Important Factors for Success of Public Construction Projects

Modern public construction projects involve multiple stakeholders, such as designers; contractors, subcontractors, construction managers, consultants, and specialists from different disciplines. In a multi-agency work environment, it is natural to have clash of objectives and interests among the different stakeholders. The objective of public project management is to ensure the success of a project which not only involves managing the schedule, cost, and quality, generally known as 'the iron triangle', but also satisfying a number of other performance criteria, such as avoiding disputes, and complying with safety norms. Identification of the success factors is considered the key to achieving success in these projects. Through an extensive literature review, 36 success factors were identified and a questionnaire-based survey was undertaken to elicit views of construction professionals on the criticality of these factors for the success of public-construction projects. The responses from 105 professionals with an average of 22 years of experience in public construction projects in India were collected and analyzed using ANOVA and most important factors for success for various success criteria are presented. The success factors of generic nature are:. owners need thoroughly understood and defined, a high degree of trust shared by project participants, timely and valuable decision from top management, availability of resources as planned throughout the project, top management's support, and regular monitoring and feedback by top management, whereas success factors of specific nature are: thorough understanding of scope on the part of project manager and contractor, comprehensive pretender site investigation, regular monitoring and feedback by owner, no bureaucratic interference, no social and political interference, clearly articulated scope of work, quality control and quality assurance activities, and adequate communication among all project participants. The results would be helpful to public construction project professionals in taking proactive measures for successful completion of public projects.