Practical solutions for improving the suboptimal performance of construction projects using Dubai construction projects as an example

Abstract

PurposePoor performance remains a challenge for the construction industry worldwide. One of the key performance indicators of the construction industry is the timely delivery of projects. Despite the recent methodological and technological advances in the field, project-overrun remains a significant challenge for the industry. This paper seeks to propose practical solutions that allow overcoming the challenges and promote the opportunities for improving the performance of the construction projects in Dubai.Design/methodology/approachThis study focussed on the construction projects in Dubai; therefore, this research adopted a sequential mixed approach in two stages. The first stage involved face-to-face interviews with seven carefully selected construction professionals. Their answers were analysed to provide with the literature study “the informed-basis for the development of the online questionnaire”. The second stage involved an online survey administrated to 425 carefully selected construction organisations working in Dubai. Accordingly, a meticulous analysis for the prime causes of project overruns has also been undertaken. This analysis assisted proposing the most suitable solutions-based technologies that enabled alleviating overruns in the construction projects.FindingsThe findings revealed that, there was a consensus agreement on the formidable opportunities for improving the performance of the construction industry in general and in particular in Dubai. These opportunities are intrinsically linked with the adoption of the latest technologies such as building information modelling, augmented reality, virtual reality and the artificial intelligence (AI). Whereas, adopting AI has already assisted two public authorities to release No Objection Certificates and work permits effectively within one day instead of 14 working days, which has saved 90% of the time and cost. Likewise, adoption of the AI has assisted delivering the construction project with a 9% of time saving and a 6% of cost saving due to embracing an automated system that enabled them to instantly detect and report the delays, once occurred.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this study is that the study was limited to the construction industry in the Emirate of Dubai. Therefore, future research could target the whole United Arab Emirates construction industry to propose the practical solution on the country level.Practical implicationsThe literature study is replete with solutions, which tend to be theoretical more than practical. Therefore, the proposed practical recommendations will significantly assist the construction industry to improve its suboptimal performance to rescind the sovereignty of the irrelevant involvements. The research recommended establishing independent entity to lead the change in the construction industry; this entity will have the power of enacting rules and legislations. Furthermore, this independent entity will have the power and authority of dictations and impose sanctions on the non-committed organisations that are reluctant to adopt the recommended technologies and approaches.Originality/valueBased on the findings of the study, this paper draws a road map for the construction industry by determining practical solutions for improvements starting with an establishment of an independent authority that selects and tests the most appropriate technologies and approaches to contribute to performance improvements.

Virtual reality: A review and a new framework for integrated adoption

“…The construction industry appeared to be one of the top industries referring to VR. The integration of VR in the construction field may aid in design visualization (i.e., providing the opportunity for designers to be immersed in their designs and make changes in real‐time), education and training, and remote collaboration (see Badamasi et al, 2022; Balali et al, 2020; Beh et al, 2022; Carreira et al, 2018; Davila Delgado et al, 2020; Dobrucali et al, 2022; Du et al, 2018; Fernandes et al, 2006; Getuli et al, 2021, 2022; Gu & London, 2010; Guray & Kismet, 2023; Han et al, 2006; Jacobsen et al, 2022; Ji et al, 2023; Omar & Mahdjoubi, 2022; Paes et al, 2021; Prabhakaran et al, 2022; Yan et al, 2022; Zhang et al, 2022).…”

The Influence of Knowledge on Managing Risk for the Success in Complex Construction Projects: The IPMA Approach

“…These ratios are similar in contexts from software development to construction industry [2]. Although the performance of construction projects has been traditionally low [3][4][5][6][7], their impact on the growth of the international economy over the past 40 years has been crucial in Africa [8], America [9], Asia [10], Europe [11] and Oceania [12]. This performance is affected by many factors [13,14], both relational (such as change requests or stakeholder needs and expectations) and technical (such as constraints and assumptions or threats and opportunities).…”

Construction Contracts Quality Assessment from the Point of View of Contractor and Customer

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