An Empirical Analysis of the Causes of Cost and Schedule Growth for Small Healthcare and Educational Construction Projects

Abstract

ABSTRACT Small building construction projects are common in the public institutional sector, resulting in cumulative portfolios that are quite sizable for institutions to oversee. Despite their collective volume, relatively little research has focused on the performance of such projects. This study investigated a sample of 881 small building construction projects from 19 public institutions to empirically quantify their performance across different project size categories. Results showed cost growth to be inversely proportional to project size, whereas schedule growth was directly proportional. Further, the root causes of cost and schedule growth were examined to shed light on the specific challenges that most affect small building projects. Owner-caused scope changes and other internal issues within the owner organization were the primary causes of cost and schedule growth, whereas contractor-caused deviations and unforeseen weather conditions were the least problematic causes. Causes of cost and schedule growth tended to behave similarly across project size categories, such that owner-caused deviations were the most prevalent for all project sizes (and, similarly, unforeseen weather conditions were the least). These results can help project teams focus on the causes that result in the greatest cost and schedule growth and thereby take proactive measures to minimize negative impacts to project performance.