Running head: ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
Significant Factors of
Delay in Construction Projects in
Afghanistan
Submitted by
Ahmad Khalid Afridi
Thesis
Presented to the Faculty of Economics
Yamaguchi University
Yamaguchi, Japan
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master in Economics
June 29, 2016
Supervisor: Professor Tetsuji Umada
Student id: 14 - 8201 - 504 - 1
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Abstract
This thesis investigates the factors, which cause delay in construction projects in Afghanistan.
Delay is one of the major challenges during the implementation of the construction projects, and
it is the late completion of the activities or works of a project compared to the planned. A large
number of construction projects in Afghanistan are facing delay during the implementation.
Project delay negatively affects the prestige and dignity of the government organizations and in
general, failures and weaknesses of the projects created distance between the people and the
government and shows incapacity of the Government in the implementation of the projects all
around the country in Afghanistan. Several similar studies from developing countries have been
reviewed and a survey has been conducted for data collection from the different public
organizations of Afghanistan. The analysis of the collected data points out the significant causes
of delay in construction project in Afghanistan as; ineffective planning and scheduling of a
project by contractor, delay in progress payments by client, poor site management and
supervision of contractors by consultant and client, financial difficulties by contractor,
insufficient controlling and monitoring by consultant and client, non availability of experienced
technical staff of contractor, late in reviewing and approving design documents by client, lack of
communication and coordination between the parties, delay in delivery of materials to site,
inadequate contractor experience, political influences and warlords intervention. Finally, this
thesis provides applicable recommendations to minimize or eliminate the causes of delay in
construction projects in Afghanistan.
Keywords: significant factors, delay, construction projects, Afghanistan
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Acknowledgements
First of all, I would like to thank almighty Allah for giving me enough strength and patient
throughout the completion of my studies here in Japan.
Besides, I would like to thank the government of Afghanistan and Japanese government for
providing me such a marvelous opportunity to purse my master degree.
Moreover, I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to my supervisor
professor Tetsuji Umada for his patience, motivation, immense knowledge, instructions,
productive supports, and suggestions provided during the formulation and development of my
thesis. You have been a tremendous mentor for me, your advices have been priceless, and you
have dedicated a lot of your precious time giving me feedback on my academic works.
Besides my advisor, I would like to thank the rest of my thesis committee: Prof. Tomimoto, and
Prof. Nabeyama, for their insightful comments and recommendations.
Furthermore, I thank my fellow lab-mates Abdullah Ahmadi, Mohammad Amin Azimi, Ahmad
Zia Zia, Lutfullah Aqil and Azimullah Hakimee for their supports, and for all the fun we have
had in the last three years. Also I would like to thank each and every single person who have
extended their valuable time and contributed to this thesis.
Finally, I would like to extend My heartfelt gratitude to my family especially my Father, my
mother, my wife and my sons for their support, devotions, and patience throughout the
completion of my studies.
Best Regards
Ahmad Khalid Afridi
Yamaguchi University
Yamaguchi, Japan
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1
Background ................................................................................................................................................................................ 1
1.1 Problem Statement .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
1.1.1 Time overrun.........................................................................................................................................................................3
1.1.2 Cost overrun ..........................................................................................................................................................................3
1.1.3 Dispute .....................................................................................................................................................................................4
1.1.4 Arbitration .............................................................................................................................................................................4
1.1.5 Litigation ................................................................................................................................................................................4
1.1.6 Total abandonment ...........................................................................................................................................................4
1.2 Purpose of this research................................................................................................................................................ 5
1.3 Research Question ........................................................................................................................................................... 6
1.4 Research Scope ................................................................................................................................................................. 6
1.5 Thesis Organization ........................................................................................................................................................ 7
Chapter 2: Portfolio, Program, and Project Management ....................................................... 8
2.1 Portfolio Management.................................................................................................................................................... 8
2.2 Program management.................................................................................................................................................... 8
2.3 Project Management ....................................................................................................................................................... 9
2.3.1 Definition of project. ..........................................................................................................................................................9
2.3.2 Project life cycle. ..................................................................................................................................................................9
2.3.3 Initiation phase. ................................................................................................................................................................ 10
2.3.4 Planning phase. ................................................................................................................................................................. 10
2.3.5 Implementation phase. .................................................................................................................................................. 10
2.3.6 Monitoring and controlling phase. .......................................................................................................................... 11
2.3.7 Closing phase. .................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Chapter 3: Project management Challenges in Afghanistan .................................................. 12
3.1 Logistic, Security and Capacity ................................................................................................................................. 12
3.1.1 Logistics and security. .................................................................................................................................................... 12
3.1.2 Capacity. ............................................................................................................................................................................... 13
3.2 The Key Challenges of Development Projects in Afghanistan ..................................................................... 13
3.3 Internal and External Factors ................................................................................................................................... 14
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3.3.1 Internal factors. ................................................................................................................................................................ 14
3.3.2 External factors. ............................................................................................................................................................... 15
Chapter 4: Related Studies................................................................................................... 21
4.1 Causes and Effects of Delay in Iranian Construction Projects ..................................................................... 21
4.2 Identification, Evaluation and Classification of Time Delay Risks of Construction Projects in Iran
....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22
4.3 Significant Factors Causing Time Overrun in Construction Projects of Peninsular Malaysia ........ 23
4.4 Delays in building construction projects in Ghana .......................................................................................... 23
4.5 Study on the Quantification of Delay Factors in the Construction Industry .......................................... 24
4.6 Causes and Effect of Delay on Project Construction Delivery Time .......................................................... 25
4.7 Causes and Effects of Delays and Disruptions in Construction Projects in Tanzania ........................ 26
4.8 Causes, Effects and Methods of Minimizing Delays in Construction Projects ....................................... 26
4.9 Identification of Causes of non-excusable Delays of Construction Projects .......................................... 27
4.10 The Significant Factors Causing Delay of Building Construction Projects in Malaysia .................. 28
4.11 Causes of Project Delay in the Construction Industry in Afghanistan ................................................... 29
4.12 Causes and Effects of Delays in Large Construction Projects of Pakistan ............................................ 29
Chapter 5: Data Collection and Analysis ............................................................................... 31
5.1 Data Collection ................................................................................................................................................................ 31
5.2 Data Analysis.................................................................................................................................................................... 32
5.3 Result and Discussion................................................................................................................................................... 36
5.3.1 Ineffective planning and scheduling of project by contractor. ................................................................... 36
5.3.2 Delay in progress payments by client. .................................................................................................................... 37
5.3.3 Poor site management and supervision of contractors by consultant and client. ............................ 38
5.3.4 Financial difficulties by contractor. ........................................................................................................................ 38
5.3.5 Insufficient controlling and monitoring by consultant and client. ........................................................... 39
5.3.6 Non availability of experienced technical staff of contractor. .................................................................... 39
5.3.7 Slow in reviewing and approving design documents by client. .................................................................. 39
5.3.8 Lack of communication and coordination between the parties ................................................................ 39
5.3.9 Delay in delivery of materials to site....................................................................................................................... 40
5.3.10 Inadequate contractor experience. ....................................................................................................................... 40
5.3.11 Political influences and warlord intervention. ................................................................................................ 40
5.4 Comparative analysis ................................................................................................................................................... 41
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Chapter 6: Conclusion and Recommendations ..................................................................... 45
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................................ 45
6.1 Summary of Findings .................................................................................................................................................... 46
6.2 Recommendations ......................................................................................................................................................... 47
6.3 Recommendations for Top 11 Causes of Delay in Construction Projects in Afghanistan ................ 47
6.3.1 Ineffective planning and scheduling of a project by contractor. ............................................................... 47
6.3.2 Delay in progress payments by client. .................................................................................................................... 51
6.3.3 Poor site management and supervision of contractors by consultant and client. ............................ 52
6.3.4 Financial difficulties by contractor. ........................................................................................................................ 52
6.3.5 Insufficient controlling and monitoring by consultant and client. ........................................................... 53
6.3.6 Non availability of experienced technical staff of contractor. .................................................................... 54
6.3.7 Late in reviewing and approving design documents by client. .................................................................. 54
6.3.8 Lack of communication and coordination between the parties. ............................................................... 55
6.3.9 Delay in delivery of materials to site by contractor. ........................................................................................ 56
6.3.10 Inadequate contractor experience. ....................................................................................................................... 56
6.3.11 Political influences and warlords’ intervention. ............................................................................................. 57
References .......................................................................................................................... 59
Appendices ......................................................................................................................... 64
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Abbreviations
ADB
Asian Development Bank
AIF
Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund
ANA
Afghan National Army
ANSU
Afghan National Security University
ARTF
Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund
DABS
Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat
GoIRA
Government of the Islamic republic of Afghanistan
KMTC
Kabul Military Training Center
KV
Kilovolt
MEW
Ministry of Energy and Water
MOEc
Ministry of Economy
MOF
Ministry of Finance
MOPW
Ministry of Public Works
MOUDA
Ministry of Urban Development Affairs
MRRD
Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development
NEPS
North East Power Systems
NGO
Non Governmental Organization
PMBOK
Project Management Body of Knowledge
PMF
Project Management Firm
PMI
Project Management Institute
RII
Relative Important Index
vii
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SEPS
South East Power System
SIGAR
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction
Ss
Substations
TL
Transmission Line
UNDP
United Nations Development Program
USAID
United States Agency for International Development
WBS
Work Breakdown Structure
viii
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Chapter 1
Introduction
Background
Afghanistan is a country, which has been a battlefield for almost 4 decades. During the war the
entire infrastructure in the country was destroyed and the people deprived of the basic needs of
life such as, water sanitation, education, shelter, electricity, and health, etcetera.
In 2001 after the collapse of the Taliban administration, Afghanistan has been approached to the
attention of the world community with two objectives; first, the world community including the
United States of America and its allies made a commitment to abolish the insurgencies from the
country, and the second intention was to help Afghanistan to improve and develop its
infrastructure in different sectors.
Donor countries helped Afghanistan to construct development projects all over the country to
improve the living quality of the people, but due to some obvious and hidden challenges during
the last 15 years, most of the projects have failed to be completed on schedule. Failure of the
projects negatively affects the donors’ contribution to construction projects of Afghanistan. In
2011 Afghanistan was ranked as 172 out of 187 countries on the UNDP's Human Development
Index, and is one of the world's poorest countries in the world.
Since the establishment of the new government in Afghanistan in 2001, most of the ministries
are facing challenges during the implementation of development projects in all over the country,
therefore they are unable to spend more than 50 % of its development budget annually. It
explains that implementation of the development projects are facing challenges that is why the
budget expenditure is below 50 percent. There are two types of budget in the government of
Afghanistan, Development Budget and Operational Budget.
Development Budget: is the second largest portion of the government budget, which is being
used for the implementation of the development projects all over the country in Afghanistan.
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Operational Budget: is the largest portion of the government budget that is used for the
government expenditure and salaries of the officials (etc.) in the country.
according to the Fiscal budget expenditure sheet of the Ministry of Finance in Afghanistan, in
last 15 years most of the public organizations of the government could not spend more the 50%
of their development budget due to several reasons and factors, and mainly due to the problems
in the construction phase of the projects’ implementation.
Afghanistan is a country, which has been dependent on donors’ aids since the collapse of the
Taliban regime in 2001. Meanwhile USD 100 Billion has been spent for development purposes
by the donor countries. According to the reports from the Ministry of Finance of Afghanistan
almost 22 % of the assisted capital was spent through government channels and the rest (78%)
was spent through the donor countries. The money was not spent efficiently, most of the projects
were not well implemented or failed, and that is why it could not make significant changes to the
people’s life in the country. There are several challenges that are commonly faced during
projects implementation in Afghanistan. Some of the most obvious challenges are insecurity,
corruption, poor qualification of the contractor’s technical staff, payment delays by clients, and
poor site management and supervision by client and contractor, as well as some hidden
challenges.
Due to the lack of capacity and necessary equipment and machinery the government
organizations are unable to implement the projects by themselves. In principle, implementations
of the development projects are the responsibility of the designated government authority. Hiring
contractors is the easiest way to implement the projects, rather than training the officials for and
preparing the facilities to implement the projects by themselves.
Unfortunately, due to many reasons, in Afghanistan a large number of construction projects fail
to meet their original contract deadlines.
This thesis investigates to find the significant causes of delay in construction projects of
Afghanistan and explores and provides recommendations to decrease the impact of delays on
construction projects in Afghanistan.
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1.1 Problem Statement
A huge number of Public Construction projects in Afghanistan are not implemented on time due
to several factors. Majid (2006) demonstrates that a construction project is commonly
acknowledged successful when it is completed on time, within budget and accordance to the
specifications and satisfaction of the project stakeholders (Client, Consultant, and Contractor). In
Afghanistan a large number of construction projects are unsuccessful, because the projects are
not completed on time, so the construction projects fail to meet its contract deadline and it
negatively impacts the development process of the country. On the other hand, Aibinu and
Jagboro (2002) conducted a study to find out the effects of construction delays on project
delivery in the Nigerian construction industry. The outcome of the study pointed out the effect of
delay as:
a) Time overrun
b) Cost overrun
c) Dispute
d) Arbitration
e) Litigation
f) Total abandonment
1.1.1 Time overrun
Time overrun means that the contractor could not complete the project on the planned schedule.
There are two kinds of delay, excusable and non-excusable. Excusable delay occurs due to the
excusable factors that could happen during the project implementation and there would be no
objections from the other project stakeholders to the contractors. In case of non-excusable delay,
there are factors which caused the delay to occur, and mainly those delays could be avoided if
necessary steps could be taken by project stakeholders.
1.1.2 Cost overrun
Cost overrun is a term used when the contractor could not complete the project within the
designated budget and requires more funds for the implementation of the project. There could be
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several factors causing the projects cost to overrun such as underestimation of the project cost, or
increase in the price of materials in the market, etcetera.
1.1.3 Dispute
Project delay causes the project stakeholders such as contractor, consultant, and client to argue
on the factors of delay whether the delay factors are excusable or non excusable,
1.1.4 Arbitration
During the project implementation if delay occurred, the project stakeholders appeal for an
arbitration to make a judgment so that all parties agree on the decision made by the arbitrator.
1.1.5 Litigation
If the project stakeholders such as client, consultant, and contractor do not agree on the
arbitrator’s decision then legal actions are taken and the court would decide who is the faulty
party, and the defective party will pay the penalty of the project delay.
1.1.6 Total abandonment
One of the effects of delay could be total abandonment of a project, so the overall activities of
project will immediately stop, and it will negatively affect all project parties. There could be
different factors causing the total abandonment of a project such as, client or contractors
bankruptcy and so on.
The effect of project delay negatively impacts all the project stakeholders therefore necessary
action and process should be undertaken to minimize the effect of project delay. Furthermore;
Owolabi James, Amusan Lekan, Oloke, Olusanya, and Tunji-Olayeni (n.d.) pointed out the
effects of delay as:
1.
Increase in final cost of a project
2.
Tying down the client capital due to non completion of the project
3.
Wastage and under utilization of manpower and resources
4.
Abandonment of building project
5.
Reduced profit
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6.
Dispute between involved parties
7.
Litigation
8.
Arbitration
5
However, one of the main causes of delay in construction projects in Afghanistan could be;
insecurity inside the country, or environmental condition such as flooding, weather condition and
son on, but controlling and minimizing the insurgencies in the country or weather condition is
beyond control. Also, as for establishing peace in the country, the security forces are striving to
do so and it may take an indeterminate time, so this thesis mainly considers those factors that
could be controlled or minimized by undertaking applicable solutions.
The failure of the projects in Afghanistan negatively affects the prestige and dignity of the public
sector in the country. Some of the project failures destroyed the hope of the people. And most
importantly as Afghanistan is striving to recover from the war and since the Afghanistan
government financially depends on donor aid, the factors of delay mainly affect the contribution
of the donor agencies in the country. On the other hand, construction project delay negatively
affects the overall economy of the country. The simultaneous incidences of delay in development
projects funded by donors in Afghanistan minimized their contribution to development projects.
In general, failures and weaknesses of the projects generated a huge gap between the people
and the public sector, and shows disability and incapacity of the public sector in the
implementation of the projects all around the country of Afghanistan.
Projects delay causes the country to remain undeveloped for a longer time. For instance, if
development projects such as construction of schools, educational institutes, water sanitation,
hospitals, etcetera are not completed on schedule, then the people would remain uneducated,
there would be no clean water for drinking, and there would be health challenges for the time
delay occurred in development projects. So project delay could negatively affect people’s life
and overall project delay could affect the economy of the country.
1.2 Purpose of this research
For achieving the purpose of this research the following objectives need to be developed:
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1. To find the cause of delay in construction Projects in Afghanistan.
2. To distinguish the significant factors that causes delay in construction projects in
Afghanistan (Top ten Factors).
3. To find out how developing and developed nations handled these challenges through
literatures review.
4. To propose applicable solution to avoid delay in construction projects in Afghanistan
1.3 Research Question
The objectives of this research could be achieved only if appropriate answers are provided for
the following research questions:
1. What are the significant factors that are causing delay in construction projects in
Afghanistan?
2. What are the applicable solutions to minimize or abolish the causes of delay in
construction projects in Afghanistan?
1.4 Research Scope
The scope of the research generally concentrates on literature review and a questionnaire survey.
This research aimed to study delay factors in construction projects of Afghanistan, and the main
target is public organizations for data collection purposes. Ministries that are targeted for data
collection are the: Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), Ministry of
Energy and Water (MEW), Ministry of Public Works (MoPW), Ministry of Urban Development
Affairs (MoUDA), and Ministry of Economy (MoEC).
For data collection purpose, 50 questionnaires were distributed to the 5 related government
organizations in Afghanistan, and 30 Reponses received. However, initially the aim of this
research was to collect data from the 3 main stakeholders of the projects (Client, Consultant &
Contractor), but due to unavailability of time and occurrence of numerous challenges the
researcher could not collect data from consultants and contractors, (to learn the view points of
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the consultant and the contractor) and basically this thesis focuses on the collected data from the
public organizations side as the client of the construction projects. Though data collection from
the public and private organizations is very difficult nowadays as in some cases the government
officials are afraid that they may face problem if they fill out a questionnaire, exposing
weaknesses of a public organization, or disclose an unsavory fact to the people, so most of the
time they refuse to fill out a questionnaire. And the case of the private organizations, it is really
problematic as they never waste their time by answering a questionnaire. I hope in the future
they change their attitudes for cooperating with scholars and researchers. The boundaries of this
study could not be expanded for this thesis due to the time constraint and various challenges.
1.5 Thesis Organization
The second chapter discusses the terms portfolio management, program management, project
management, and project itself. Furthermore, it discusses on project lifecycle, which comprises
different phases of projects including initiation, planning, implementation, monitoring and
controlling, and closing phase.
Third chapter describes the project management challenges in Afghanistan including: Security,
Capacity, Logistics, internal factors, and external factors and as well providing examples of a
number of projects that experienced delay during implementation.
Fourth chapter deliberates on similar studies in developing countries such as Iran, Pakistan,
India, Malaysia, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Ghana and describes significant factors, which cause
project delay in related countries.
Fifth chapter explains the data collection method and data analysis process in this thesis. The
methodology of the research including data collection method and analysis has been discussed in
this chapter and data is analyzed and ultimately the top 10 factors of delay in construction
projects of Afghanistan identified based on data collection and analysis.
Sixth Chapter consists of a conclusion and recommendations to allay the significant factors of
delay in construction projects of Afghanistan as the main objective of this thesis.
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Chapter 2
Portfolio, Program, and Project Management
The term portfolio, program, and project management provides a broad view to the overall
activities and objectives of an organization, its strategies, programs and projects. These terms are
similar to a pyramid hierarchy (PMI, 2013). At the top portfolio management as division
concerns of strategic objective of an organization consist of programs and projects, then at
middle program management concerns of many coordinated projects and at the bottom projects
concerns of different activities to achieve the objectives of an organization. Additionally, for
better understanding portfolio, program, and project management, below definitions are listed.
2.1 Portfolio Management
Portfolio management refers to the collection or set of programs, projects, sub portfolios, and
operations for achieving the strategic objectives of an organization (PMI, 2013). Moreover,
portfolio management is the process of many activities, and one of the main purposes of portfolio
management is to align with organizational strategies by indicating the right programs or
projects, prioritizing the work, and delivering the required resources. In general, portfolio covers
a large area for management including many programs and projects.
2.2 Program management
Program management is the process of applying knowledge, techniques, tools, and resources to
manage a number of related and coordinated projects. Therefore, program management concerns
of more than one project and is much more complex than a single project. In general, program
management is the process of managing multiple projects to achieve the purpose of the
organization. According to Project Management Institute (2013) a program is defined as a group
of related projects, subprograms, and program activities managed in a coordinated way to obtain
benefits not available from managing them individually.
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2.3 Project Management
Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to achieve the
project objectives (PMI, 2013). Moreover, project management is a method for managing a
project from the beginning up to the end. Also, PMI describes project management as the process
for overseeing the multiple project phases’ activities, including; initiation, planning,
implementation and closure, parallel with monitoring and controlling phase.
2.3.1 Definition of project.
Project is a set of processes and activities, which have been undertaken by an individual or an
organization to create an outcome in a certain period of time within the defined scope, budgeted
cost, and satisfactory quality. A project is successful when it is completed on time, within the
budgeted cost with a quality outcome to satisfy and meet the need of the stakeholders. Project
Management Institute (2013) defines a project as temporary endeavor undertaken to produce a
product or a service.
2.3.2 Project life cycle.
Project life cycle is a chain of activities that a project passes through from the beginning until the
end of a project. Different phases of project life cycle are to simplify the activities and for
effective controlling and implementing the project. According to Project Management Institute
(2013) a project generally has 5 phases as a life cycle, which are:
1. Initiation
2. Planning
3. Implementation/execution
4. Monitoring and controlling
5. Closing
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2.3.3 Initiation phase.
The Project Management Institute (2013) defines Initiation phase as the starting or foundation
stage of a project. During the initiation phase, the project objectives and goals are being set,
scope of the work are identified, the cost and quality would be set, the stakeholders of the project
would be identified, financial resources are committed, project team would be assigned including
a project manager, the project management team will write and prepare the charter of the project
and would be approved and accepted by the project stakeholders. Additionally, the scope of the
project, schedule or duration of the project, budget, quality of the project, resources and risk of
the project would be modified.
2.3.4 Planning phase.
The next phase after initiation is the planning phase of a project. Project planning is a manual for
achieving the objectives of the project, and it generally provide a chart which project team can
refer during execution. The project plan states the intentions and necessities of a project in terms
of:
1. Project scope
2. Project schedule
3. Resource requirement
4. Project cost estimation
5. Project quality
6. Project risk
Furthermore, work breakdown structure (WBS), tasks list, Gantt charts, Milestone, resource
assignment and risk register would be prepared in this phase of a project (PMI, 2013).
2.3.5 Implementation phase.
After creating project plan the next step of a project is to coordinate the resources to execute the
task and generate the outcome. Implementation or execution phase of a project is the core part of
a project that mainly provides the deliverables. Project execution consists of those processes to
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complete the work, which is defined in planning phase of the project to satisfy the project
specifications (PMI, 2013).
2.3.6 Monitoring and controlling phase.
During the project implementation, lots of things could happen unexpectedly, therefore, the
monitoring and controlling phase, as tool to look for any sort of mismanagement is required to
correct any mistakes during the implementation of a project (PMI, 2013).
2.3.7 Closing phase.
Closing phase is the last stage of a project (PMI, 2013). In this phase of a project the deliverables
are prepared based on the specifications and the project is ready to be closed. Project closure
includes handover of project deliverables and documentation to the required party and most
importantly for the project implementer, lessons learned session could be very important because
this session enlightens and describes the weaknesses and difficulties which the project faced
during different phases, so this lessons learned session would be a tool to enable each individual
in the organization to improve their ability and performance so they could get necessary steps for
precaution or eliminating the challenges in the future projects, and
the overall project
management team consider those challenges and teach the team for better performance in the
future so that the future projects would not face these types of challenges.
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Chapter 3
Project management Challenges in Afghanistan
Afghanistan is a country, which has remained dependent on donors’ aids, and since 2001 more
then USD 100 Billion has been spent for development purposes in the country. For
reconstruction purposes, donor countries aimed to implement the infrastructure projects, but
projects have faced challenges during implementation. There are several challenges that are
commonly faced by construction projects during project implementation in Afghanistan.
However, insecurity is one of the main challenges against implementation of development
projects all over the country. In this regard, there are several observations form the people
involved in project management professions in Afghanistan.
3.1 Logistic, Security and Capacity
In 2010 a question was asked to Mr. David who has been involved in project management in
Africa, Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and central Asia and he is currently working in
Afghanistan, providing oversight support for infrastructure projects funded by the United States
government that, (What major challenges have you observed with completing construction
projects in Afghanistan?). He responded that there are mainly 3 challenges during the
implementation of the construction projects in Afghanistan; these problems are generally
categorized as logistics, security and capacity.
3.1.1 Logistics and security.
Based on the location of a project, security could be a huge expense, usually in the range of 5 to
15 percent of the total project cost (David, 2010). Logistics and security are closely related to
each other. delays at the border due to security or custom clearance issues causes the cost of the
project to increase. Custom problems with neighboring countries due to political issues and
corruption in the government could be another big challenge. Some times assaults on projects are
not only performed by the Taliban or insurgent elements but also can be triggered by disgruntled
employees or terminated subcontractors. David observed that a contractor’s relationship with the
local community is sometimes a more important part of security planning than the number of
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armed guards employed. If local residents are hired to work on a project, they tend to help
protect it.
3.1.2 Capacity.
In 2010, David observed that the local and domestic construction firms in Afghanistan suffers
from a lack of capacity, causing in project quality issues and delays. Local contractors benefit
from an international donor emphasis to hire Afghanistan domestic contractors for
implementation of the construction projects, but in many cases, they are not able to deliver on
contracts because of their inability and incapacity to find skilled workers and managers. Local
contractors mainly suffer from lack of capacity in design and construction management, so they
can not deliver projects based on the methods utilized by donors. There are several capacity
development programs held by the international community to help address these issues,
However, the construction industry need much more time and more capacity building programs
to strengthen the construction firms for better and effective services delivery.
3.2 The Key Challenges of Development Projects in Afghanistan
Sadeqi (2014) demonstrated the main challenges of development projects in Afghanistan as the
following factors.
1. Projects are mainly contracted outside of Afghanistan and there is no close monitoring by the
Afghanistan government authorities.
2. In past 10 years internal and external non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were the
biggest project implementers in the country. All the government organizations implemented
the development projects through these NGOs.
3. NGOs were passing or selling projects to another NGO and subcontractors; which led to
fewer funds to be used and finally leading to a very low quality work.
4. Due to the lack of capacity and necessary equipment and machinery, the government
organizations are unable to implement the projects by themselves. In principle, the
implementation of development projects is the responsibility of the designated government
authority in the country; Hiring contractors is the easiest way to implement the projects,
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rather then training the officials for and preparing the facilities to implement the projects by
themselves.
5. In the past years, unfortunately there was not proper monitoring of these NGOs, while they
are implementing the projects.
Additionally, former Minister of MRRD (Barmak, 2013) deliberated the main challenges of
national solidarity projects in Afghanistan through a radio and television channel, which was
later on published on the Internet, pointed out the following factors as the main challenges of
projects failure in Afghanistan:
▪
▪
▪
Insecurity
Intervention of the local leaders to hinder the projects implementation
Low capacity of the Afghan contractors
3.3 Internal and External Factors
Nushin (2012) indicates two major factors that are causing projects failure in Afghanistan as
internal and external factors.
3.3.1 Internal factors.
The following factors as the internal factors negatively contributed to the projects in
Afghanistan.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lack of capacity
Lack of professional and skilled project managers
Lack of project management in institutions curriculum
Corruption in the government system
Cost of a project from first contractor up the last one decreases up to (1million falls to 3
hundred thousand)
Lack of information
Projects were not prioritized
Lack of cooperation between the public organizations and private sector
Lack of coordination between the government and donor countries
15
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
•
Lack of coordination between government planning and the actual needs of the people
3.3.2 External factors.
As Afghanistan depends on donor aid the external factors had more of an affect on the projects in
Afghanistan, and as well there are several other challenging external factors contributing to the
project challenges in the country as follows:
•
Miscommunications between the donors and project implementers (Private Sector) and
the government of Afghanistan
•
•
Dependency of the projects on donor aid
Donor makes a contract with a company outside the country, then the project goes to
second and third subcontracts which cause the quality to decrease
•
Government is not allowed to monitor and control the projects which are funded and
contracted by the donor countries directly.
•
Massive corruption usually in contract phase of project as the first contractor sells the
project to another contractor for the implementation.
•
•
Lack of expenditure reports on project implementation by the donor countries to
Afghanistan’s public sector.
Government cannot monitor and control projects while implemented by the donor
countries, as the donor countries contend that the government of Afghanistan does not
have
sufficient
capacity
to
monitor
and
control
the
projects.
16
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
3.4 Project Delay in Afghanistan
A large number of construction projects in Afghanistan have experienced delay. The evaluation
reports from different international organizations on Afghanistan’s infrastructure projects
indicated several factors contributing to project delay in Afghanistan. The assessment reports
from the office of Special Inspector General for Afghanistan’s Reconstruction (SIGAR), World
bank, and Asian Development Bank (ADB) indicated some of the projects that experienced delay
in different parts of Afghanistan:
a) SIGAR (2009) pointed out several factors altering the duration of the project; construction of
detention facility at a US funded counter narcotics justice center in Kabul, Afghanistan. The
project started in 2007 and finished in 2009, finishing 18 months behind schedule due to
several factors including:
o Insufficient funding
o Inadequate electricity
o Scope modification and changes during construction of the project
b)
SIGAR (2010a) indicated several factors contributing to project delay in a joint regional
Afghanistan national security forces compound (JRAC), 4 projects including regional logistic
center (RLC), Afghanistan national civil order police (ANCOP), uniformed police (UP),
border police (BP). Projects started in 2008, so the following table describes the projects
original completion date based on the contract and actual project completion date,
Table 3.1 JRAC 4 projects completion date based on the contract and actual completion
date
Name of the project
RLC
ANCOP
UP
BP
Source: SIGAR, 2010
Original completion date
Sep 3, 2007
Nov 16, 2009
Aug 16, 2009
July 29, 2009
Actual completion date
Oct 22, 2009
June 30, 2010
March 28, 2010
July 15, 2010
The first project RLC experienced almost two years of delay, ANCOP and UP projects
experienced 7 months of project delay, and BP project experienced a one-year delay.
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
17
Land dispute and project relocation issues, inadequate project planning and oversight contributed
to the project lengthy duration.
c) SIGAR (2010b) observed numerous challenges during the implementation of projects:
construction of Afghan national police district headquarters facilities in Garm Ser, Nad Ali,
and Nahri Saraj district of Helmand and Takhta Pul, Spin Boldak, and Zehellin district of
Kandahar province. The project started in May, 2007 and has expected to be completed in
January, 2009 but different factors caused the projects to incur delay. The projects were
completed on May 2010 with one year and five months of delay. Numerous factors
contributed to the project duration such as; contract modification including scope changes,
delay in construction due to confusion between project stakeholders on design issues, and
delay due to issuance of suspension letter from the client to the contractor due to security
issues.
d) SIGAR (2011a) indicated that the project of the construction of Kabul military training
center (KMTC), a training base for newly recruited personnel into the Afghanistan National
Army (ANA) experienced delay during the construction. The project started in November 8,
2006 and has expected to be completed in January 20, 2010, but the project was not
completed and ultimately the project was completed on Aug 16, 2011 with almost 20 months
of delay. Several factors contributed to the project’s delay such as: additional work added to
the contract, unanticipated site condition, contractor’s performance problem, security issues,
and inadequate planning of the project.
e) SIGAR (2011b) observed that the construction of Afghan National Security University
(ANSU) has faced delay during the implementation. The project started in September 2008
and has expected to be completed in June 2010 but the project was completed in October
2011 with one year and 10 months of delay. There are several factors, which caused the
project to experience delay including: scope changes by adding additional work to the scope
of the project, waiting for demining the area, project design change, and weakness in contract
administration.
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
18
f) Since 2001 the GIRoA were unable to provide reliable electricity to a number of big cities in
Afghanistan due to numerous factors therefore, the United States funded 5 power projects in
different provinces of Afghanistan to provide electricity for the designated areas. SIGAR
(2012) observed that the projects including south east power system (SEPS), transmission
lines (TLs) and Substations (Ss), SEPS Kandahar city to Durai Junction TL&Ss, North East
Power System (NEPS), Dasht-i-Barchi to Gardez TL&Ss, Neps Dasht-i-Barchi to Maydan
Shahr to Gardez TL&Ss were not completed on time due to several reasons including: the
late arrival of fiscal year 2011 Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund (AIF) funds, project team
reorganization, personnel changes, programmatic changes to project execution, and
difficulties of field personnel travelling to the proposed project sites to assess projects.
g) SIGAR (2013) observed that the construction of building facilities at the ANP provincial
headquarters in Kunduz Province has faced delay during construction. The project started in
August 2010, and during the site inspection of SIGAR from the project almost 50 percent of
the project was completed, and the project was over one year behind schedule due to unstable
soil conditions and sink holes on the project site as well due to weather condition. And as a
result the contractor required modification of the contract leading to the project experiencing
delay.
h) In 2010, Asian Development Bank (ADB) reviewed Andkhoy to Qaisar Road project
completion report in Afghanistan: the project was supported by ADB and had 3 components
I. A 55 km road from Qaisar to Almar,
II. A 70 km road from Almar to Shirin Taghab
III. A 85 km road from Shirin Taghab to Andkhoy and were constructed by a single
contractor.
The projects started in August 2006 and was completed in June 2010. The first component of
the project experienced 33 months of delay, the second component experienced 32 months’
delay and the third component experienced 20 months of delay.
Numerous factors contributed to the project delay such as:
1. Delays in appointing the supervision consultant due to the withdrawal of the first-rank
firm on security concerns
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
19
2. Slow mobilization of equipment and resources by the contractors
3. Design change of vertical alignment in mountainous areas
4. Abnormal rains and flash flooding from March to May 2009
5. The Afghan presidential election in 2009
6. Numerous security incidents, and
7. MOPW's weak management capacity and supervision consultant’s slow actions that led
to lengthy negotiations with the contractors and prolonged processing and approval of
extra work variation claims.
i) The World bank provided a grant under the program of the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust
Fund (ARTF) for Kabul Aybak Mazar-e-Sharif power project (World bank, 2012). The
project aimed to provide reliable and quality power in the target areas of the cities of Kabul,
Aybak and Mazar-e-Sharif. The project had four components:
1: Distribution system for the rehabilitation of Kabul electricity
2: Establishment of a new 220/20 kV substation at Aybak and inter- connection with the
distribution system;
3: Rehabilitation of the Mazar-e-Sharif power system
4: Institutional capacity building and support
The duration of the project was from December 26, 2007 to December 31, 2009. The project
was not completed on time and due to numerous factors 39 months of delay occurred to the
project and the project was supposed to be completed on March 31, 2013.
The World bank demonstrated that the project as a whole has suffered significant delays due
to:
▪
▪
▪
▪
Weak capacity, particularly for project management, which has been addressed by
extensive reliance on supervision consultants.
Demobilization of the previous project management firm (PMF) resulted in a
considerable slowdown in physical progress on site,
Delays in payments to contractors and progress reporting.
The arrival of goods has been delayed by slow issuance of duty exemption certificates
and so goods have not been released by customs.
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
▪
▪
▪
▪
20
Poor Cooperation between DABS and MEW,
Insufficient packing of containers
Poor road condition
Security challenges
j) U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) provided fund for the construction of a
105-megawatt power plant on the outskirts of Kabul. SIGAR (2010c) pointed out that the
project started in July 2007 and was scheduled for completion on March 31, 2009, but the
project was not completed on time and due to several factors 12 months’ delay occurred and
finally the project was completed on March 31, 2010. The factors contributed to the project
delay include:
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
An initial inability to obtain adequate title to land for construction
USAID’s inclusion of an ambiguous statement of work resulting in poor planning and
implementation
Contractors delays in subcontractor awards and mobilization
Subcontractor performance problems related to generator delivery delays and an
inability to find enough qualified workers to keep the project on schedule
Lack of on-site quality assurance
Delays in getting timely approvals from USAID’s contracting officer
Poor communication between USAID and the project contractor
Transportation and customs clearance problems
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21
Chapter 4
Related Studies
Based on the significance of the subject, and frequency of occurrence during the projects
implementation, projects delay has become a common problem especially in developing
countries therefore, numerous studies have been conducted regarding project delay, its factors
and effects. Project delay could be minimized only when its factors would be identified, the
findings of these studies have been reviewed to complete this thesis.
4.1 Causes and Effects of Delay in Iranian Construction Projects
Pourrostam and Ismail (2012) investigated on significant factors causing project delay on
residential buildings, offices, administration buildings and roads projects to identify the main
factors that are causing delay in Iranian construction projects. The study was completed based on
a literature review and questionnaire survey. The questionnaire was distributed to the
consultants and contractors. The researchers concluded ten most important causes of delay in
construction projects in Iran as:
1. Delay in progress payment by client
2. Change orders by client during construction
3. Poor site management
4. Slowness in decision making process by client
5. Financial difficulties by contractor
6. Tardiness in reviewing and approving design documents by client
7. Problems with subcontractors
8. Ineffective planning and scheduling of project by contractor
9. Mistakes and discrepancies in design documents
10. Bad weather condition
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22
4.2 Identification, Evaluation and Classification of Time Delay Risks
of Construction Projects in Iran
Alavifar, Resalat, and Motamedi (2014) conducted a study to Identify, Evaluate and Classify the
Time Delay Risks of Construction Projects in Iran. The researchers did a field study and
distributed questionnaires to 32 representatives of public and private companies including
consultant, contractor and client. They have classified the delay factors based on the different
points of view of the project stakeholders (Owner, Consultant and Contractor). From the owner
point of view:
1. Insufficient data collection and survey before design
2. Improper construction methods implemented by contractor
3. Difficulties in financing project by contractor
4. Delay in progress payments by owner
5. Change orders by owner during construction, are ranked as the top factors causing delay
in a construction project.
Based on the consultant view:
1. More than expected increase in Inflation rate
2. Delay in progress payments by owner
3. Delay in obtaining permits from municipality
4. Suspension of work by owner
5. Poor communication and coordination by owner and other parties are the top factors of
project delay.
Based on the contractor view:
1. Rework due to errors during construction
2. Insufficient data collection and survey before design
3. Late in revising and approving design documents by owner
4. Original contract duration is too short
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
23
5. Legal disputes between various parties are ranked the highest delay factors in
construction project.
4.3 Significant Factors Causing Time Overrun in Construction
Projects of Peninsular Malaysia
Memon, Rahman, Akram and Ali (2014) have conducted a study to identify the significant
factors causing time overrun in the Malaysian construction industry. The study focused on a
survey in central and southern Malaysia. Questionnaires were distributed to 300 companies and
75 responses were received, and based on their findings, significant factors that contribute to
construction time overruns are:
1. Cash flow and financial difficulties faced by contractors
2. Poor site management and supervision by contractor
3. Incompetent subcontractors
4. Shortage of site workers
5. Financial difficulties of owner
6. Frequent design changes by consultant
7. Shortages of materials
8. Delay in progress payment by owner
9. Unforeseen ground condition
10. Delay in preparation and approval of drawings
11. Late delivery of materials and equipment
12. Changes in the scope of the project were ranked most important among the 30 factors
listed for the research.
4.4 Delays in building construction projects in Ghana
Fugar, Agyakwah-Baah, and others (2010) conducted a study in Ghana to find out the most
important factors of delay in construction projects. From the research, 32 causes of delay were
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
24
identified by literature review and interviews, and then based on a literature review a
questionnaire was formulated to find out the most important factors of projects delay. The
findings of this study describes the top ten factors which are causing project delay in
construction projects of Ghana as follows:
1. Delay in honoring certificates
2. Underestimation of the costs of projects
3. Underestimation of the complexity of projects
4. Difficulty in accessing bank credit
5. Poor supervision
6. Underestimation of time needed for completion of projects by contractors
7. Shortage of materials
8. Poor professional management
9. Fluctuation of prices/rising cost of materials
10. Poor site management
4.5 Study on the Quantification of Delay Factors in the Construction
Industry
Nadu (n.d.) carried out a research to find out the causes of project delay in construction projects
in India. Literature was reviewed to compile a list of delay causes in the constriction industry,
and then data was collected through questionnaire from numerous construction industries. The
outcome of this study describes the most important factors as follows:
1. Shortage of unskilled & skilled labor
2. Design changes by owner or his agent during construction
3. Fluctuation of prices
4. High waiting time for availability of work teams
5. Rework due to errors
6. Delay in financial support by owner to the contractor (Stage by stage payment)
7. Geological problems on site
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
25
8. Poor site management and inaccurate site investigation
9. Wrong selection of type /capacity of equipment
10. Bad weather conditions /Natural disasters (flood, earthquake)
4.6 Causes and Effect of Delay on Project Construction Delivery
Time
Researchers conducted a study to find out the causes and effect of delay on project construction
delivery times in Nigeria. From the study the researchers found significant factors that causing
project delay. The factors comprise:
1. Lack of funds to finance the project to completion
2. Changes in drawings and specifications
3. Lack of effective communication among the parties involved
4. Lack of adequate information from consultants
5. Slow decision-making
6. Contractor’s insolvency, variations
7. Project management problems
8. Mistakes and discrepancies in contract document
9. Equipment availability and failure
10. Mistakes during construction
11. Bad weather condition
12. Fluctuation in prices of building materials
13. Inappropriate overall organizational structure linking to the project and labor strikes.
The findings from the study also pointed out the effect of delay which are causing time overruns,
increase in the final cost of project, wastage and underutilization of manpower and resources,
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
26
tying down of client capital due to non completion of the project, and disputes among parties
(Owolabi James, Amusan Lekan, Oloke, Olusanya, and Tunji-Olayeni, n.d.).
4.7 Causes and Effects of Delays and Disruptions in Construction
Projects in Tanzania
Kikwasi (2013) conducted research to find out the causes and effects of delays and disruption in
construction projects in Tanzania. Literature review, questionnaire and interview techniques
were used for data collection purposes. The findings of this research points out:
1. Design changes
2. Delays in payment to contractors
3. Information delays
4. Funding problems
5. Poor project management
6. Compensation issues
7. Disagreement on the valuation of work done
as the main factors, which are causing delay and disruption in construction projects in Tanzania.
The research also reveals the effects of delay and disruption as; time overrun, cost overrun,
negative social impact, idling resources and disputes in the construction projects.
4.8 Causes, Effects and Methods of Minimizing Delays in
Construction Projects
Wei (2010) researched to find out the causes, effects and methods of minimizing delays in
construction projects. A questionnaire was formulated and distributed to University Teknolgi
Malaysia (UTM) construction site for data collection purposes. The finding describes:
1. Tardiness in revising and approving design documents
2. Delays in subcontractors’ work
3. Poor communication and coordination
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
27
4. Change orders by client during construction
5. Inadequate contractor’s work
6. Delay in approving major changes in the scope of work
7. Shortage of labor
8. Ineffective planning and scheduling of project
9. Conflicts in subcontractor’s schedule in execution of project
10. Mistakes and discrepancies in design documents
Based on the second objective of the research, the effects of delay were found as time overrun,
cost overrun, dispute, total abandonment, arbitration, and litigation. And for the third objective of
the research, on how to minimize delay he recommends the most effective methods of
minimizing delays include:
a) Site management and supervision
b) Effective strategic planning
c) Clear information and communication channels
d) Collaborative working in construction
e) Proper project planning and scheduling
f) Frequent coordination between the parties involved
g) Complete and proper design at the right time
h) Use appropriate construction methods
i) Accurate initial cost estimates
j) Proper material procurement
k) And proper emphasis on past experience
4.9 Identification of Causes of non-excusable Delays of Construction
Projects
Afshari, Khosravi, Ghorbanali, Borzabadi and Valipour (2010) conducted a study on
identification of causes of non-excusable delays of construction projects. The data was collected
through questionnaire from the personnel involved in the construction industry. The findings
reveal important factors of delay in construction projects as follows:
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
28
1. Not selecting competent subcontractors
2. Poor management of the project changes
3. Lack of mechanism for recording, analyzing, and transferring project lessons learned
4. Delay in forwarding material and equipment to the site
5. Delay in awarding subcontractors’ contracts
6. Lack of effective managing and controlling subcontractors
7. Delay in detail design by project engineer subcontractor
8. Delay in supplying or shortage of equipment
9. Poor management of project site
10. Poor management of project contract
4.10 The Significant Factors Causing Delay of Building
Construction Projects in Malaysia
Alaghbari, Razali A. Kadir, Salim, and Ernawati (2007) conducted a study to identify the major
factors causing delay in building construction projects in Malaysia. A questionnaire survey was
used for data collection purposes. The outcome of the research exposes the top ten significant
factors of delay which are:
1. Owners financial difficulties and economic problems
2. Contractors financial problems
3. Supervision too late and slowness in making decisions by consultant
4. Slow to give instructions by consultant
5. Lack of materials on the market
6. Poor site management by contractor
7. Contractor’s materials shortages on site
8. Contractor’s construction mistakes and defective work
9. Delay in delivery of materials to site by contractor
10. Slowness in making decisions by owner
11. Lack of consultant’s experience
12. Incomplete documents by consultant
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
29
4.11 Causes of Project Delay in the Construction Industry in
Afghanistan
Gidado and Niazai (2012) conducted a case study entitled causes of project delay in the
construction industry in Afghanistan. Data was collected through questionnaire from 3 points of
view, Client or the owner of the project, Consultant and Contractor. The findings of the study
revealed the top 10 significant factors causing delay in the construction industry of Afghanistan
as fallowing:
1. Security
2. Corruption
3. Poor qualification of the contractor’s technical staff
4. Delay in progress payments by owner
5. Poor site management and supervision by contractor
6. Ineffective planning and scheduling of project by contractor
7. Type of project bidding and award (negotiation, lowest price and etc.)
8. Difficulties in financing project by contractor
9. Poor communication and coordination by contractor with other parties
10. Frequent change of subcontractors because of their inefficient work
4.12 Causes and Effects of Delays in Large Construction Projects of
Pakistan
A study has been conducted to find out the cause and effect of delay in large construction
projects in Pakistan. The researcher developed a questionnaire and conducted a survey for data
collection purposes. The outcome of the study pointed out 16 factors causing projects delay in
large construction projects in Pakistan including:
o Finance and payments
o Inaccurate time estimation
o Quality of material
o Delay in payments to supplier and subcontractor
o Poor site management
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
o Old technology
o Natural disasters
o Unforeseen site conditions
o Shortage of material
o Delays caused by subcontractors
o Changes in drawings and specifications
o Improper equipment
o Inaccurate cost estimation
o Change orders
o Organizational changes
o Regulatory changes
(Pakistan, 2011)
30
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31
Chapter 5
Data Collection and Analysis
The methodology of this study is based on qualitative and quantitative data collection methods.
The qualitative data is collected through review of books, observations, interviews and review of
other scholars’ papers concerning similar research in developing countries such as Iran, India,
Malaysia, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, and Pakistan.
Literature was reviewed to find out the observation of other scholars concerning projects delay.
Initially similar research has been reviewed and as well findings from the project management
challenges are pointed out, and then from the aforementioned studies reviews, the questionnaire
has been formulated with 30 factors; these factors were selected based on their frequency, which
have high potential of occurrence in Afghanistan. Furthermore, these factors were selected based
on the frequency of occurrence in developing countries.
5.1 Data Collection
For the purpose of data collection, the questionnaires have been distributed to those
organizations of the Afghanistan’s government that are mainly involved in infrastructure projects
in all around the country. 50 questionnaires have been distributed to the related Ministries
(MRRD, MOUDA, MOE, MOPW, and MEW) of the Afghanistan's government and 30 out of 50
questionnaires, which shows 60% of response rate here, returned and properly filled out for the
purpose analysis. For the distribution of the questionnaire the researcher personally visited each
organization and in some cases the questionnaires have been collected through emails from some
officials. The period of data collection through questionnaire was between August 15, 2015 and
September 14, 2015.
Regarding the ranking of the officials responding to the questionnaire, around 40 percent of
respondents are first and second rank officials which are mainly director generals and directors in
the government of Afghanistan, and the remaining 60 percent are project employees such as
project manager, deputy project managers, project engineers, site engineers, project inspectors
and so on. And the distributions of respondents are as follows:
32
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10 respondents from MEW, 9 respondents from the MOPW, 6 respondents from MRRD, 3
respondents from MOUDA, and the final 2 respondents from MOEc. The following table sheds
light on the number and percentage of respondents from 5 different organizations of Afghanistan.
Table 5.1 response rate based on the organizations
Organization
Number of respondents
Percentage of respondents
MEW
10
33.33
MOPW
9
30
MRRD
6
20
MOUDA
3
10
MOEc
2
6.67
Total
30
100%
Source: Survey conducted by the researcher, 2015
5.2 Data Analysis
For analyzing the calculated data, the relative important index (RII) method is used. The relative
importance index (RII) is calculated as follow:
RII = ΣW/A*N
Where; W = weight given to each factor by respondents
A = highest weight
N = total number of respondents.
For the purpose of this study A=4 and N=30. (0.25 ≤ RII ≤ 1) and calculated in Microsoft excel
sheet as (=SUM(C2*4+D2*3+E2*2+F2*1)/(4*30)). Based on the responded questionnaires top
10 factors need to be identified, and to calculate the rankings in excel sheet this formula is used
(=RANK(G2,$G$2:$G$31)) .
The following table describes the analysis of the project delay based on the collected data from different public organizations of Afghanistan,
which
is sorted basedRECONSTRUCTION
on the RII.
ACCELERATING
33
Table 5.2 Data analysis of project delay based on the calculated data
Causes of project delay
Very
Important
Important
Less
Important
Not
Important
RII
Ranks
Ineffective planning and scheduling of project by contractor
17
10
3
0
0.866666667
1
Delay in progress payments by client
14
15
1
0
0.858333333
2
Poor site management and supervision of contractors by
consultant and client
14
13
3
0
0.841666667
3
Financial difficulties by contractor
12
13
5
0
0.808333333
4
Insufficient controlling and monitoring by consultant and client
11
15
4
0
0.808333333
4
Non availability of experienced technical staff of contractor
8
19
2
1
0.783333333
6
Late in reviewing and approving design documents by client
7
18
5
0
0.766666667
7
Lack of communication and coordination between the parties
9
14
6
1
0.758333333
8
34
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Delay in delivery of materials to site
Inadequate contractor experience
6
7
19
5
0
0.758333333
8
17
5
1
0.75
10
Political influences and warlord intervention
7
18
3
2
0.75
10
Scope changes by client during construction
4
21
5
0
0.741666667
12
Long waiting time for approval of tests and inspection by
consultant
8
13
9
0
0.741666667
12
Late procurement of materials
7
15
8
0
0.741666667
12
Lack of incentives for contractor to finish ahead of schedule
10
11
6
3
0.733333333
15
Slowness in decision making process by client
1
24
5
0
0.716666667
16
Impractical allocation of resources
4
15
10
1
0.683333333
17
Low productivity level of labors
2
19
7
2
0.675
18
Shortage of materials in the market
5
10
15
0
0.666666667
19
35
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
Low motivation and morale of labor
2
17
9
2
0.658333333
20
Unrealistic contract duration
6
10
11
3
0.658333333
20
Unclear and inadequate details in drawings
3
12
15
0
0.65
22
Changes in materials types and specifications during
construction
2
16
9
3
0.641666667
23
Problems with subcontractors
4
10
14
2
0.633333333
24
Unreliable suppliers
3
11
15
1
0.633333333
24
Controlling subcontractors by main contractor in the execution
of work
4
11
10
5
0.616666667
26
Rework due to the Mistakes during construction stages
5
5
18
2
0.608333333
27
Materials price changes due to the currency fluctuation
2
12
13
3
0.608333333
27
Excessive bureaucracy in project owner operation
2
9
16
3
0.583333333
29
Contractors with political clout
4
8
11
7
0.575
30
Source: Table is designed based on the survey conducted by the researcher, 2015
36
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
Based on the calculation of relative important index in table 5.2, top 10 factor is observable with the
highest (RII) of 0.866666667 and lowest of 0.75, and as the RII of number 11 is same with top 10,
then it is necessary to consider top 11 factors altering projects delay in construction projects of
Afghanistan. And finally narrowing down to the following table, which describes the top 11 factors,
that causes projects delay in construction projects in Afghanistan.
Table 5.3 Significant factors of delay
Causes of project delay
RII
Ranks
Ineffective planning and scheduling of a project by contractor
0.866666667
1
Delay in progress payments by client
0.858333333
2
Poor site management and supervision of contractors by consultant and 0.841666667
3
client
Financial difficulties by contractor
0.808333333
4
Insufficient controlling and monitoring by consultant and client
0.808333333
4
Non availability of experienced technical staff of contractor
0.783333333
6
Late in reviewing and approving design documents by client
0.766666667
7
Lack of communication and coordination between the parties
0.758333333
8
Delay in delivery of materials to site
0.758333333
8
Inadequate contractor experience
0.75
10
Political influences and warlords intervention
0.75
10
Source: result of the conducted survey by the researcher on 2015
5.3 Result and Discussion
Based on the analysis of the collected data, the researcher deliberates the top 11 factors, which
are causing delay in construction projects in Afghanistan.
5.3.1 Ineffective planning and scheduling of project by contractor.
This factor has the highest influence to the projects duration with the RII of 0.866666667.
As it is clear; Afghanistan is a country, which has suffered for almost 4 decades of war and
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
37
insurgency, and as a result the people have been deprived of proper education and knowledge in
different aspects of life, especially the education system remained very archaic and could not
fulfill the requirements of modern life. People educated from these old system institutions are
being hired by the contractors; So most domestic contractors do not have proper skills of
managing projects activities therefore, these contactors have less experience and knowledge
about project planning and scheduling, this factor primarily causes delay in the projects.
5.3.2 Delay in progress payments by client.
In this study, ministries in the government of Afghanistan as clients of the construction projects
in the country are responsible to make payments to the contractors on time, based on the
executed work by contractors, but due to several problems delay occurs in payment of the
liquidation to the contractors.
Normally based on the procurement policy, when a government body signs a project contract
with a contractor, the government body as the client of the project is required to pay some
percentage of the overall contract amount to the contractor for mobilization purposes so the
contractor could start the project, then based on the executed work, the rest of the project funds
would be released by the client to the contractor based on their performance and completed
work.
The required amount of the money for mobilization purposes should be handed over to the
contractors some time after the contract is signed with the contractor through Ministry of
Finance, but as the prolonged procedure of the payments by the client which is very lengthy and
usually it takes months, causing project delay even before a project kicks off.
Another problem is the financial disbursement during the projects progress stages. It happens
when the contractor accomplishes a certain amount of work and request payment for the
executed work. Then ministry as client issues a certificate based on the supervision of the project
manager from the projects. The project manager and other technical staff visits the project and
confirms the amount of completed work and then they issue the certificate, which usually takes
time for the supervision and certificate issuing purpose. Then based on the certificate the
Ministry of Finance releases a certain amount of money to the contractor and it takes longer time
to release the money. the prolonged procedure of payments by the government and time-
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38
consuming supervision of the project manager and other technical officials from the projects
takes time and causes the contractors to face a lack of liquidation during project implementation
and in some cases the contractor stops the work because they are not paid in a reasonable time.
5.3.3 Poor site management and supervision of contractors by
consultant and client.
The donor countries require the government bodies to hire consultants to supervise the overall
activities of the contractors and report it to the donor agencies. Due to several factors in the
government of Afghanistan, the government does not have much ability and personnel to
supervise work progress of the projects. Therefore, the government hires consultants to directly
supervise the projects and report to the government, but in some cases the consultant as
supervisor of the projects are not going to site for the supervision due to some reason or another
and causes poor site management and poor supervision of the projects.
For most of the infrastructure projects, the government is directly supervising the overall
activates of the contractors, and for this purpose the government hires a project manager with a
project facilitator such as administrator and finance assistant to supervise the project and report
the progress of work to the government authorities. As the government is unable to pay high
wages to the officials, professional and skilled personnel are not willing to work in the
government sector due to the low wages. So most of the government official capacities are low
and they don't have much experience in projects supervision and site management, causing
projects delay. There are also some other factors such as corruption in the whole system of the
government which are influencing poor site management and supervision of the projects in the
government of Afghanistan.
5.3.4 Financial difficulties by contractor.
Most of the contractors of the construction projects are local contractors and they do not have
financial capability to complete a project with their own cash so mainly they depend on the
client’s money. In this case when a certain amount of work is completed, the contractor requests
the client to make payment of the executed work. So if the client could not make disbursement,
then the contractor will not be able to continue the projects work until they are paid, so it causes
delay.
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39
5.3.5 Insufficient controlling and monitoring by consultant and client.
The Government of Afghanistan as client mostly lacks experts and professionals of project
management. The people who get experience and becomes professional in the government is
leaving from the government sector, because government is unable to pay enough wages to
fulfill the needs of the daily life of its employees. Mainly officials remaining in the government
sector have less capacity to sufficiently monitor and control the overall activities of the projects,
However, Foreign consultants are good at monitoring and controlling over the activities of the
projects but in some cases when they face problem in monitoring and controlling, it causes delay.
5.3.6 Non availability of experienced technical staff of contractor.
Most contractors are domestic organizations, and in generally the country is lacking expertise in
different sectors. The technical field is also a major area in which there is less experienced staff
working in the organization which are undertaking the infrastructure projects. If there is less
technical staff or unavailable technical staff in an organizations contracting the infrastructure
project, they will definitely face problem in different stages of projects implementation and it
takes time to overcome those problems which causes delay in the projects.
5.3.7 Slow in reviewing and approving design documents by client.
Project managers in the Government of Afghanistan as client is required to approve design
documents prior to the start of a project. As there is less qualified and few professionals working
in the government, they are taking much time to review and approve the design documents of the
projects, therefore delay occurs.
5.3.8 Lack of communication and coordination between the parties
Although there have been efforts for e-Government in Afghanistan, most of the communication
between the projects stakeholders is paper-based. The contractor is reporting the progress of the
work through memos and documents and paper based communication is time consuming, and
moreover most of the officials in the government have less capacity and knowledge of project
management.
Coordination between the parties are mainly based on their communication. If communication is
weak then most probably there is less coordination. However communication is a key to
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40
successful project delivery.
5.3.9 Delay in delivery of materials to site.
Contractors mostly imports materials from the neighboring countries for the projects, and custom
clearance issues are increasing time to import the goods and in some cases, due to the political
situation with the neighboring countries, the materials are being detained at the border until the
situation improves and the contractor gets the goods and delivers to the site. Furthermore, roads
are not well constructed and also there is lack of highways to the projects. So, due to
aforementioned reasons, delay occurs.
5.3.10 Inadequate contractor experience.
Most of the contractors of the construction projects for the government of Afghanistan are local
contractors with less experience and less qualified people. As Afghanistan continues to recover
from the war, international contractors are not willing to implement the infrastructure projects in
the countryside, so government have only one choice but to implement the projects by the
domestic contractors even though they have less experience and less technical personals.
5.3.11 Political influences and warlord intervention.
Some of the warlords became politicians through democratic elections, and they are directly or
indirectly influencing the projects work. Usually they intervene in projects activities, which are
being implemented in their home province or district. In some cases, they take kickbacks from
the contractors. Most of the warlords are active in their home territory and are causing loss to the
contractors by demanding bribes, and in some cases even warlords force the contractors to hire
their people for the projects.
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5.4 Comparative analysis
The fallowing table Compares project delay factors of countries Iran, Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Ghana with Afghanistan to indicate the
common factors contributing to project duration and on the other hand, determining the particular project delay factors in Afghanistan.
Table 5.4 Comparative analysis for the significant factors of delay in different countries
Country Iran
Pakistan
India
Nigeria
Ghana
(Pourrostam &
(Pakistan, 2011)
(Nadu, n.d.)
(Owolabi et al., n.d.).
(Fugar et al., 2010)
Citation
Ismail, 2012)
Significant ▪
factors of
Delay in
project
payment by
delay
client.
▪
▪
by client
▪
▪
▪
Inaccurate time
estimation.
▪
▪
payments to
management.
supplier and
decision
making process
▪
Quality of
Delay in
subcontractor.
▪
Poor site
▪
skilled labor.
Design
changes by
Poor site
Slowness in
Shortage of
unskilled &
owner during
material.
during
Construction.
▪
payments.
progress
Change orders
Finance and
▪
▪
▪
Delay in
This Thesis
▪
Ineffective
finance the
honoring
planning and
project to
certificates.
scheduling of a
Underestimation
project by
Changes in
of the costs of
contractor.
drawings.
projects.
completion.
Lack of
▪
▪
▪
Delay in
Underestimation
progress
effective
of the
payments by
Fluctuation of
communication
complexity of
client.
prices.
among the
projects.
High waiting
parties involved.
construction.
▪
▪
Lack of funds to
Afghanistan
▪
▪
Poor site
Difficulty in
management
Lack of
accessing bank
and supervision
availability of
adequate
credit.
of contractors
work teams
information
Poor
by consultant
supervision.
and client.
time for
▪
from consultants
▪
42
ACCELERATING RECONSTRUCTION
by client.
▪
Financial
management.
▪
difficulties by
contractor.
▪
Late in
reviewing and
approving
▪
design
documents by
client.
▪
support by
disasters.
owner to the
▪
▪
Geological
problems on
Shortage of
▪
site.
▪
Poor site
making and
of time, for
difficulties by
contractor’s
completion of
contractor.
insolvency,
projects by
variations.
contractors.
controlling and
Shortage of
monitoring by
materials.
consultant and
Poor
client.
Project
management
contractor.
Unforeseen site
Financial
problems.
of experienced
Fluctuation of
technical staff
document.
prices/rising
of contractor.
Equipment
cost of
materials.
reviewing and
Poor site
approving
management.
design
and Inaccurate
availability and
planning and
subcontractors.
site
failure.
project by
contractor.
Mistakes and
▪
drawings.
▪
discrepancies
in design
Changes in
▪
▪
Wrong
selection of
Improper
type /capacity
equipment.
of equipment.
Inaccurate cost
▪
Bad weather
conditions
▪
▪
▪
management.
by
▪
▪
Insufficient
discrepancies in
Ineffective
investigation.
▪
▪
professional
contract
▪
▪
Mistake and
management
scheduling of
▪
Delay in
Underestimation ▪
Slow decision-
Delays caused
subcontractors.
▪
▪
▪
Natural
material.
Problems with
▪
financial
conditions.
▪
Rework due to
errors.
Old
technology.
▪
▪
Mistakes during
▪
▪
▪
Non availability
Late in
construction.
documents by
Bad weather
client.
condition.
▪
Lack of
Fluctuation in
communication
prices of
and
building
coordination
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documents.
▪
Bad weather
condition.
estimation.
/Natural
▪
materials.
between the
Inappropriate
parties.
▪
Change orders.
▪
Organizational
organizational
delivery of
changes.
structure linking
materials to site.
▪
disasters.
overall
to the project
Regulatory
changes.
▪
▪
and labor strike.
Delay in
Inadequate
contractor
▪
experience.
Political
influences and
warlords
intervention.
Source: Table is designed based on the literature review, 2016
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Table 5.5 Common delay factors in Iran, Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Ghana, and Afghanistan
o Financial challenges, such as delay in progress payment by client, delay in financial support
by owner to the contractor, lack of funds to finance the project to completion, financial
difficulties by contractor, and delay in payments to supplier and subcontractors
o Design and scope changes during construction
o Poor site management and supervision
o Ineffective planning and scheduling including underestimation of the project duration
o Fluctuation of prices
o Materials concerns such as, availability, quality, capacity, type, and transportation to the site
o Natural disaster/weather condition
o Communication and coordination between the parties
o Slowness in decision making by client
o Lack of skilled personnel
Source: researcher analysis, 2016
Table 5.5 demonstrates the common delay factors concerning the countries Iran, Pakistan, India,
Nigeria, Ghana, and Afghanistan. There are several factors observable which have high potential
of occurrence in the mentioned countries, on the other hand there are 3 delay factors which are
Particular to Afghanistan including:
o Insufficient controlling and monitoring by consultant and client
o Inadequate contractor experience
o Political influences and warlord intervention
These factors are completely different from the other developing countries. The above mentioned
causes are due to several influences including the client of the project which mainly depend on
monitoring and controlling the project by consultant firms and the client itself do not perform the
monitoring and controlling tasks. Incase with contractor experiences, as the construction industry
is new in Afghanistan and mainly emerged after year 2001, the construction firms lacking
enough experience to deliver services based on the norms and standards.
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Chapter 6
Conclusion and Recommendation
Conclusion
A large number of Public Construction projects in Afghanistan are not implemented on time; due
to several factors delay arises, so the construction projects fail to meet their contract time and
project delay negatively impacts the development process of the country. The impact of project
failure in Afghanistan negatively affects the prestige and dignity of the government
organizations. Some of the project failures caused the destruction of hope of the people. Since
the Afghanistan government depends on donor aid, the factors of delay mainly affect the
contribution of the donor agencies in the country. Due to simultaneous occurrences of the delay
in development projects funded by donors in Afghanistan, it would minimize their contribution
to the development projects. In general, failures and flaws of the projects created distance
between the people and the government and shows the weakness of the government in the
implementation of the projects all over the country in Afghanistan. As human living quality
depends on the implementation of infrastructure projects in a country, so the aim of this research
is to find out projects delay factors and mainly the significant causes of delay in construction
projects in Afghanistan and to recommend appropriate solutions to avoid delay in construction
projects in Afghanistan.
The qualitative data is collected through review of books, observations, interviews and review of
other scholars’ papers concerning the similar research in developing countries such as Iran,
India, Malaysia, Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Literature was reviewed to find out the
observations of other scholars concerning projects delay, Furthermore the questionnaire has been
formulated based on the literature review so initially similar studies have been reviewed, and
then from the aforementioned studies reviews, the questionnaire has been formulated with 30
factors; based on their frequency which have high potential of occurrence in Afghanistan.
For the data collection purposes 50 questionnaires have been distributed to the organizations of
the Afghanistan’s government that mainly are involved in construction projects all over the
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country and 30 out of 50 questionnaires were returned and properly filled in for the purpose of
analysis.
The Relative Important Index (RII) method was used for data analysis purpose to identify the
significant factors, which cause delay in construction projects in Afghanistan.
6.1 Summary of Findings
Based on the analysis of the collected data, significant causes of delay in construction projects in
Afghanistan have been revealed as in the fallowing table.
Table 6.1 Significant factors of delay
Causes of project delay
RII
Ranks
Ineffective planning and scheduling of a project by contractor
0.866666667
1
Delay in progress payments by client
0.858333333
2
Poor site management and supervision of contractors by consultant and 0.841666667
3
client
Financial difficulties by contractor
0.808333333
4
Insufficient controlling and monitoring by consultant and client
0.808333333
4
Non availability of experienced technical staff of contractor
0.783333333
6
Late in reviewing and approving design documents by client
0.766666667
7
Lack of communication and coordination between the parties
0.758333333
8
Delay in delivery of materials to site
0.758333333
8
Inadequate contractor experience
0.75
10
Political influences and warlords intervention
0.75
10
Source: Result of the conducted survey by researcher on 2015
Table 6.1 describes the top 11 factors causing delay in construction projects in Afghanistan.
However, the aim of this research was to identify the top 10 significant causes of delay in
construction projects in Afghanistan, but based on the analysis of the data, the relative important
index RII value of top 10 and top 11 is equal, therefore the researcher provides recommendations
for the top 11 significant factor which cause delay in construction projects in Afghanistan.
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6.2 Recommendations
The purpose of this thesis is to find out a method or technique for minimizing or abolishing the
factors of delay in construction projects in Afghanistan, so in the future the project management
associations in the government of Afghanistan would not be faced with these types of challenges.
Based on the identified significant factors of delay in construction projects in Afghanistan, this
paper provides applicable recommendations and possible suggestions and solutions that how to
avoid and or abolish the factors of delay in construction projects.
The first step for better project management is true commitment. Projects should not be
considered as the way of earning money but should be considered as a good opportunity for the
development of the country, and in the development of this process, collaborative efforts are
needed from every single person involved in the project.
Sense of ownership in the working environment should be built in a way, that all personnel
involved in the project think that each and everyone is contributing for himself in the project and
also staff must be given motivation to work better without pressure in the projects.
6.3 Recommendations for Top 11 Causes of Delay in Construction
Projects in Afghanistan
6.3.1 Ineffective planning and scheduling of a project by contractor.
The outcomes of this thesis indicate, ineffective planning and scheduling of a project by
contractor as the highest influencer to the projects duration with the RII of 0.866666667. To
minimize or abolish this factor from causing delay, the Project Management Institute endorse the
underneath process for better planning and scheduling of a project by contractor. For the
effective planning and scheduling of projects the project stakeholders, especially the contractors
need to have sufficient knowledge to plan a project, and the planning phase of a project consists
of the following components.
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Project planning.
Following the project initiation, the planning phase begins. All the project stakeholders
collaborate to develop a comprehensive plan for achieving the purpose of the project and
typically, project managers are responsible for managing the project activities based on a welldetailed plan. Project planning is a field guide for attaining the success of a project. During the
project implementation, project planning clearly describes that, how much have you progressed
towards your project goal and how far you are from your destination.
Lack of planning creates ambiguity in projects activities. Huge portion of times would be spent
on making decision for the next task, or many unnecessary and insufficient steps might be taken
which may cost a lot including waste of time.
Phillips, Brantley, and Phillips (2012) Suggested several valuable tools for effective and
efficiently planning of a project including:
Work breakdown structure WBS.
Projects are complex in their nature. To make it easier to manage, WBS breaks down the project
into small and more manageable components. It is essentially the disassembly of the activities
into smaller and more controllable sections, and dedicating time and cost for each component for
effective estimation and supervision.
Scheduling.
The project schedule as a tool describes, when, what task and by which involved organization
resources should be performed, so project managers should be able to track the project schedule,
resources and budget in real time. The project schedule provides a charter for accomplishing the
project activities. Gantt charts basically describe the amount of performed activities in a period
of time versus the planned activities. And as well project schedule provides projects deliverables,
activities, and milestones with intended start and finish date.
Time Estimating.
Time estimation is a tool, which describes, how long the projects takes from the beginning up to
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the end. Projects should be estimated realistically and accurately and here are some steps that
could simplify the project time estimation:
o Initially projects activities should be identified
o Identified tasks and activities should be disassembled and broken down into smaller
activities.
o Managing and ordering the tasks, which tasks should be performed in what order,
o Involving the personnel, who should perform and what task based on the human resources
available in the organization
o And finally, it is easier to estimate the time of each individual task.
Budget estimation.
Budget estimation could be a difficult task of a project. For accurate budget estimation of a
project the personnel involved requires vast information on the cost of each single item and
activity in a project. A bar chart could act to simplify to track the planned value, earned value
and actual cost of the activities in a project.
Human Resource Planning.
Human resource planning is the allocation and management of the personnel to the activities of a
project. Assigning the right people in the right places is essential for better performance. In some
cases, project personnel are not willing to report to the project managers and they are habitually
reporting to some else. In this case project managers are need to be familiar with a number of
leadership and management skills so they can motivate and convince the employees for better
team performance.
Risk Management.
There are several factors that could alter project activities during different phases of a project. In
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general risk management provides a list of potential risk that could occur during project
implementation. For minimizing, abolishing or taking precautions from the risks, initially
potential risks should be identified and categorized and then these risks should be prioritized and
finally strategies should be developed to avoid or minimize the risks.
Quality management.
The quality plan defines the acceptable level of quality, which is typically defined by the
customer, and describes how the project will ensure this level of quality in its deliverables and
work processes. Quality management is a process to ensure that the product meets the need and
satisfies the project stakeholders and it consist of 4 processes: Quality definition, quality
assurance, quality control, and quality improvement (PM4DEV, 2016).
Quality Definition
In this process the project manager and the team must identify and decide on what quality
standards would be used in the project
Quality Assurance
Quality assurance provides evidence to create confidence between stakeholders. This process
ensures that the quality related activities are done effectively.
Quality Control
Quality control is a method where the actual quality of the product would be compared with the
quality criteria set in project specifications. Quality control monitor the project result if it is
produced based on the specifications so if anything halters the project quality, necessary actions
would be taken to eliminate the drawbacks so the final product could satisfy the costumer.
Quality improvement
It refers to the application of methods and tools to close that gap between current and expected
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51
level of quality in a project. If the quality of the final product was not satisfactory then at the
earlier stages of production, necessary techniques and methods would be undertaken to improve
the quality of the project outcome.
Procurement plan.
Procurement plan is the process of deciding what to buy, when and from what source. By
planning your procurement carefully, you can ensure that you buy the right products for your
business, at the right price.
Procurement plan will help to:
•
Identify all of the items you need to procure
•
Define the process for acquiring those items
•
Schedule the timeframes for delivery.
The management plan.
A project management plan addresses all the actions necessary to manage and complete a
project. The plan defines how the project is executed, monitored, controlled, and closed.
6.3.2 Delay in progress payments by client.
Considering the collected data, the second most important factor, which cause delay in
construction projects in Afghanistan is delay in progress payment by client with the RII of
0.858333, and it is a critical cause of delays. As a result of this factor many projects in
Afghanistan failed to meet their original contract duration. The client needs to formulate a
mechanism or a system, which could speed up the process of payment to the contractors. The
government has to find a way to streamline the payment process as bureaucracy in the
government directly affects the payment process. On the other hand, qualified consultants and
collaborative employees should be hired to ease the process of measuring the work scope and
providing payment certificates for projects.
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6.3.3 Poor site management and supervision of contractors by
consultant and client.
Contractors are required to improve the skills and abilities of their personnel including project
managers for effectively managing the project site. On the other hand, in order to prevent delay
from happening the consultant and client need to hire qualified personnel for this purpose. In
principle a site manager is responsible to oversee the day to day operations and ensure that all the
duties and responsibilities are performed safely based on the specification and within the project
constraints such as cost, schedule, quality. Before a project starts, the site manager prepares the
site, planning the work to be done, installing temporary compound as the office for the site
personnel. During the project, the site manager should monitor the progress of works and
activities, monitor the personnel, oversee the materials delivery to the site. And also the site
manager should keep close contact with all the personnel involved in the project, and ensure that
all the activities are being performed according to the design and specification of the contract
and based on the defined quality. The site manager needs to report regularly to client of the
project. The site managers are responsible to make sure that all the activities are done based on
the schedule and ensure that the project completion work is met with the actual performance.
6.3.4 Financial difficulties by contractor.
A clear and well-defined method for selecting the contractors who are financially capable to run
the projects without incurring delays is required. In this case the client should set financial
capability criteria before awarding a project to the contractors, and those contractors should be
hired which have sufficient liquid funds for accomplishing a project even if the payment process
delayed by the client. And as well the client needs to take necessary actions for disbursing the
work progress payment on time in order to avoid delay from occurring.
The government of Afghanistan need to take initiatives to strengthen the construction industry in
the country. The initiatives such as provision of loans with less interest rate to construction firms
would enable them to overcome this challenge.
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6.3.5 Insufficient controlling and monitoring by consultant and client.
The book of project management body of knowledge PMBOK by the Project Management
Institute (2013) suggests that, due the to integrative nature of project management the project
monitoring and controlling should be conducted parallel with the other process groups in project
management. Monitoring and controlling of a project should be performed parallel with all
phases of the project process such as project initiation phase, project planning, project execution
and project closure phase. The following figure sheds light on the issue and clarifies the
monitoring and controlling process of a project as the project monitoring and controlling is an
interrelated task and it concerns to all the phases of the project and is performed parallel with
project initiation, planning, execution, and closure phase.
Source: (PMI, 2013)
The continuous monitoring and controlling keeps the project team aware of the project strengths
and weaknesses and enables the project members to identify the weakness points thus the team
could pay more attention to remove the challenges.
The client and consultant need to pay attention to this challenge and provide capacity building
programs for the personnel to improve the knowledge of their staff for better performance in the
projects. Project monitoring and controlling oversee the overall project activities and coordinates
project phases from initiation to project closure and ensures that the work is performed according
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to the criteria and specifications. And if the project activities were not being performed based on
the specification, then corrective and applicable actions would be taken to resolve the problem.
6.3.6 Non availability of experienced technical staff of contractor.
One of the important concerns for selecting the contractor is whether the contractor has sufficient
experienced technical staff who are capable of performing the duties. A mechanism should be set
to study the contractor resources, whether the contractor has sufficient technical staff or not. If
the mechanism is already exists, then it needs to be developed to obtain better results. On the
other hand, the contractors need to prepare their organization with a strategically planning
scheme, so they could train and equip their personnel with a modern technology and knowledge
to perform better in the projects. So capacity building programs are needed to improve the
performance of the project staff to deliver better services to the projects.
6.3.7 Late in reviewing and approving design documents by client.
The client has to accelerate evaluation and approval of the design documents in order to avoid
delay. For this purpose, qualified personnel are required to undertake this process and usually the
client hires personnel including a project manager or design engineer for reviewing and
approving the design documents with the coordination and approval of the client based on the
planning and survey phases. In addition, the client has to consider hiring well-qualified personnel
for their projects in order to speed up the required tasks and avoid delay in the project. The
government should build a transparent and effective system to monitor and evaluate the
projects from the beginning to the end, and as well the government need to take necessary action
for the development of the logical project management. If the client of the project lacks the
professionals for the design documents approval, then employing professionals in the project is
very important; it could prevent projects from the different threats.
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6.3.8 Lack of communication and coordination between the parties.
According to PMI, 2013; communication is one of the major reasons for failure or success of a
project. Proper communication is required between all project members and stakeholders.
Communication is a doorway for better performance in the project. Communication improves the
relationship between project members and stakeholders and creates trust among them. For better
communication the project manager should identify different communication techniques, the
kind of information they need and what kind of information the other stakeholders would
require. And the personality they need for interacting effectively with the other stakeholders.
Good communication is the way for effective coordination between all project parties.
Additionally, delay could be reduced by joint efforts of the project stakeholders. Therefore, the
client has to build a system for smooth and easy communication between the project members
and stakeholders (Client, Consultant and Contractor). Good internal and external communication
is necessary for managing projects effectively. Internal communication between the project
members and external communication between the project stakeholders. Good communication
ensures a smooth way for information sharing among the project stakeholders. A project
manager needs to have a good communication with all the personnel involved in the project as
well as the project stakeholders, unless the project manager decides to do everything himself.
Communication is a tool that the project manager communicates his ideas, plans and instructions
to the personnel. Communication could be formal and informal. Formal communication is
required in the case of sharing technical information with the project stakeholders.
Lester (2014) recommends the informal communication as the most effective way of interaction
between the project team. Also communication plan is necessary for project managers to keep a
project on task. On the other hand, project communication plan sets a standard for how and when
communication takes place. Setting a standard such as meetings, memos, mails and phone calls
are required for communication. Weekly meeting with project staff will keep them updated of
the project. Good communication among the project members will enable them to be productive,
so they would be equipped with the necessary information and they keep working rather then
stopping and seeking information they miss. Communication will keep all the project stake
holders informed of the project activities and they would be updated of the necessary
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information. If some stakeholder is not informed of the project, there is possibility that the
project would face risk of delay.
6.3.9 Delay in delivery of materials to site by contractor.
Contractors need to improve the capacity of their personnel in order to perform the activities
effectively and efficiently so that the project would not face any challenge. Proper planning and
scheduling of the project from the beginning to the end is needed. Also work to match and track
the activities and resources.
Lester (2014) discusses that in order to insure that all the equipment and required materials are
delivered at the correct location, a tracking system is needed to be informed about the location of
materials. So tracing technique is necessary for the transport of materials to the site. In the case
of overseas purchasing, the contractor needs to ensure that there is no shipping, landing, or
customs problems. Therefore, contractors should be required to have a strategic plan and
applicable routes for delivery of material to the site at the very early stages of implementation.
The client as the owner of the project needs to properly monitor and control the activities of the
contractors in the case of delivery of the materials to the site. Also the contractor needs to
communicate the applicable delivery routs to the project stakeholders, so if the contractor faces
challenges, the other stakeholders could find appropriate way to shift the materials to the site.
6.3.10 Inadequate contractor experience.
An effective method of selecting contractors is required in order to evaluate the companies
before awarding a project. Criteria should be set to scrutinize the experience of the contactors
properly to ensure that the contractors have enough and required experience and qualified
personnel for undertaking the project. The success of a project depends on the capacity and
experience of a contractor. The personnel involved in a project should have enough capability
and proficiency to accomplish the duties effectively and efficiently towards achieving the goals
of the organization.
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As mainly domestic construction industry emerged after the collapse of Taliban regime in
2001with fewer resources and less knowledge of construction works including scheduling and
quality management so after taking the projects the contractors were unable to complete the
projects at the designated time and project caused delay. The delays were caused due to different
factors including underestimation of time, lack of knowledge of project scheduling, and improper
allocation of resources to the project activities.
The government of Afghanistan should design a committee to evaluate all the construction firms
including their resources, capacity, financial capability, performance quality based on criteria
which has been formulated by the committee members. Then if the construction company
succeeded in fulfilling all the requirements, then a certificate would be awarded to construction
firms and thus enable them to undertake construction projects in Afghanistan. The case with The
formation of the committee members, the project management professionals and academics
would be effective towards the selection of the proper firms for the certification purpose.
6.3.11 Political influences and warlords’ intervention.
The government has to take necessary steps to minimize the influence and intervention of
political figures and warlords from interfering in the activities of the projects. However, it would
be difficult for a single organization to resolve this issue, but all related government institutions
need to cooperate and coordinate with each other for eradicating the influences of the warlords
and political leaders. Also, the government has to formulate an initiative to minimize the political
leaders power and local commanders’ authority to impact on the projects activities.
In 2001 after the collapse of Taliban regime, the people hoped that the warlords will go behind
bars for what they have committed in 19th century in Afghanistan. But warlords while they may
have thousands of armed men at their command are much more powerful than expected, some of
them turned out to be parliament members though democratic election, and some has been
appointed as provincial governors, so most of them were appointed as the high ranking officials
in the government of Afghanistan in order to keep the security stable in the region where they
have influence. However, it is difficult for the government to completely remove political
influences and warlord intervention from the development projects but for the long term the
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government can take necessary steps to formulate initiatives to eradicate their influence and
gradually bring the warlord into justice and give equal opportunities to all citizens of the country
to be involved in the public administration specially in high rank positions based on their
knowledge and educations. As well the Afghan and the international civil society required to
hold the government of Afghanistan accountable to remove the warlords from the high ranking
positions and minimize their influence from all the development projects in Afghanistan.
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59
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Appendices
Questionnaire about Project delay
Dear Sir/ Madam,
My name is Ahmad Khalid Afridi and I am master’s student of Yamaguchi University of Japan;
moreover, I am writing my thesis about the Projects Delay, which is a very frequent phenomenon
and is almost associated with nearly all constructing projects in Afghanistan.
This research work attempts to identify, investigate, and rank factors perceived to affect delays in
the Afghanistan’s construction projects with respect to their relative importance Index.
Through literature review, I have formulated this questionnaire with 30 Factors (that causes
projects delay) and have high potential of occurrence in Afghanistan.
Kindly indicate by ticking a column the relative importance of each of the causes of projects
delay in this questionnaire.
Project Delay,
Time is one of the most important parameters of a project, so if a project is not completed on
time, delay occurs. For example, a one-year project is completed in one and half year, in this
case 6 months’ delays occurred.
Your personal information such as Name, Occupation, Organization, and Contact info is needed
to keep records of my research and would be kept confidential and will not be used for any other
purpose.
Name: ____________________________________________________________
Occupation: ______________________________________________________
Organization: ____________________________________________________
Email add: ________________________________________________________
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Please tick the causes of Projects delay in accordance to it is importance from the following:
No
1
2
Causes of project delay
Delay in progress payments by
client
Ineffective planning and
scheduling of project by
contractor
3
Financial difficulties by
contractor
4
Slowness in decision making
process by client
5
Late in reviewing and approving
design documents by client
6
Lack of communication and
coordination between the parties
7
8
9
10
11
Poor site management and
supervision of contractors by
consultant and client
Rework due to the mistakes
during construction stages
Problems with subcontractors
Inadequate contractor
experience
Low productivity level of labors
12
Shortage of materials in the
market
13
Low motivation and morale of
labor
14
Scope changes by client during
construction
15
16
17
Insufficient controlling and
monitoring by consultant and
client
Contractors with political clout
Long waiting time for approval
Very
Important
Important
Less
Important
Not
Important
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of tests and inspection by
consultant
18
Political influences and warlord
intervention
19
Non-availability of experienced
technical staff of contractor
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Unrealistic contract duration
Delay in delivery of materials to
site
Controlling subcontractors by
main contractor in the execution
of work
Changes in materials types and
specifications during
construction
Excessive bureaucracy in project
owner operation
Materials price changes due to
the Currency fluctuation
Late procurement of materials
Lack of incentives for contractor
to finish ahead of schedule
Unreliable suppliers
29
Impractical allocation of
resources
30
Unclear and inadequate details
in drawings
Thank you for taking the time to fill out this survey, it will help me to analyze top 10 factors that
causes projects delay in Afghanistan and finally to recommend the appropriate solutions to
avoid/minimize the causes.
Sincerely Yours
Ahmad Khalid Afridi
Master’s Student
Department of Economics
Yamaguchi University
Yamaguchi, Japan