control on the type of materials
and method of construction without the need to add a large contingency to
the offered price, Ling (2012:p.12-16).
The DB route is being used at an increasingly rapid pace, as made evident
from different countries. In the last ten years in the UK, the use of DB has
increased, and it is estimated that up to 25% of all new build construction
work is based on this form of procurement. In the USA, 33% of the current
construction projects are using DB.
As shown in Figure 2.4.2, it has been highlighted in a survey run by the
CIOB in the UK that the most efficient procurement route for projects
between £5m and £50m (28-275 million Dirhams) is DB, CIOB (2010:p.16).
The efficacy of the use of DB in large projects has been confirmed also in
study for Ling (2012:p.13-14).
Figure 2.4.2 – Procurement Route for Projects between £5m and £50m (CIOB, 2010)
The adoption of DB should be encouraged for construction globally in order
to expedite the delivery time, maintain budget, sustain quality and enhance
constructability alike, Davis (2008:p.13).

33

Method 3: Top-Down Construction Methodology: In order to reduce the duration
of overall construction schedule, it is essential to foster an alternative
construction sequence for high-rise projects rather than the traditional
sequence, which consist of shoring installation, open-cut excavation and
construction of the sub-structure and then construction of the
superstructure, Thompson and Zadoorian (2008:p.01). An alternative
sequence can be offered through the technique of Top-Down construction,
which allows the construction of the superstructure in tandem with the
deep excavation and the construction of sub-structure, Thompson and
Zadoorian (2008:p.01). Top-Down technique has been increasingly used for
constructing high-rise buildings with basements, as confirmed by Basarkar
et al. (2008:p.01).
The Top-Down sequence allows the contractor to offer clients a shorter
overall construction schedule and earlier occupation by tenants. Thus
earlier realization of value combined with a more confined site area and
reduced interest rate on the bank loans, Thompson and Zadoorian
(2008:p.02). Moreover, this technique saves the money normally spent on
temporary struts and temporary retaining structures for traditional
construction sequencing, Samathar (2002:p.54-55).
The first high-rise building constructed using this technique was
undertaken in Germany and called the ‘’Main Tower ‘’ (200m height, 62
storeys). It was simultaneously constructed upwards and downwards,
Basarkar et al. (2008:p.06). Due to adopting this technique, the building was
completed in a short timeframe of just 29 months Main Tower (2011:p.04). In
the UK, it has been used to construct the ‘’Shard Tower’’ (308m height, 87
storeys), where its three basement levels were excavated as construction
of the superstructure began, saving around four months on the project
program, Solutions (2014:p.17).
Method 4: BIM (Building Information Modeling): It is essential to identify potential
design and construction problems before actual construction commences.
The accurate and timely identification of design errors and major systems
clashes saves time and cost if discovered in the early design stage, Azhar
(2011:p.241). BIM is a fast-developing tool to identify potential construction
interface problems in either the design and early construction stages in
order to rectify these problems earlier, hence reducing project cost, project
delivery time and improving quality, Azhar (2011:p.241).
BIM is a simulation for the construction project in a virtual environment.
When the model is digitally constructed, all relevant data needed to
support design- procurement-fabrication and construction will become
available for viewing by various project stakeholders, Azhar (2011:p.241).
This data includes geographic information, quantities, properties of building
elements, cost estimates, materials inventories and project schedule, Azhar
(2011:p.241).
The key benefits of BIM that can save time and cost were identified by
Azhar (2011:p.242-243) as follows:
• Material quantities can be extracted from the model.

34

• Fabrication and shop drawings can be generated for various
building systems.
• Interferences/clashes can be detected for all major building
systems.
In a nutshell, BIM offers a model that is described as an accurate
representation of the building elements and systems in an integrated data
environment, which enable earlier checking for the design and thus
catching up the clashes before construction commencement in order to
save costs and taper off the delivery time.
According to Azhar (2011:p.244-245), in USA, the general contractor for the
Aquarium Hilton Garden Inn project used BIM to develop architectural,
structural and MEP models. During the design development stage, 55
clashes were identified, which resulted in cost avoidance of $124,500.
Later in the construction phase, the model was updated and 590 clashes
were detected before actual construction began, which resulted in cost
avoidance of $801,565, Azhar (2011:p.244-245). If these clashes had been
left and only identified during construction, an extra cost would have been
unavoidable as well as a considerable delay.
Method 5: Modular Prefabrication Technology: It essential to identify advanced
practices in construction industry that can supplant the current ones that
are labour-intensive and surrounded by significant risks associated with
site and weather conditions, Yap et al. (2013:p.ii). Modular prefabrication
provides a transformative effect on reducing time and cost in the
construction industry and ensuring improved construction quality, Guo et al.
(2011:p.233).
Modular prefabrication technology is a process in which the building is
constructed to a high quality off-site using the same specified materials,
codes and standards as conventionally built buildings. Prefabricated
Modules are box-shipped units containing walls, floors and roofs with the
interior finishes, electromechanical systems and external façade. They are
all built in factories, shipped to site, installed and connected to form a
complete building, Yap et al. (2013:p.01).
Modular prefabrication technology allows contractors to offer their clients
various advantages according to Yap et al. (2013:p.50-56), such as:
• Compression of construction schedules due to the overlapping
between module construction and site work as shown in Figure
2.4.3. This means fewer weather delays and less on-site material
staging.

35

Figure 2.4.3: Comparison between Site Built and Modular Construction Schedule
(MODULAR Building Institute, 2016)
• Reduction in project budget due to decreasing the expense of hiring
cranes and hoists that are always needed for long periods in the
conventionally built buildings, decreasing the number of workers as
labour costs in a factory are generally less than they would be on
site as many production processes are automated, also crew sizes
on site are smaller when erecting pre-cast or factory produced
component and finally the materials cost is less as the manufacturer
purchases the materials in bulk at the beginning of the project
reducing the repeated delivery charges and potential price inflation.
In China, Broad Sustainable Building, a prefab construction firm, built a 57-
story skyscraper in 19 working days using the modular method, The
Guardian (2015:p.01). Furthermore, the firm is awaiting the approval for its
new skyscraper (838 meter, 220-storeys), which is called ‘’Sky City’’ that
will be located in Changsha, The Guardian (2015:p.01).
Method 6: Jump-Lift Technology: one of the biggest challenges during
construction is getting labourers and materials to the right place at the right
time. In construction of high-rise buildings, delays may occur due to
decreasing material and labor supply by external hoists at different levels
due to the breakdown and cables twist in high winds, Kone (2014:p.01). A
new technology, the ‘’KONE Jump-Lift’’ offers a speeding up of the flow of
people and materials during the construction time.
‘’KONE Jump-Lift’’ according to the manufacturer’s literature Kone
(2014:p.01) is a self-climbing elevator that uses the building’s permanent
elevator shaft (core wall) during construction phase and moves higher as
the building gets taller. The Jump-Lift has a temporary machine room that
moves upwards as the construction work progress.

36

Figure 2.4.4: KONE Jump-Lift (KONE, 2014)
The Jump Lift can offer the following benefits, Kone (2014:p.03):
• Improved progress at site as the Jump Lift moves at 2.5 m/s, which
means less waiting time for workers in order to travel to different
levels. Also it means faster material delivery to different floors.
• Jump Lift can be used in any kind of weather, which improves the
progress at site and reduce the effect of inclement weather on site
progress.
• With all vertical transportation taking place inside the building itself,
all floors can be enclosed and finished sooner which isn’t the case
in using the exterior hoists that are attached to the building and
thus hinder the early completion of façade work and interior
finishing.
There have been several recent examples of the benefits of this new
innovative technology:
• In Singapore, during the construction of Marina Bay Sands Towers
(55-storeys), thirteen KONE Jump-Lifts were used during
construction.
• In Dubai, two KONE Jump Lifts were used during the construction of
Princess Tower (101-Storeys), Kone (2014:p.07).
Method 7: Effective Planning and Scheduling Practices: In general there is an
acute lack of efficient and effective scheduling practices, professional
standards, training and accreditation amongst the programming and
scheduling disciplines, Tyerman and Mccullen (2010:p.05). There is an
increasing need to develop new procedures for scheduling system and
process improvement to control the projects and assist in more timely
delivery, Mackenzie (2010:p.280).
Scheduling practices are the procedures, systems and process that are
used to undertake successfully the management of time on projects. Some
of the recommended best scheduling practices from extant literature
reviewed are listed below:

37

• Availability of professional body for accreditation of planning
engineers – such as exists for Quantity Surveyors (i.e. the Royal
Institute of Chartered Surveyors), Mackenzie (2010:p.102). Unlike
the quantity surveyors who are trained and have professional
bodies to govern their performance and provide advice on best
practices and most effective techniques, as yet there are no such
standards, training models or defined professional body for
accreditation the planning engineers, Tyerman and Mccullen
(2010:p.07). Due to a lack of formal professional accreditation,
many of these engineers have been self-taught, whilst others have
transitioned into project control roles from other professional
disciplines in construction without owning the required planning
capabilities, which ultimately affects the time management
performance on construction projects, Tyerman and Mccullen
(2010:p.07).
• Provide minimum standards of educational qualifications,
experience and skills to enter the planning discipline, Mackenzie
(2010:p.286).
• Provide training for planning engineers in order to raise their
awareness of the latest standards of planning and also their
planning and programming software knowledge, CIOB (2010:p.54).
• Provide training for project managers and construction team to
improve their understanding of scheduling/planning techniques and
their importance for successful project delivery, Mackenzie
(2010:p.281).
• Develop a code of practice for the control of time on construction
projects, Mackenzie (2010:p.284). A suggestion has to be put
forward to develop a knowledge center at industry level so that the
whole industry can have an access to the best practices
knowledge.
• Create standards forms of construction contracts that promote and
encourage efficient time management, CIOB (2010:p.06).
• Financial rewards or penalties have to be specified in the contract
documents to reward/penalize the contractor for non-conformance
of planning function and for not providing the correct caliber of
planning engineers, Mackenzie (2010:p.101).
• Planning function requires buy-in from client, project team, project
managers and senior management alike, Mackenzie (2010:p.20,
94,281).
• Develop detailed scheduling specifications and requirements within
the project contract documents. This specification shall cover in
detail:
1- Schedule development and updating.
2- Progress monitoring system.
3- Planning method statement.

38

4- Reporting formats.
5- Cash flow preparation.
6- Extension of time (EOT) technique that has to be used in
case of lodging EOT claims.
• Audit systems to be developed by contractors and by clients - this
would lead to planning engineers being audited against the
schedule procedures that were embedded in the contract and non-
conformance notes to be issued where appropriate, Mackenzie
(2010:p.46).
• Develop a regular window analysis on a monthly basis to capture
all delays, effects and identify ownership of these delays.
Gathering the information and then doing the analysis on a real-
time basis is fundamentally more accurate and objective than
doing it later during the course of the project, Tyerman and Mccullen
(2010:p.06).
• In the Standard Form of Contract produced by the American
Institute of Architects (AIA), a schedule of values (SOV) is widely
used; Levy (2010:p.137). The SOV is inserted into either lump sum
or GMP (Guaranteed Maximum Price) contracts for tracking
progress, preparing cash flow and preparing the monthly progress
payments.
The SOV assigns the entire contract sum across the project’s
scheduled activities. At the beginning of the project the SOV has to
be submitted by contractor to client showing the value of works for
each activity in the schedule. Upon client approval, SOV is
included as a contract ‘exhibit’. In case any value comes into
question, the contractor will submit sufficient supporting documents
to justify it, Levy (2010:p.138).
With each activity possessing a value, this helps with the
preparation of progress payments by inserting percentage of
completion value for every activity and then evolve the progress
payment amount in any given month as shown in Figure 2.4.5.
Moreover, with each activity possessing a value in the schedule,
the forecasting of the value of work in each month is better
facilitated allowing accurate forecasting of the project cash flow.
Figure 2.4.5 - Schedule of Values (D&D Smith Constructors, 2016)

39

Method 8: Retain Talented Employees:
One of the most important elements for sustainable business practices is
the employee. In order to manage and deliver successful construction
projects and achieve the bottom lines of time, cost and quality, then
employees who have the capabilities to commit to, and provide a value-
adding contribution to successful delivery have to be engaged. Yet hiring is
only the first step but it is also necessary to suitably motivate these
employees in order to retain them for the duration of the project.
Meeting the basic needs of employees requires motivation schemes that
provide continuous training and offer professional development and
alongside these, employees need to also feel empowered and respected,
thus potentially retaining them for longer periods of time, AECOM
Sustainability Report (2013:p.06, 14).
Method 9: Buyers’ fund to be released to developer after completion of the project:
The current system of escrow accounting allow Dubai’s developers to
collect the majority of an apartment sale price prior to handing over the unit
to the buyers, contrary to the regulations in other jurisdictions (e.g.
Australia, USA and Canada), where the developers only receive the
balance of 80% of a unit selling price just after handing over the completed
purchased units to the buyers. The current system has to be adjusted and
thus allow for release of 80% of buyers’ fund to developer only after
handing over the units.

40

2.5 Chapter Summary
Based on this literature review, it can be seen that many of the specific
characteristics of construction industry and elements of the construction
market in the Emirate of Dubai, and especially with regard to high-rise
buildings, contribute significantly to the causes of delays in construction
projects. These major delay causes (60 of which were identified earlier)
and their characteristics can be summarized into five major groups in the
Tables from 2.5.1 to 2.5.5 below as follows:
Group 1: Client-related Delay Causes
Table 2.5.1: Client-related Delay Causes

41

Group 2: Consultant/Designer-related Delays Causes
Table 2.5.2: Consultant/Designer-related Delay Causes

42

Group 3: Contractor-related Delay Causes
Table 2.5.3: Contractor-related Delay Causes

43

Group 4: Regulations-related Delay Causes
Table 2.5.4: Regulations-related Delay Causes
Group 5: Unforeseen Conditions-related Delay Causes
Table 2.5.5: Unforeseen Conditions-related Delay Causes

44

Based on the literature review of several contemporary research studies on
the effect of delays in construction projects, fourteen effects have been
identified in 5 major groups of stakeholders; client, end user, the Emirate of
Dubai, contractor and designers/consultants, in table 2.5.6 below, as
follows:
Table 2.5.6: Delay Effects

45

The literature review has also revealed that there are primarily nine
methods commonly used for minimizing the delays and twelve methods
have been specifically identified under the method of ‘’effective planning
and scheduling practices’’, in Table 2.5.7 below, as follows:
Table 2.5.7: Minimizing Methods of Delays
The next chapter will consider the methodology to be applied to the
research and techniques for data analysis. It will also cover the sample
selection drawn from the relevant population of interest for conducting the
survey and the survey questionnaire structure, distribution and collection.

46

Chapter 3
Research Methodology
Chapter 2 presented relevant literature on the subject of delays in
construction projects in order to examine the delays causes, effects and
minimizing methods in Dubai high-rise projects. Chapter 3 describes
various possible research methods available for use in the study and
justifies the methodology selected. The required data was obtained initially
through conducting a literature review followed by the undertaking of a
survey questionnaire. This chapter also illustrates the structure of survey
questionnaire, the basis of respondent selection, how the survey was
distributed and collected, sample size determination and how the collected
data was analyzed.
3.2 Research Methods
“When undertaking research study, it is vital to pick the most suitable
research method in order to ensure that the research maximizes the
chance of realizing its pre-defined aims and objectives”, Fellows and Liu
(2008:p.20). In general there are two basic approaches to research,
quantitative and qualitative.
The Quantitative method “seeks gathering factual data to study
relationships between facts and how such facts and relationships accord
with theories and the finding of any research executed previously
(literature)”, Fellows and Liu (2008:p.27). Scientific techniques are used to
get quantified data and then the analysis of data leads to conclusions
derived from evaluation of the results in the light of the pertinent theory and
literature, Fellows and Liu (2008:p.27).
The Qualitative method seeks to gain insights and to understand people’s
perceptions, opinions and views into the phenomena of interest. Forms are
used to collect data that are subjective containing many uncertainties and
variance in the perceptions of participants; this data requires sorting and
filtering in order to make it ready for application of subsequent analytical
techniques, which leads to conclusions on meaning of the data and finally
recommendations for course of actions.
In relation to this research, the qualitative method is adopted for the
following reasons:
• It is more economical, as compared to other methods.
• It gives the researcher an opportunity to access a wider number of
industry professionals and thus possessing their insights into the
subject of matter.
• The data collected through the questionnaire are directly related to
the professionals’ past experience and opinions, Kirklees Council

47

(2011:p.02). These opinions are based on a solid involvement,
interaction and experience in Dubai construction industry in general
and the high-rises projects in particular.
Despite these benefits, disadvantages include: collection of data is time
consuming and there is a possibility of a low survey response rate that may
affect the significance of the data findings. Therefore in this study, a
mitigation plan will be applied to avoid/minimize the effect of these
potential disadvantages by allowing two months to get responses returned
and by applying regular following up (by email and phone) with the
targeted participants during the survey period.
3.3 Literature Review
A comprehensive literature review was conducted utilizing different
sources such as books, peer reviewed construction management journal
articles, previous research dissertations, academic seminars and
worldwide web Internet resources, in order to identify the delay causes in
high-rise construction projects globally and more specifically where
possible, in Dubai high-rise projects. This was conducted using a three-
step approach as shown in Figure 3.3.1: the first step is to identify the
general characteristics of the global construction industry, the nature of the
Dubai construction environment and the specific characteristics of high-rise
buildings. The second step is to identify the delay causes that are
attributed with these characteristics. Third step is to classify the concluded
delay causes into five groups (developer, consultant/designer, contractor,
regulations and unforeseen conditions) in order to test the research
hypotheses applicable to Dubai’s high-rise projects. Also through the
literature review, the potential effects of delays on construction projects are
identified in addition to some of the applicable methods of minimizing
delays.
Figure 3.3.1 – Three-Step Literature Review Approach
Based on the literature review and the researcher’s 14 years personal
experience as a planning and cost control engineer, 7 characteristics for
construction industry and its 24 delays causes, 23 characteristics for Dubai

48

construction environment and its 29 delays causes and 5 characteristics
for high-rise projects and its 7 delays causes were identified. In addition to
14 effects of delays and 9 main minimizing methods and 12 sub methods
were identified.
The outcome of this literature review was used to develop the research
hypotheses and a survey questionnaire in order to collect data from the
targeted participants involved in the high-rise construction projects in
Dubai.
3.4 Data Collection
The data collection is the corner stone of any research. A survey, as
explained earlier in section 3.2, conducted through the distribution of a
questionnaire is considered one of the best methods of collecting data
about the subject of interest. The concluded delay causes, effects and
minimizing methods from the literature review formed the basis for design
and formulation of the survey questionnaire, which investigates the
problem of delay causes in Dubai high-rise projects from a real world
perspective as seen through the perspectives of clients,
consultants/designers and contractors.
3.5 Questionnaire Design and Structure
A structured questionnaire was developed in order to meet the research
aims and objectives and to test the three pre-defined research hypotheses.
The questionnaire identifies and ranks the causes of delays in high-rise
projects in Dubai, and also draws views on the effects of and methods for
minimizing high-rise project delays.
The questionnaire (attached at Appendix B of this dissertation) consisted of
both closed and open-ended questions. In this research an ‘even-
numbered’ scale from (1) to (4), instead of a scale from (1) to (5), was
selected to ensure that the participant didn’t for ease of filling the survey,
just select the average scale number (3) as can be the case of a scale
rated from (1) to (5), Fellows and Liu (2008:p.171).
The questionnaire consists of two parts. Firstly, a covering “letter for
questionnaire” and secondly the “survey questionnaire form”. The “letter of
questionnaire”, informs participants about the objectives of the study and
gives some information regarding the confidentiality and importance of the
participants’ contribution towards the study success. The “survey
questionnaire form” consists of four sections as follows:
• Section A: Participant Profile
This section is structured to obtain general information about each
respondent. It contains questions about the type of organization, position in
the organization, level of qualification, years of experience in the
construction industry, size of projects involved in, the type of contracts
dealt with, number of projects participated in Dubai, the number of projects

49

that were delayed, the average time of delay and the average extension of
time awarded.
• Section B: Causes of Delays in Dubai’s High-Rise Projects
This section explores the major causes of delays in Dubai high-rise
projects. It contains 60 major high-rise projects delay causes, pre-identified
from the literature review. These causes are categorized into five groups
according to the main sources of delays. The participants are requested to
rate each cause according to level of contribution using a 4-point scale
ranging from (1) low contribution to (4) severe contribution. Finally, the
participants are asked to detail any more causes of delays based on their
perspective/experience through an open-ended question at the end of
section B of the questionnaire.
• Section C: Effects of Delays
This section examines the major effects of delays. It contains 14 major
effects of delays pre-identified from the literature review and these effects
are categorized into five groups. The participants are requested to rate
each delay effect according to its frequency of occurrence using a 4-point
scale ranging from (1) never to (4) constantly. Finally, the participants are
requested to insert any more effects of delays from their perspectives
through an open-ended question at the bottom of section C of the
questionnaire.
• Section D: Minimizing Delays Methods in Dubai’s High-Rise Projects
This section is designed to explore the methods of minimizing high-rise
projects delays. It contains nine main methods of minimizing delays plus
12 sub methods. These methods are categorized into 4 groups. The
participants are requested to rate each method according to its
effectiveness in minimizing high-rise projects delays using a 4-point scale
ranging from (1) low effectiveness to (4) very high effectiveness. Finally,
the participants are requested to insert their recommendations, through an
open-ended question, to improve the performance of high-rise construction
projects in Dubai.
3.6 Pilot Study
Before forwarding the survey questionnaire to all identified participants, the
questionnaire was tested with three participants from the three target-
groups (clients, consultants/designers and contractors), in order to ensure
that the questionnaire was clear, unambiguous and to ascertain relevance
of the questions to the subject matter.
The result of the pilot study revealed minor inconsistencies that required
amendment before the questionnaire was released to all participants. A
copy of the final amended questionnaire form is shown in Appendices B.

50

3.7 Selection of Participants
The participants targeted to participate in this research are confined in a
holistic sense to clients, consultants/designers and contractors. They
represent a wide range of experience level, from seven to more than 15
years, the majority possess Bachelor’s degrees in Engineering and have
been involved in high-rise projects many with a value of more than 500
million UAE Dirhams and they represent all industry practitioners including
project directors, project managers, project control managers, planning
engineers, quantity surveyors, architects, civil, mechanical and electrical
engineers.
3.8 Questionnaire Distribution and Collection
In order to guarantee a wide number of participants, the questionnaire was
introduced and distributed using several methods such as; personal
meetings, phone calls and emails. These methods of communication
allowed for direct interaction between the researcher and the participants
and clarification of the participants’ queries about the questionnaire. A
period of two months was allowed for communication, distribution and
collection of the questionnaire.
3.9 The Survey Sample
The size of sample required for conducting the research was calculated
based on statistical principles typically used for this type of exploratory
research study.
The sample size was calculated as recommended by Smith (2013) and
Cochran (1977) as follows:
Necessary Sample Size = (Z-score) ² * StdDev*(1-StdDev) / (margin of error) ²
Where:
Z-Score: a constant value for the above equation and its value depend on
the chosen confidence level. Confidence level could be 90%, 95% or 99%.
The table below shows how to find the right Z score to use based on
desired confidence level:
Table 3.9.1: Z-Score
Desired

Confidence
Level
Z-‐Score

90%
1.645

95%
1.96

99%
2.58

Standard Deviation: variance that is expected in the responses.

51

Margin of Error: a percentage that describes how closely the answer
research’s sample gives is to the ‘’true value’’ in research’s survey
population.
In relation to this survey, the confidence level is chosen to be 90% and
thus the Z score will become equal to 1.645. The Standard Deviation is
taken as 0.5 to allow for larger sample and the Margin of Error is taken as
10%.
Thus, the Necessary Sample Size = (1.645) ² * 0.5* (1-0.5) / (10%) ² = 68.
The minimum required sample size is calculated to be 68 and the actual
sample obtained is 68, which meets the minimum sample requirement.
3.10 Data Analysis
The questionnaire is designed based upon number of delay causes, to
which participants were asked to indicate the level of importance of each
cause:
(1)= Low contributing
(2)= Medium contributing
(3)= High contributing
(4)= Severe contributing
For the effects of delays, the questionnaire is designed based upon
number of delay effects, to which participants were asked to indicate the
level of its occurrence:
(1)= Never
(2)= Occasionally
(3)= Frequently
(4)= Constantly
For the delay minimizing methods, the questionnaire is designed based
upon number of delay effects, to which participants were asked to indicate
the level of its effectiveness:
(1)= Low effective
(2)= Medium effective
(3)= High effective
(4)= Very high effective
After getting back the delays causes, effects and minimizing methods
ranked by participants according to the above rating scale, the next two
steps were to calculate the Relative Importance Index (RII) and then rank
each factor using the calculated relative importance index. For performing
these calculations, Microsoft Excel software program was used and ‘’RII’’
calculated using the formula produced by Sambasivan and Soon (2007) as
shown in figure 3.10.1:

52

Figure 3.10.1 – RII Formula (Sambasivan and Soon, 2007)

53

3.11 Chapter Summary
This chapter has detailed the qualitative research method selected and
justified it due to the exploratory nature of the research. The data was
collected through conducting a literature review then the findings were
formulated into a range of survey questions that were distributed to
targeted participants. The participants were chosen based on their years of
experience, engineering qualifications and levels of involvement in high-
rise projects in Dubai.
The data collected from the participants will be analyzed using Microsoft
Excel to calculate the Relative Importance Index (RII) and rank delay
causes, their effects and any proposed minimizing methods.
The next chapter will consider the information collected through survey
questionnaire in order to run an analysis for the purpose of ranking the
delays causes, effects of delays and minimizing delays methods in Dubai’s
high-rise projects.

54

Chapter 4
Results and Discussion
In chapter 3, the qualitative research method selected and justified.
Through conducting a literature review, the data will be collected and then
formulated into a range of survey questions that will be distributed to
targeted participants. The data collected from participants will be analyzed
to calculate the Relative Importance Index (RII) in order to rank delay
causes, their effects and proposed minimizing methods.
In this chapter, the data collected through the questionnaire survey is
analyzed to show overall response rate, statistics related to the
respondents’ personal information and their companies’ profiles. Then the
ranking of delay causes, effect of delays and methods used to minimize
delays in Dubai’s high-rise projects is presented and discussed.
4.2 Survey Questionnaire Results
4.2.1 Respondents’ Profile
This section shows the questionnaire response rates and demographic
information regarding the respondents’ organizations, positions, levels of
education, experience, project sizes, numbers of projects they have been
involved in, delay experienced in any such projects, average delay time
and average extensions of time granted. This section also helps to
demonstrate the degree of reliability of the data supplied by respondents
through highlighting their relevant professional experience and
qualifications.
•Questionnaire Response Rate
The questionnaire was distributed to different participants who have
experience in the construction of high-rise projects in Dubai. Of the 87
questionnaires sent out, the total number of respondents who have
completed the survey was 68, giving a 78% response rate as shown in
Table 4.2.1 below:
Table 4.2.1: Questionnaire Response Rate

55

•Type of Organization
The respondents were asked the type of organization that they are
working for. The majority of respondents were from the
consultants/designers and contractors’ organizations. Figure 4.2.2
shows these results.
•Respondents’ Positions in the Organizations
The respondents were asked to indicate their positions in the
organizations they are working for. Figure 4.2.3 below shows the results.
The respondents from the managerial level accounts for 56% and the
other 44% of respondents were from a senior discipline level. The
individuals from these two levels can provide reliable information on
project issues as they always involved in all the management activities
across the company and can see the big picture of construction activity.
•Education Level of Respondents
The respondents were asked to indicate their level of qualification and
Figure 4.2.4 below shows the result. It can be concluded that the
majority of respondents had obtained bachelor and master degrees in
different engineering disciplines, which proves the participants’
construction-related knowledge and helps to assure the quality of
supplied information.
23%

40%

37%

Figure 4.2.2: Type of Respondents’ Organizations
Client
Consultant
Contractor
3%

19%

31%

3%

9%

5%

7%

7%
16%

Figure 4.2.3: Positions of Respondents’ Organizations
Project Director
Project Manager
Project Control Manager
Commercial Manager
Senior Planning Engineer
Senior Quantity Surveyor
Senior Architect
Senior Mechanical Engineer
Senior Structural Engineer

56

•Respondents’ Experience Level
The respondents were asked to indicate their level of experience in
construction of high-rises in the Emirate of Dubai. The results obtained
are shown in Figure 4.2.5 below and indicate that the majority of
respondents have spent more than 15 years in the Dubai construction
market, which helps to assure the validity and quality of supplied
information.
•Respondents’ Project Size
Figure 4.2.6 below indicates the size of high-rise projects that the
respondents have been involved in. Based on these results, it can be
concluded that 61 percent of respondents have been involved in very
large projects with a value of more than 500 million UAE Dirhams.
3%

22%

72%

3%

Figure 4.2.4: Education Level of Respondents
PhD
MSc
BSc
Post Graduate Diploma
3%

31%

66%

Figure 4.2.5: Respondents' Experience Level
Less than 5 Years
5 - 15 Years
More than 15 Years
61%

27%

12%

Figure 4.2.6: Participants' Projects Size
> 500 million UAE Dirhams
100 to 500 million UAE
Dirhams
< 100 million UAE Dirhams

57

•Type of Contract
The respondents were asked to indicate the type of contracts that have
been used in high-rise projects that they were involved in. The results
are presented below in Figure 4.2.7. The respondents (3%) involved in
“other” projects cited different types of contracts such as GMP and
contracting management.
Based on these results, clearly the majority of respondents were
involved in projects with a traditional contract, followed by design and
build contracts.
•Respondents’ Number of Projects
Respondents indicated the number of high-rise projects they had been
involved in as shown in Figure 4.2.8 below. These results reflect the
experience each participant possesses in Dubai’s high-rise projects.
38%

28%

31%

3%

Figure 4.2.7: Type of Contract
Traditional Contract
Design and Build
Lump Sum Turnkey
Other
0
50
100
150
200
250
Client Consultant Contractor
Number of Projects Respondent
Participated In
123 159 204
No.ofProjects
Figure 4.2.8: Number of Projects

58

•Delay Experience
Respondents reported that a total of 318 (65%) projects were delayed
and 168 (35%) projects were delivered on time as shown in Figure 4.2.9
below.
•Average Delayed Time
The respondents were asked to indicate the average delayed time they
have experienced in high-rise projects in Dubai. As shown in Figure
4.2.10 below, 54 respondents (79%) reported project delays of
between10% to 50% of contract period.
•Average Extension to Time Granted
51 out of 68 respondents (76%) pointed out that the average extension
of time that granted by the clients to the contractors was between 25%
and 75% of the actual program delay. The results are displayed in
Figure 4.2.11.
65%

35%

Figure 4.2.9: Respondents' Delay Experience
Projects Delivered Late
Projects Delivered on Time
10%

61%

18%

11%

Figure 4.2.10: Average Delayed Time
Less than 10%
10% to 30%
31% to 50%
51% to 100%

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4.2.2 Causes of High-Rises Delays in Dubai
This section presents the ranking of each delay cause within the pre-
defined five groups (client, consultant/designer, contractor, regulations,
unforeseen conditions) using the relative importance index (RII). The RII of
each delay cause was calculated to identify the most important causes that
contribute to high-rise projects’ delays in Dubai.
60 causes that contribute to the delays were identified and ranked from the
perspective of clients, consultants/designers and contractors. The results
of analysis and ranking of these causes are shown in Table 4.2.2.1 below:
Table 4.2.2.1: RII and Ranking of Delay Causes
16%

27%

25%

24%

8%

Figure 4.2.11 - Average Delayed Time Granted
All the delayed time
About 75% of delayed time
LDs Implemented

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The ranking (in order top to bottom) shows that the top 15 delays causes
are:
Table 4.2.2.2: Top 15 delay causes
4.2.3 Effects of Delays
This section shows the ranking of each delay effect on the pre-defined five
groups (client, end user, Emirate of Dubai, contractor, consultant/designer)
using the relative importance index (RII). The RII of each delay effect was
calculated to identify the most significant effects on different parties
involved in the sector of high-rise in Dubai.

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14 delay effects were identified and ranked from the perspective of clients,
consultants/designers and contractors.
The results of analysis and ranking of these effects are shown in Table
4.2.3.1 below:
The ranking shows that the top seven delays effects are:
Table 4.2.3.2: Top seven delay effects

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4.2.4 Minimizing Delay Methods
This section presents the ranking of methods used to minimize delays by
the pre-defined four groups (contractual arrangement, construction
methodology and techniques, project management and others) using the
relative importance index (RII). The RII of each minimizing method was
calculated to identify the most important methods that could prevent the
delays in high-rise projects in Dubai.
Nine main-minimizing methods were identified and ranked from the
perspective of clients, consultants/designers and contractors.
The results of analysis and ranking of these methods are shown in Table
4.2.4.1 below:

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The ranking shows that the top five main-minimizing methods are:
Table 4.2.4.2: Top Five Main-Minimizing Methods
Also sub-minimizing methods were identified and ranked from the
perspective of clients, consultants/designers and contractors.
The results of analysis and ranking of these methods are shown in Table
4.2.4.3 below:
Table 4.2.4.3: RII and Ranking of Sub-Minimizing Methods

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The ranking shows that the top six sub-minimizing methods are:
Table 4.2.4.4: Top Six Sub-Minimizing Methods
The respondent had a chance to suggest their own minimizing methods
and the ones that were mentioned by many are listed below:
• Developers should specify intermediate milestones in the contract
that are related to the delivery of different work packages and
assign liquidated damages to each of them, as It became clear in
Dubai construction market that the liquidated damages that are
dedicated for only completion date milestone isn’t effective enough
for timely delivery.
• Developers to conduct periodic risk management workshops across
the supply chain so that there are no surprises.
• Developers to allow for Peer Review of design integration by third
party.
• The local authorities should ensure that the progress percentage
that is recorded by client truly reflect the reality. The current
practices are not effective enough as the land department relays
only on the progress percentage that reported by client and based
on this percentage a payment is released to the client from the trust
account. To achieve this, the land department should establish an
organized system for tracking the performance of all projects, which
can be audited regularly by the department itself.

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4.3 Results Discussion
4.3.1 Delay Causes
The following discussion places emphasis on the top 15 delay causes as
perceived by all the three parties:
Client-related Delay Causes
• “Design changes” and “Issuing multiple change orders” ranked the 1st
and 2nd
delay causes respectively, due to the wide use of traditional
procurement approach in Dubai’s high-rise projects that allows for
change in client’s mind (scope and design) and often leads to a lack
of contractor inputs into the design that later might cause a lack of
design constructability. In addition to the fact that Dubai’s
developers’ absolute power allows them to issue change orders by
adding to or deleting from the original scope of work without
considering or taking prompt actions with respect to their contractual
obligations.
Also, the errors and omissions may exist in the original design and
the discrepancies between design drawings and specifications that
result from not availing a reasonable timeframe for the designer, due
to Dubai’s fast tracking approach, to complete proper design
documents.
All of these factors lead to design changes and issuing change
orders during the course of construction phase, which in turn affects
the work progression at site and causes extension to the project
completion date.
• In Dubai, the fast tracking approach and clients’ aims to get a rapid
return on their investment in high-rise buildings, always leads the
client to impose unrealistic contract durations and issue
uncompleted designs for tendering that have an impact later on the
project progress. As a result, the “client unreasonable imposed tight
project duration” ranked as the 9th
delay cause in the list of top 15
delay causes.
• In Dubai’s high-rise projects, “client’s slowness in decision making”
ranked as the 11th
delay cause due to the excessive bureaucracy in
making decisions due to using lengthy decision-making, excessive
paperwork and lack of experience of client personnel also contribute
to this delay in making decisions at the right time.
Consultant/Designer-related Delay Causes
• “Consultant’s poor supervision and site management” ranked as the 6th
delay cause, as the majority of clients in Dubai select
designers/consultants on the basis of lowest tendered price, which
brings on board unqualified entities, moreover, some consultants in
Dubai face problems with hiring qualified personal who have the
right capabilities to review contractor’s work for deficiencies and

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deviations from the specifications, follow-up contractor time
schedules, identify the project risks and advise the developers
accordingly and manage the safety and quality matters at site. The
poor supervision leads to miss the control over the critical project
bottom lines (time, cost, quality and safety).
• Selecting unqualified designers/consultants and the failure to hire
qualified project team individuals for Dubai’ high-rise projects leads
to “late catching up the deficiencies in drawings and specifications” and
“late approval of ongoing site documents” which have been ranked as
the 7th
and 10th
delay causes in Dubai’s high-rise projects due to
their impact on the progress of works at site.
Contractor-related Delay Causes
• “Lack of main contractor’s control over the subcontractors” ranked the 3rd
delay cause in Dubai’s high rise projects, as some developers in
Dubai tend to select the lowest bid price rather than considering the
contractor’s past experience and qualifications. As a result, the lack
of experience of the nominated contractor leads to a loss of control
over the subcontractors who are working under that company’s
umbrella, which definitely affects the overall progress at site.
• “Inadequate early planning and scheduling” ranked the 4th
delay cause in
Dubai’s high-rise projects. The inadequate planning and bad
scheduling practices that are prevailing in many high-rise projects in
Dubai are a result of a lack of the followings: detailed scheduling
specifications within the contract documents, an accredited
professional body for certification of planning engineers, lack of use
of a schedule of values (SOV) in forecasting the project cash flow
and certifying the monthly payment invoices, lack of a Monthly
Window Analysis that captures the delay as, real time, as possible
during the reported month and finally there is a critical need for
development training for planning engineers and project team
members.
The lack of the aforementioned practices hinders the value that
planning function should offer to such a complex environment as
high-rise projects in terms of delivering the project on time.
• “Late of delivery of long lead items” ranked the 8th
delay cause in the
construction of high-rises in Dubai, as the contractors often delay in
releasing the purchase orders, due to improper early procurement
planning, for the material/equipment that needs a long time for
delivery thus resulting in late delivery and subsequent delay in its
installation at site. Moreover, during the period of the construction
boom in Dubai, the contractor’s delays in releasing the purchase
orders for the long-lead items have even more excessive delay
effects because the suppliers in this period are normally busy to
satisfy other on-going projects concurrently.

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• “Failure to meet planned cycle of concrete elements in high-rise projects”
ranked the12th
delay cause in Dubai’s high-rise projects due to the
criticality of structure frame that forms floor areas for execution of
the subsequent trades. Also “Failure to meet planned cycle of curtain
wall installation in high-rise projects” ranked the 14th
delay cause due to
the importance of maintaining indoor air quality, during the
construction especially in Dubai where the weather is dry and
humid. On top of that the indoor air quality is compulsory to start the
sensitive finishing (humidity-free) works inside each floor. The
failure to meet both planned cycles leads to project delays.
• “Reduction of labour productivity” ranked the 13th
delay cause in high-
rise projects due to the effects of the dry hot summer and humid
environment that is found in Dubai.
• “Hiring unqualified professionals into contractor’s organization” ranked the
15th
delay cause in Dubai’s high-rise projects due to the lack of
experienced human resource staff to undertake labour recruitment
and also the tight imposed time constraints by developers that
accelerate the mobilization of professionals, which doesn’t allow for
sufficient time to allocate high-quality professionals.
Regulations-related Delay Causes
• “Late obtaining of a permanent power connection” ranked the 5th
delay
cause in Dubai’s high-rise projects as some properties in Dubai are
standing empty for more than a year while waiting for electricity to
be connected. The reason behind this long waiting time is the
lengthy process required for the granting of approval to connect the
service to the completed building besides the improper planning
from the designer and contractor for the timely preparation and
submission the required drawings for DEWA’s (Dubai Electricity and
Water Authority) approval.
4.3.2 Delay Effects
The following discussion places emphasis on the top seven delay effects
as perceived by all the three parties:
Group 1: Effects on Client
• The “cost overrun” is the most significant effect on clients (rank 2),
due to extending project beyond its completion date and thus the
need to pay to a contractor claimed prolongation costs if the client is
responsible for the delay.
Group 2: Effects on End User
• The “loss on rental/sale property price” (rank 3) is the most significant
effect on unit buyer. The late handover of the purchased unit to the

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buyer could prevent gaining the benefit of selling/renting their units
during periods of time where the prices reach peak value.
• The late handover of units to the buyer on time fuels “buyer’s
distrust” in the real estate market in Dubai (rank 5) and it results also
in “buyer’s difficulty in paying back the bank loan” (rank 6) due to losing
an earlier expected return on investment.
Group 3: Effects on Contractor
• The “profit margin loss’’ is the most significant effect on contractor
(rank 1). The late handover of the high-rise on time leads the
contractor to pay to client the stipulated liquidated damages if the
contractor is responsible for the delay. Also the contractor shall
incur, in the period of delays, more losses in spending on the site
running costs until handing over the project.
• Also the failure of contractor to deliver on time diminishes the
“contractor reputation” (rank 4) as it declines his chance for securing
more projects in the future.
Group 4: Effects on Emirate of Dubai
• The late handover of the high-rise projects on time (rank 7) leads to
fueling the “inflation in properties prices”, which in turn affect the
availability of residential units in affordable prices for the residents in
the Emirate of Dubai.
4.3.3 Minimizing Methods
From the survey response the following top five minimizing methods as
perceived by respondents are a mix of:
• “Retaining the talented employees” ranked the 1st
minimizing method for
delay. This means the lack of regarding talented employees as
valued partners in the business, respecting their right for fair
salaries and development opportunities to help in retaining them
employed for long time - so summarized the problem of not making
the best use of their experience and skills.
• Fostering robust project management approaches such as “effective
planning and scheduling practices” (rank 2). Some practices were
concluded in this research to improve the planning and scheduling
function. These practices are as follow:
ü Contractor to develop on monthly basis for
developer/consultant review a “Window Analysis” (rank 1) to
catch up the occurring delays during the reported month in
order to help in analyzing these delays in a “real time” and
thus adopting early mitigation plans.
ü Developers and designers do not always spend the time
necessary, during the design phase, to draft detailed

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scheduling specifications within the contract documents (rank
2). It is axiomatic that contractors rarely volunteer to do more
than what is clearly required in the contract.
ü On the industry level, there is a need for establishment of a
professional body for accreditation of planning engineers
(rank 3). A body similar to the Royal Institute of Chartered
Surveyors (RICS) in the UK and worldwide that train and
govern the performance of quantity surveyors and advise
them on best practice techniques.
ü Contractors to submit for developer/consultant approval a
“Schedule of Value” (SOV) that showing the value of work for
each activity in the schedule. The SOV, upon
developer/consultant approval, will be included as a contract
exhibit and be used for cash flow forecasting, tracking
progress and contractor’s monthly payments (rank 4).
ü Contractors to provide training for project managers and
team members to improve their understanding of planning
techniques (rank 5).
ü Contractors to provide training for planning engineers to
improve their understanding of activities sequences at site
and to raise the awareness of latest planning standards and
to develop the planning software knowledge, such as
Primavera (rank 6).
• Adopting new technologies and construction techniques such as
“BIM- Building Information Modeling” (rank 3), “Jump-lift Technology”
(rank: 4) and “Modular Prefabrication Technology” (rank: 5).
Currently the use of BIM is still being developed on many Dubai
high-rise projects. Dubai Municipality formally informed all design
and construction companies operating in Dubai that it has been
decided to “mandate BIM for architectural and electromechanical
works for all buildings 40 stories or higher” Dubai Municipality (2013).
The use of BIM helps the developers in minimizing or eliminating the
design changes and change orders by early catching up the
deficiencies during the design stage. Also it helps the
designers/consultants in early catching up the deficiencies during
the construction stage.
On the other hand, Jump-Lift technology is currently used on few
projects in Dubai, as it has been used in the construction of
Princess Tower (101-story) that is considered the world’s tallest
residential building. In this project, two Jump-Lifts have been used
and proved a success in improving logistics, labourers’ productivity
and flow between different floors, also it helped the contractor to
keep to the project schedule.
Finally, the Modular Prefabrication isn’t widely used in Dubai’s high-
rise sector, however, the “Middle East Prefabrication and Modular
Construction Summit 2016” that will be held in Conrad Dubai, will

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see detailed discussion by the domain experts to find viable
solutions to the barriers to adopting this valuable technology and
chart the way forward for the industry, Onsite (2015).
4.4 Testing of the Original Hypotheses
With regard to the objectives of this research, testing of three hypotheses
was required and the results are shown below:
A) Off-Sale Plan, Concrete Elements and Curtain Wall Cycles, Client's unreasonably
imposed tight project duration and Consultant’s poor supervision and site
management are the most significant causes of delays in Dubai high-rise
projects.
There is an agreement between owners, consultants/designers and
contractors in Dubai on the responsibility of client in causing project delays
by imposing unreasonable project duration (Rank: 9 out of 60), the
responsibility of consultant in delaying the project by performing poor
supervision (Rank: 6 out of 60) and the responsibility of contractor in getting
project delayed by his failure in achieving the planned cycle of concrete
elements and curtain wall (Rank: 12, 14 out of 60). However, all parties believe
that the Off-Sale Plan contributes to high-rises’ delays but it is not a major
cause (Rank: 38 out of 60). As a result this hypothesis is partially proven.
B) BIM, Effective Planning and Scheduling Practices and Top-Down Construction
are effective practices to reduce delays on high-rise projects.
contractors in Dubai on the effectiveness of using the followings in
declining high-rise delays:
• Adopting effective planning and scheduling practices (Rank: 2 out of 9).
• Using BIM technology (Rank: 3 out of 9).
However, all parties believe that top-down methodology is an important
method but yet isn’t effective enough (Rank: 6 out of 9).
As a result this hypothesis is partially proven.

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C) Developing code of practices for scheduling, developing detailed scheduling
specifications within the contract documents and establishment of a relevant
and effective professional body for accreditation of planning engineers are
effective methods to improve scheduling practices.
contractors in Dubai on the effectiveness of using the followings in
declining high-rise delays:
• Developing detailed scheduling specification within the contract
documents (Rank: 2 out of 12).
• Availability of professional body for accreditation of planning
engineers (Rank: 3 out of 12).
However, all parties gave a bit low rank for developing code of practices for
scheduling. (Rank: 8 out of 12).
As a result this hypothesis is partially proven.

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4.5 Chapter Summary
In this chapter, in relation to causes of delays, effects of delays and
methods of minimizing delays, data through questionnaire survey was
obtained from 68 respondents who are involved in Dubai’s high-rise
projects. This data has been analyzed and ranked based on the RII.
From 60 pre-defined causes of delays in Dubai high-rise projects, the top
15 most significant delay causes has been identified in section 4.2.2.
The most common seven effects of delays have been identified in section
4.2.3.
The most five main minimizing methods to minimize delays in construction
projects and also the six sub-minimizing methods to implement effective
planning and scheduling practices have been identified in section 4.2.4.
The next chapter will present the conclusions drawn from the research
findings and some recommendations for improving high-rise projects
performance in the Emirate of Dubai.

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Chapter 5
Conclusions and Recommendations
In chapter 4, the data collected through the questionnaire survey is
analyzed to show the ranking of delay causes, effect of delays and
methods used to minimize delays in Dubai’s high-rise projects.
This chapter presents the conclusions drawn from the overall research
findings and also provides tangible recommendations that could help in
improving the performance of high-rise sector projects in the Emirate of
Dubai.
5.2 Research Conclusions
Valuable and accurate data was provided for 486 high-rise projects in
Dubai drawn from a series of responses to survey questionnaire provided
by 68 experienced professionals (clients, designers/consultants and
contractors). 56% of professionals were from the managerial level, 66% of
professionals had spent more than 15 years in Dubai construction industry
and 61% of professionals were engaged in very large high-rise projects
with a value of more than 500 million UAE Dirhams. The professionals had
all experienced working on different types of contracts (traditional contract,
design and build, lump sum turnkey, GMP and contracting management
amongst them).
The research has succeeded in addressing the three pre-defined
objectives that have been listed in Chapter 1 of the dissertation and are
summarized and further discussed below:
Objective one: To identify the characteristics of construction industry, Dubai
construction environment and high-rise projects.
To truly address this objective, a comprehensive literature review was
conducted to identify the particular characteristics found exclusively in an
important and vital industry such as construction, the specific
characteristics of the construction environment in the Emirate of Dubai
(where the study is conducted) and the unique characteristics of high-rise
projects, which are the subject matter of this research.
As a result, a total of 35 characteristics were concluded through the
literature review; seven characteristics were identified for the construction
industry, 23 characteristics for the construction environment in Dubai and
five characteristics for the high-rise projects.
It can be concluded that the first objective has been fulfilled successfully.

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Objective two: To identify the major causes of delays in Dubai high-rise
projects that result from each character and the effects of these major delay causes.
In pursuance to the second objective, a thorough literature review was
conducted to identify the major causes of delay associated with the pre-
defined 35 characteristics that are related to construction industry, and
specifically the Emirate of Dubai and its high-rise projects and to assess
any effects on client, contractor, consultant/designer, the Emirate and end
user (buyer).
As a result, the literature review revealed a total of 60 major delay causes
in Dubai’s high-rise projects; 24 delay causes were related to the
characteristics of construction industry, 29 delays causes were associated
to the characteristics of Dubai construction environment and seven delay
causes were related to the characteristics of high-rise projects. These were
then redistributed into five groups (client, consultant/designer, contractor,
regulations and unforeseen conditions) in order to formulate the order of
the survey questionnaire.
Data collected through survey questionnaire from clients, designers,
consultants and contractors were analyzed and the results revealed that:
• In relation to Dubai’s developers, design changes was the most
important delay cause followed by issuing multiple changes orders,
imposing unreasonable project duration and slowness in making
decisions.
• In relation to consultants/designers, the poor supervision was the
most important delay cause followed by late catching up the
deficiencies in drawings and specifications and late approval of
ongoing site documents.
• Lack of main contractor’s control over the subcontractors was the
most important delay cause related to the contractors followed by
inadequate early planning and scheduling, late purchasing the long
lead items, inability to meet the planned cycle of concrete elements,
reduction in labour productivity, failure to meet the curtain wall
planned cycle and hiring unqualified professionals.
• Finally, Dubai’s lengthy process share a bit of responsibility for the
delay in connecting the permanent power into the completed
buildings. Moreover, the improper planning of the project designer
and contractor share a big portion of that responsibility.
Also, the literature review clearly revealed that in total 14 effects of major
delay causes could be identified; three delay effects attributed to each of
clients, buyers, the Emirate of Dubai and contractors and in addition to two
delay effects attributable to consultants/designers were also identified.
Data collected through survey questionnaire were analyzed and the results
showed that:
• In relation to developers, the budget overrun was the most
significant effect of delays.

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• In relation to end users, the loss on rental/sale property price was
the most significant effect of delays on end users, followed by
increasing their distrust and uncertainty in the investment in Dubai’
high-rises and experiencing difficulty in paying back the bank loan.
• The most significant effect on contractor was losing the profit
margin, followed by the loss of reputation in Dubai construction
market.
• Finally, the inflation in property prices was the most significant
effect of delays on the Emirate of Dubai
The concluded delay causes and noted effects prove that the second
objective of this research has been accomplished successfully.
Objective three: To identify the methods of minimizing delays in Dubai high-
rise projects.
In relation to the third objective, a total of nine main minimizing methods
and 12 sub-main methods were identified, all based on the comprehensive
literature review that has been described in Chapter 2.
Data collected through survey questionnaire were analyzed and the results
revealed that:
• Retain the talented employees hired within the company for a long
period, is the most significant method to minimize delays, followed
by using effective planning and scheduling practices, make the best
use of the technologies of BIM, Jump lift and Modular
Prefabrication.
In relation to the best practices that will improve the planning and
scheduling function, the collected data through survey questionnaire
revealed that:
• Developing a Window Analysis on monthly basis is the most
significant method for improving the planning and scheduling
function, followed by developing detailed scheduling specifications
within the contract documents, availing a professional body for
accreditation of planning engineers, using schedule of values for
cash flow estimating and monthly payments and providing training
for project managers, project team and planning engineers.
It is pretty clear that the third objective of this research has been
successfully achieved.

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In relation to the three hypotheses that are identified in the research, the
research has succeeded in addressing them as follow:
1- It was fully proven that the concrete elements and curtain wall
cycles, Client's unreasonably imposed tight project duration and
consultant’s poor supervision and site management are the most
significant causes of delays in Dubai High-rise projects. However,
the Off-the plan sales wasn’t proven.
2- It was fully proven that the BIM, effective planning and scheduling
practices are effective practices to reduce delays on high-rise
projects. However, the Top-Down construction methodology wasn’t
proven.
3- It was fully proven that developing detailed scheduling specifications
within the contract documents and establishment of a relevant and
effective professional body for accreditation of planning engineers,
are effective methods to improve scheduling practices. However,
the developing code of practice for scheduling wasn’t proven.
5.3 Research Recommendations
Based on the major findings of this research and the conclusions above,
together with the advice provided by participants in the questionnaire,
several recommendations can be given that could help to minimize or even
negate delays in the high-rise projects in Dubai. These recommendations,
which form a set of practical guidelines, are as follows:
Dubai Authorities’ Responsibilities
The performance of high-rise project in the Emirate of Dubai is
influenced by numerous systems made by Dubai Authorities. In this
regard, Dubai Municipality should:
• Establish a robust system for listing contractors and grouping them
according to technical capacity and financial capability such as
exists in many other jurisdictions. Although this may not always be
the list used by private sector, at least it would establish a greater
awareness of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ companies and have some effect on
who is placed on tender lists in the future.
Hong Kong (PASS), Singapore (CONQUAS) and Malaysia
(QLASSIC) successfully operate systems that add the consideration
of performance as well as price to the contractor selection and
tender award processes that could if a similar system were
developed in Dubai, greatly improve the matching of the most
capable contractor to particular projects, Kam and Hamid
(2012:p.8525).
• Dubai Land Department should establish an organized system for
tracking the project progress percentage, as this percentage is used
to release the payment to the client from the trust account.

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Dubai Developers’ Responsibilities
The failure and success of any high-rise project in the Emirate of
Dubai is influenced by numerous decisions made by the developers.
These decisions are taken at different stages of project
development, from tender, design and construction.
During Tender Stage:
• Dubai developers should adjust the pre-determined selection criteria
and bid evaluation process which in turn will help in selecting the
project designers, supervisory consultants and main contractors
based on their managerial capability, technical expertise, safety
record, relevancy of experience and financial stability rather than the
selection that is being done based on the lowest price. In this way
the developer will guarantee a robust supervision and site
management directed by the selected consultant and will guarantee
the full of control of the selected contractor over his own project
suppliers and subcontractors.
During Design Stage:
• Dubai developers and their design consultants should avail all
necessary information and stakeholders requirements, involving the
contractor’s experience and insight into the design stage of projects
to guarantee good constructability, coordinate the design among
specialists (peer review by third party), assure the consistency
between drawings and specifications and ensure an exchange of
information on time to the other specialists who participate in the
design process to avoid unnecessary assumptions. In this way the
design changes can be frozen and issuing of multiple change orders
during construction can be minimized.
• Dubai developers and their design consultants should spend the
time to estimate the most reasonable practicable time for project
delivery taking into consideration the required time for liaising with
local authorities, site ground conditions, complexity of the job, hot
and humid weather effects, testing and commissioning, work
inspections, supply problems, time lost due to religious festivals and
all other potential factors that may affect the project delivery time. In
this way the developer will estimate a fair time for completion and
thus the contractor will have a greater chance to be able to deliver
the project on time.
• Dubai developers should spend the time necessary to draft detailed
scheduling specifications within the contract documents. The
scheduling specification should be aligned with the project
complexity and designed on a project-by-project basis. The time and
effort spent on this task will guarantee the improvement of
scheduling practices and thus the project timely delivery. The need
for getting a “Monthly Window Analysis” (MWA) and “Schedule of

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Values” (SOV) prepared by contractors should be specified clearly
in the contract.
• Dubai developers should impose intermediate milestones in the
contract that are related to the delivery of different work packages
and assign liquidated damages to each of them, as historically the
imposition of liquidated damages for only missing of the completion
date proved to be ineffectual for attaining a timely delivery.
During Construction Stage:
• Dubai developers should expedite their key decisions and delegate
decision-making authority to experienced, authorized and qualified
professional to facilitate quicker decision-making.
• Dubai developers to conduct periodic risk management workshops
and maintain a dynamic updated risk register across the supply
chain to avoid any surprises during procurement and construction.
Dubai Consultants/Designers’ Responsibilities
The decisions are taken by consultants/designers at different stages
of project development; from design to construction affect the
success of any high-rise project in the Emirate of Dubai.
During Design Stage:
• Dubai designers should perform a peer review on the integration
and coordination of all project design packages (civil, architectural,
electromechanical, etc.) to catch up the discrepancies during the
design stage that have repercussions downstream during
construction. BIM technology can assist in the exercise of review
design integration and coordination.
• Dubai supervisory consultants should employ experienced and
competent professionals who have both of technical and
management capabilities in order to catch up and perform instant
correction for the deficiencies in the project drawings and
specifications, approve ongoing site documents on time and
supervise and manage the project contractors. This could happen
by establishing a robust human resource department, which is able
to recruit the right quantity and quality of professionals, keep them
motivated and committed and improve their professional
performance. Also the practice of only employing engineers with
professional affiliations with accredited discipline bodies and based
more on previous reputation and successful commissions should be
applied more often when selecting the project team.

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Dubai Contractors’ Responsibilities
The decisions are taken by contractor during the construction stage
affect the success of any high-rise project in the Emirate of Dubai as
follows:
• Contractors should hire experienced and competed professionals
who possess relevant technical expertise and also managerial and
supervision knowledge and skills in order to manage and control the
subcontractors. This can be attained as discussed earlier by
establishing a robust human resource department and giving
realistic recruitment timeframes to allow proper selection of
experienced people. The human resource department should avail
motivation schemes to keep the hired people motivated and
committed.
• Contractors should hire experienced planning engineers who have
the right qualifications, experience and skills to create and perform
the project schedules, cost control management, risk management
and claims analysis. To hire a truly qualified planning engineer,
he/she must have an engineering degree, to be PMP (Project
Management Professional) certified, have a solid experience as a
site engineer for a couple of years before starting the planning
career, possess in-depth knowledge of scheduling, construction law,
cost control, risk analysis and extension of time analysis techniques,
be able to anticipate problems and effective solutions, In-hands
skills in data analysis and presentation, possess computer skills in
scheduling software in addition to other software related to cost
control and risk disciplines.
• Contractors should ensure the availability of all long lead items
required for construction of their high-rise projects to ensure delivery
from different suppliers on time. This can be attained by producing
from the outset a time scale plan for getting approval on the material
submittal, issuing the purchase orders, performing tests at factory
and the lead time for material/equipment delivery to site.
After release of the purchase order, contractors should closely
monitor the production rate (and quality of output) in the suppliers’
factories in order to ensure timely delivery for the materials,
especially the critical ones in high-rise buildings such as curtain wall
panels.
• Contractors should prepare a practical plan to achieve the planned
concrete and curtain wall targeted floor cycles as the sub structure,
super structure and curtain wall are always to be found on the
critical path of high-rise projects’ schedules, which means any delay
in those work packages will certainly slip the project completion
date.
The planned cycles can be met by assigning the right number of
labourers, mobilizing an efficient slip-form or Jump-Lift system that
can rise up quickly, monitoring the production rate at factory and

81

ensure the availability of material on time, ensuring the availability of
approved shop drawings and method statement and mobilizing the
required equipment.
• Contractors should ensure from the outset, the allocation of ideal
number of labourers in the project. This can be attained by
estimating the required number of labourers based on labours
productivity taking into consideration the potential reduction in their
productivity due to the hot summer and humid environment in Dubai
and due to the religious events such as Ramadan where the normal
working-hours are reduced.
Joint Responsibilities
• DEWA (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority) has lengthy process
to connect the permanent power to the new high-rise building.
According to the feedback from the respondents through the survey
questionnaire, there is nothing to be done with DEWA lengthy
process rather than executing a proper planning from the designer
and contractor in order to submit at the earliest the required designs
and then shop drawings for DEWA approval in order to enable
DEWA delivering the transformers and power cables at site on time.
Also the contractor has to ensure that the low-voltage electrical
works inside the building are installed on time to enable DEWA
inspecting and connecting the permanent power to the building
before the project completion date.
• The government and major developers in Dubai should initiate a
movement for change. The use of new techniques and
technologies in the construction of high-rises against a background
of delays in these types of projects is a movement for change and
improvement. BIM technology, Top Down construction technique,
Jump Lift technology and modular prefabrication technology have a
significance impact on the timely delivery of high-rise projects, as
discussed in detail in chapter 2.
• Retaining the talent employees hired for long period in is a way to
guarantee the highest and stable performance of the project team.
This can be achieved by adopting the sustainable business
practices (SBP) as follows:
ü Practice one: giving the employee his basic rights of
competitive salaries, fair annual salary increment and work-
life balance environment.
ü Practice two: giving rewards to the employee in order to
motivate him for a better performance.
ü Practice three: promoting employee development through
specific technical training programs, which will enhance
employee’s skills.

82

• It is vital to sustain radical improvement in the scheduling and
project control practices through the commitment of major
developers and the Government to step forward towards availing a
professional body for accreditation of planning engineers, availing
training programs for project managers, project team members and
planning engineers.
5.4 Recommendations for Future Research
While this study has discovered a lot of new knowledge about the causes
of delays and negative effects in the Dubai construction industry and will
prove useful for the professionals engaged in the high-rise sector in Dubai,
there are still many areas of further study that can and should be explored.
The more important topics for future focus are:
1- From the survey results, it was noticeable that the technique of
“Top-Down Construction” that is widely used and proved a
success in shortening the project duration of the “Shard Tower” in
the UK and in the “Main Tower” in Germany, has got a low rank
amongst the other suggested minimizing methods. This is an
interesting result that needs more investigation to work out the
barriers and challenges of adopting this technique in constructing
high-rises projects in Dubai.
2- Another relevant topic that needs to be examined further is the real-
estate regulation of “release of buyers’ fund to the developer
only after handing over the purchased unit to the buyer”. It was
noticed through the questionnaire survey that a low rank was given
to this suggested regulation, despite the fact that this is the norm in
many countries elsewhere in the world such as United States of
America, Canada, Australia and other countries. In these countries,
the down payment should be paid to the client in a range of 10% to
20% of the unit price; however, the client will not obtain the balance
of 80% until the handing over the unit to the buyer. Surveying End-
Users (purchasers) would probably produce a different result.

83

5.5 Chapter Summary
The objectives of this research were successfully attained by identification
of the major delay causes in Dubai high-rise projects alongside with
identification of the effects of these delays and the methods that help in
minimizing and controlling their impacts. The three research hypotheses
were partially proven.
Conclusions were drawn from the discussion chapter and summarized to
act as foundation for a series of recommendations for improvement Dubai
high-rise sector performance. These were presented as a set of practical
guidelines and indications provided as to how they could be achieved. If
such recommendations can be actioned by construction practitioners;
clients, supervisory consultants, designers, contractors and governmental
authorities, then the performance of high-rise can be substantially
improved and can avail more successful project outcomes and greater
prosperity for all project stakeholders, end users and ultimately the Emirate
of Dubai.
WORD COUNTS: 19,943

84

Appendix A
The Cover Letter of Questionnaire

85

Date:
18
September
2015

Subject:
Survey
on
the
Delays
on
High-‐Rise
Construction
Projects
in

Dubai

Dear
Sir,

I
am
presently
carrying
out
a
research
titled
‘’Causes,
Effects
and
Methods
for

Minimizing
Delays
in
Dubai
High-‐Rise
Projects’’
as
part
of
my
Masters
of

Science
Degree
in
International
Construction
Management
at
the
University
of

Bath
–
United
Kingdom.

An
essential
part
of
my
research
is
to
carry
out
a
field
survey
to
assess
the

causes
of
delays,
its
effects
and
methods
of
minimizing
these
delays
on
high-‐
rise
construction
projects
in
the
Emirate
of
Dubai
as
actually
experienced
by

construction
practitioners.

Please
find
enclosed
a
questionnaire
and
based
on
your
experience
as
a

professional
in
the
construction
industry,
kindly
spend
part
of
your
valuable

time
to
complete
the
questionnaire.

Please
note
that
this
is
a
confidential
and
anonymous
survey.
Your
name,

your
company’s
name
and
all
information
provided
will
remain
confidential

and
used
only
for
carrying
out
this
survey.

The
collected
data
will
be
statistically
analyzed
and
a
conclusion
will
be

finalized.
The
final
results
of
this
study
will
be
available
upon
request
to
all

who
participated
in
the
study.

Your
reply
to
this
questionnaire
is
very
essential
to
my
study
and
your

cooperation
is
highly
appreciated.

Thank
you.

Sameh Kandil, BSc Civil Engineering, PMP®, MIEAust.
Senior Project Control Engineer
Milsons Point, NSW-Australia
P.O. Box: 2061
T: +61 415 638 548
E: samooh316@hotmail.com

86

Appendix B
The Survey Questionnaire Form

94

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