Determinants of delay in small construction projects: evidence from Brazil

Despite the vast literature addressing the main causes of delays in construction projects, the influence of the size of the project remains ill-explored. To fill this gap, the determinants of delays in completing small construction projects (SCP) were analyzed. Based on prevalent literature on large projects, a six-factor theoretical structure was proposed. This theoretical structure was reduced from 6 factors (23 variables) to 3 factors (11 variables) through exploratory factor analysis. The data were gathered from a survey of professionals in the Brazilian construction industry, resulting in a sample of 106 valid respondents. Results show that variables and explanatory factors for the delay in completing SCP are contextual and economically dependent. Specifically, they evidenced the prominence of causes related to ‘Quality of design’, ‘Manpower’, and ‘Materials’. Compared with the dominant literature, they indicate significant differences in delay causes between SCP and larger projects. The study can improve SCP management practices as project and construction managers could apply the findings to guide decision-making processes throughout all project phases and to design methods and techniques to improve efficiency and reduce delays in the sector. Ten practical recommendations were provided from a multilevel perspective (firm, industry and society level). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to address the wide range of causes of delays in completing SCP in the Brazilian context using a structured quantitative method.