Impacts of COVID-19 on construction project management: a life cycle perspective

Abstract

PurposeThe impacts of COVID-19 on construction projects have attracted much attention in the construction management research community. Nevertheless, a systematic review of these studies is still lacking. The purpose of this paper is to systematically analyze the impacts of COVID-19 on the different stages of a project life-cycle, and comprehensively sort out the epidemic response measures adopted by project participants. In addition, the study also attempts to explore the challenges and opportunities faced by project management practitioners under the context of COVID-19.Design/methodology/approachThis study comprehensively demonstrates the systematic review process of COVID-19 related research in the construction industry, systematically summarizes the research status of the impact of COVID-19 on construction projects, and defines the strategies to deal with COVID-19 in project management; and through the visualization research, determines the current key research topics and future research trends.FindingsThis study identifies 11 construction activities in the project management life cycle that are affected by COVID-19 and finds that the COVID-19 epidemic has the greatest impact on construction workers, construction standards, construction contracts and construction performance. The study further summarizes the six main epidemic countermeasures and mitigation measures taken within the construction industry following the arrival of the epidemic. In addition, the results of this study identify opportunities and future trends in intelligent construction technology, rapid manufacturing engineering and project management in the construction industry in the post-epidemic era through literature results, which also provide ideas for related research.Practical implicationsCOVID-19 has brought severe challenges to society. It is of great significance for the future sustainable development of the construction industry to identify the impact of COVID-19 on all phases of the project and to promote the development of coping strategies by project stakeholders.Originality/valueFirst of all, there is little study comprehensively reviewing the impacts of COVID-19 on the different stages of construction projects and the strategies to deal with the negative impacts. In addition, from a life cycle perspective, the used articles in this study were grouped into different categories based on project stages. This promotes an integrated and comprehensive understanding of historical studies. Moreover, on the basis of a comprehensive review, this paper puts forward future research directions to promote the sustainable development of the construction sector.

Influence of psychosocial safety climate on construction workers’ intent to stay, taking job satisfaction as the intermediary

“…As an effective organizational resource, PSC can provide a support mechanism for employees in the workplace (Law et al, 2011). Especially during the COVID-19 epidemic, the high risk of infection and transmission and significant delays in project schedules exacerbated workers' feelings of tension and loss of control, which is harmful to their mental health and safety (Li et al, 2022). If senior managers give priority to workers' welfare through effective policies and procedures (i.e.…”

Diagnosing and quantifying post-COVID-19 fluctuations in the architecture billings indices

“…The COVID-19 pandemic brought severe challenges to the construction project management life cycle from planning to the operating and maintaining stage (Li et al, 2022). The lockdown restrictions and social distancing guidelines during the pandemic caused difficulties in team management, communication, and collaboration, leading to delays in infrastructure projects in the United Kingdom (Jallow et al, 2020).…”

“…Despite the extensive literature on the pandemic impacts on the construction industry, most findings were concluded through qualitative methods such as literature review and interviews (King et al, 2021;Li et al, 2022;Sierra, 2021;Yang et al, 2022). Furthermore, there is a lack of research on the detailed quantitative analysis of the COVID-19 impacts on the building construction demands using the historical datasets.…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic brought severe challenges to the construction project management life cycle from planning to the operating and maintaining stage (Li et al. , 2022).…”

“…Despite the extensive literature on the pandemic impacts on the construction industry, most findings were concluded through qualitative methods such as literature review and interviews (King et al. , 2021; Li et al. , 2022; Sierra, 2021; Yang et al.…”