soetano_on the duration and cost variability of construction activities.pdf (4.95 MB)
On the duration and cost variability of construction activities: an empirical study
journal contribution
posted on 2019-11-22, 09:26 authored by Pablo Ballesteros-Perez, Enoc Sanz-Ablanedo, Robby SoetantoRobby Soetanto, M. Carmen Gonzalez-Cruz, Graeme D. Larsen, A. Cerezo-NarvaezThe unique nature of construction projects can mean that construction activities often suffer from duration and cost variability. As this variability is unplanned it can present a problem when attempting to complete a project on time and on budget. Various factors causing this variability have been identified in the literature, but they predominantly refer to the nature and/or context of the whole project, rather than their specific activities. In this paper, the order of magnitude of and correlation between activity duration and cost variability is analyzed in 101 construction projects with over 5000 activities. To do this, the first four moments (mean, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis) of actual versus planned duration and cost (log) ratios are analyzed by project, phase of execution and activity type. Results suggest that, contrary to common wisdom, construction activities do not end late on average. Instead, the large variability in the activity duration is the major factor causing significant project delays and cost overruns. The values of average activity duration and cost variability gathered in this study will also serve as a reference for construction managers to improve future construction planning and project simulation studies with more realistic data.
History
School
- Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering
Published in
Journal of Construction Engineering and ManagementVolume
146Issue
1Citation
BALLESTEROS-PEREZ, P. .... et al., 2019. On the duration and cost variability of construction activities: an empirical study. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001739Publisher
American Society of Civil EngineersVersion
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Publisher statement
This paper was accepted for publication in the journal Journal of Construction Engineering and Management and the definitive published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001739Acceptance date
2019-05-17Publication date
2019-11-09Copyright date
2020ISSN
1943-7862Publisher version
Language
- en