Project Performance in the Global Construction Industry during the Covid-19 Era

Abstract

The Covid-19 global pandemic has had profound impact on the way all industries operate now, and the construction industry is no exception. Given the importance of this industry in providing critical infrastructure needed to enhance the quality of life of all global citizens, this paper presented the results of a systematic review of empirical studies that have investigated construction project performance over the Covid-19 era spanning from 2020 to 2023. The Systematic Quantitative Assessment Technique was used to identify and assess 54 empirical articles from six of the most renowned academic publishers in order to answer three important research questions: 1) What was the geographical spread of construction project performance articles from 2020-2023? 2) Which data collection methods were utilized by these articles? 3) What themes were investigated by these articles? The review revealed that Asia had the most representation while South America had no representation at all, thus representing a geographical gap which future studies should address. The review also revealed that most studies relied on surveys to collect project performance data with relatively fewer studies using qualitative methods or adopting a mixed methods approach, with this representing a methodological gap to be addressed by future studies. Finally, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the performance of construction firms was the most investigated theme, while the strategies firms can use to ‘future proof’ themselves against future pandemics or other unexpected disasters was the least investigated theme.