TECHNICAL PAPERS
May 4, 2009

Divergence or Congruence? A Path Model of Rework for Building and Civil Engineering Projects

Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 23, Issue 6

Abstract

Rework has been identified as a major contributor to cost and schedule overrun in construction projects. Previous studies that have examined rework are based on a limited data sets and thus eschew generalizations being made about the key determinants. Using data from 260 completed building (n=147) and civil engineering (n=113) projects, path analysis is used to develop a structural model of the most significant causes of rework. The model revealed that the paths of client-directed changes, site management and subcontractors, and project communication were statistically significant contributors to rework costs. The analysis confirmed that the lack of attention to quality management resulted in higher rework costs being incurred in the projects sampled. The analysis also revealed that there were no significant differences between building and civil engineering projects in terms of the direct and indirect cost of rework experienced, and the effectiveness of the project management practices implemented. Considering the findings, it is suggested that generic strategies for reducing the incidence rework in construction and civil engineering projects can be developed.

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Acknowledgments

The writers would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Australian Research Council (Grant No. UNSPECIFIEDDP-0453258).

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Information & Authors

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Published In

Go to Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 23Issue 6December 2009
Pages: 480 - 488

History

Received: Nov 14, 2008
Accepted: Apr 30, 2009
Published online: May 4, 2009
Published in print: Dec 2009

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Authors

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Peter E. D. Love [email protected]
Professor, School of Built Environment, Curtin Univ. of Technology, GPO Box 1987, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia (corresponding author). E-mail: [email protected]
David J. Edwards
Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough Univ., Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, U.K.
Jim Smith
Professor, MIRVAC School of Sustainable Development Business, Technology and Sustainable Development, Bond Univ., Gold Coast, Queensland 4229, Australia.
Derek H. T. Walker
Professor, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, Royal Melbourne Institute Technology Univ., P.O. Box 2476V, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia.

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