Determinants of Construction Project Success in India

This study reflects exploratory work and attempts to identify and evaluate the success and failure attributes that would form a guideline for further study and to some extent help professionals to understand some critical factors having impact on project performance of construction in India. §A total of 55 attributes affecting the performance of a construction project are analysed for their criticality in influencing the four performance criteria: schedule, cost, quality, and no-dispute through a two-stage questionnaire survey. These attributes are then further analysed, interpreted and evaluated. §Based on the critical success factors obtained from the study, a neural network model based predictive model for project performance has been developed. The performance prediction models have been derived for all the four project performance criteria. Further, a hypothesis that project success is influenced by success traits has also been formulated. The hypothesized positive inter-relationships between success traits and project success have been tested using the structural equation modeling technique. §Besides supporting the intuition of past researchers in recognizing coordination as a key success factor, this study has revealed that coordination is not an isolated and independent activity, but is a typical management function having its inherent role in all the major management activities. Key elements affecting coordination have also been identified and their influence on coordination effort has been studied. Furthermore, the present study has also identified three broad skill groups required of an effective project coordinator. §The results are validated through case studies of live projects and structured interviews of experts in the field of construction management.