International Journal of Applied Engineering Research ISSN 0973-4562 Volume 11, Number 18 (2016) pp.

9526-9533
© Research India Publications. http://www.ripublication.com

Causes and Effects of Delay Factors in Road Construction Projects in Sudan

Khalid Khair1, Hazir Farouk2, Zainai Mohamed3 and R. Mohammad3
1 Khartoum State Roads, Bridges and Drainage Corporation, P.O. Box 3113, 11111 Khartoum, Sudan.
E-mail: khalidkhair69@gmail.com
2 School of Mechanical Engineering, Sudan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 407, 11111 Khartoum, Sudan.

E-mail: hazirfaroug@sustech.edu.
3UTM Razak School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra 54100,

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. E-mail: zainai.kl@utm.my, mroslina.kl@utm.my

* Correspondence: khalidkhair69@gmail.com

Abstract. where the responsibility for road construction works rests

This paper summarises research into the major causes of road
construction project delays in Sudan. The research approach
was to identify the different types of construction delays, their
causes and effects from different perspectives, in order to
determine the impact and the level of importance of the
identified delay factors on road construction projects in
Sudan. Drawing on the findings from a detailed literature
review, a closed loop questionnaire was constructed and used
to collect quantitative data from 100 experts and professionals
drawn from Sudan’s roads construction industry. A relative
importance index (RII) method was used to rank the level of
importance of the identified delay factors and to determine
their individual impact on the overall project delay. The
results indicate that cost-overrun and time-overrun factors
have the highest delay impact on road construction projects in
Sudan, with RII values of 0.840 and 0.780 respectively.
Furthermore, the study found that each delay factor has a
different level of impact on the overall project delay, and that
the most effective method to minimize delays in road
construction projects in Sudan is the choice of a project
manager with sufficient knowledge and experience relevant to
project management, and the use of appropriate tools and
techniques for the project.
Keywords: Roads construction projects, delays, Sudan.
more on the private sector. This makes it more difficult to
generalize about the causes and effects of project delays as
well as about the methodologies to be adopted in minimizing
these delays which are prevalent in the road construction
industry.
This study therefore attempts to investigate the major causes
of road construction project delays specific to Sudan, by
identifying the different types of construction delays, their
causes and effects from different perspectives, in order to
determine the impact and the level of importance of the
identified delay factors in road construction projects in Sudan.
The paper is ordered as follows: Issues of identifying and
ranking the delay factors; the significant effects of delay
factors on road construction projects in Sudan; and
discussions on possible methods that will minimize the effects
of delay in road construction projects in Sudan.
DELAY FACTOR ISSUES
Several studies have in the recent past attempted to classify
road construction project delays and differentiate them based
on their context (Rosazuwad, 2010; Chai and Yusof, 2015;
Elawi et al., 2015). Based on these studies, construction delay
factors can be grouped into three main categories; excusable
delays with compensation, excusable delays without
compensation, and non-excusable delays.

INTRODUCTION Excusable delays with compensation

Construction delay can be defined as the time overrun either
beyond the contracted date or beyond the date that the parties
have agreed upon for the delivery of the project (Marzouk and
El-Rasas, 2014). In the road construction industry, project
delays can occur due to the prolongation of the construction
time due to disruptive events that hamper the construction
workflow (Shebob et al., 2012). Moreover, these delays have
a negative impact both on the contractors and on the
beneficiaries of the completed projects.
Construction delays are a common phenomenon in most
countries, particularly in the developing ones. Many studies
have shown that construction delays have negative effects on
clients, contractors, and consultants (Ghaffari, 2013; Marzouk
and El-Rasas, 2014). The causes and effects of these delay
factors in the road construction industry vary from country to
country, due to different environments and the techniques
applied in the construction processes. In Sudan for instance,
where government is the sole client for road construction
projects, the set of factors are bound to influence delays are
different to delay factors common for developed countries
These are delays that are due to an unforeseeable event
beyond the contractor’s or the subcontractor’s control and
usually caused by the client's actions or inactions. When
contractors encounter this type of delay, they are entitled to
time extension as well as monetary compensation due to the
delay. An example of an excusable delay with compensation
is when an owner denies access to the site after the notice to
proceed is issued. This type of delay happens in some
unexpected situations, but is not due to the contractor's
mistake (Chai and Yusof, 2015; Elawi et al., 2015).
Excusable delays without compensation
This type of delays occurs where neither the client nor the
contractor is deemed responsible. When this type of delay is
encountered, only a time extension will be warranted since
there are no grounds for damages. This delay allows for time
extension to finish construction without giving any
compensation to the contractor. The factors that cause this
type of delay include protest from the labour force,
unexpected weather conditions preventing or affecting work,

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unexpected late delivery of equipment, and unexpected late Table I: Causes of delays in road construction projects
delivery of material (Adam et al., 2015). (Salunkhe & Patil, 2014)

Non-excusable delays 1. Contractor’s inadequate planning & scheduling.

This happens due to the contractor ignoring agreed terms in 2. Lack of experience of contractor in decision-making.
3. Contractor’s slowness in site mobilization.
the construction contract. Clients can claim their loss if it is 4. Contractor’s slowness in preparation of documents
spelt out in the contract agreement. These delays have to be 5. Contractor’s poor site management & supervision.
identified by client because they rarely check the construction Contractor- 6. Conflicts with sub-contractor.
project schedule. Factors that contribute to this type of delay Related Delay 7. Reworking of construction faced by contractor.
Factors 8. Contractor incompatibility with new technology?
are usually foreseeable weather-related delays, delays caused 9. Inexperience of contractor with new software.
by the subcontractor, inefficiency of the contractor in 10. Poor managerial skills of contractor.
managing the construction site, mismanagement of the project 11. Inadequate handling of project progress by contractor.
finances by contractor, lack of labour, failure to manage work 12. Lack of risk analysis & management by contractor.
13. Communication barriers faced by consultant.
according to contract schedule, and frequent but avoidable
mistakes or failure to fulfil owner’s specification (Vasilyeva- 1. Slowness in approving drawing by the consultant.
2. Inadequate authority given to consultant to take
Lyulina et al., 2015). decision.
Although these summarize the major types of road 3. Mistakes in consultant’s drawings.
construction projects delays, Shebob et al. (2012) identified 4. Consultant’s inexperience.
other factors, that include compromised quality, poor site 5. Financial difficulties affecting the consultant.
6. Lack of practical (working) knowledge by the
management, government regulations, inadequate planning consultant.
Consultant-
and resources, and site environmental conditions. However, Related Delay 7. Lack of co-ordination of consultant with contractor.
when compared with the findings of Nyasetia et al. (2016), Factors 8. Consultant’s ability of leadership.
the different delay factors identified in roads construction 9. Conflicts of consultant with design engineer changes
in specification during construction by consultant.
project can be streamlined into four major categories as 10. Inadequate site information given to consultant.
follows: Contractor-related factors, Consultant-related factors, 11. Delay in handover of site to contractor.
Owner-related factors, and Other factors (including materials, 12. Conflicts between consultant & contractor.
labour and equipment, project factors, and delays due to 13. Complexity of project design faced by consultant.
14. Communication barriers faced by consultant.
external factors). A summary of all the road construction
delay factors identified in literature is presented in Table 1. 1. Late revising & approving of relevant documents by
owner
From Table 1, it is obvious that the delays in road 2. Contract changes by owner during construction
construction projects are influenced by a wide range of factors Owner/Client- 3. Delays in payments for completed work by owner.
and related issues. This phenomenon is usually accompanied Related Delay 4. Lack of communication & co-ordination by owner.
by cost overruns, which have negative effects on clients, Factors 5. Conflicts between owners in a joint ownership.
6. Suspension of work due to owner.
contractors, and consultants. For the owner, delay means loss 7. Misunderstandings in technical dealing with vendors
of income and unavailability of facilities. For the contractor, and contractors.
on the other hand, delay means loss of money for extra 1. Shortage of material.
spending on equipment and materials and hiring labour and 2. Changes in quality of material.
3. Frequent unexpected modifications in specification of
loss of time. All these negative effects can result in litigation, material during construction.
arbitration, cash flow problems, and a general feeling of 4. Slow process of material selection.
trepidation about each other. The causes of delay therefore Material-
5. Poor material management.
were different for different parties (Motaleb, 2014). 6. Material damage in storage.
Related Delay
7. Escalation of material prices.
Al-Kharashi and Skitmore (2009) state that factors responsible Factors
8. Lateness in finalizing finishing material due to
for road construction project delays vary from country to availability of certainties in market.
country. For example, in developing countries where 9. Insufficient turnover & start-up resources makes
governments are the sole owners of road construction projects, project slow.
10. Materials not in right place when needed.
it can be argued that the three major factors that significantly 11. Untimely delivery of labour
influence the growth of road construction industry include 1. Poor labour supply & labour productivity.
national economic growth, government spending, and level of 2. Disputes in labour & labour strikes.
demand by the communities (Tang et al., 2003). Thus, for 3. Unavailability of equipment.
African countries like Sudan, where government is the sole 4. Delay in equipment delivery.
5. Shortage of recent technology equipment.
owner of road construction projects, different factors are 6. Large or long lead-time equipment not received as
bound to influence delays. Okpala and Aniekwu (1988) had Labour &
requested.
Equipment-
earlier posited that governments, especially those of 7. No use of checklist.
Related Delay
8. Unavailability of equipment lists & related design
developing countries, were chiefly concerned with road Factors
data.
construction. Thus, based on literature findings, it can be said 9. Shortage of operators.
that the chief causes and effects of delays factors in the road 10. Space limitations at site for temporary & permanent
construction industry vary from country to country, due to equipment.
different environments and the techniques applied which 11. Lack of safety effective inspection & expediting visits
project
affect the construction processes.

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1. Traffic control at site.
2. Changes in site conditions.
3. Unforeseen ground conditions.
4. Insufficient data collections & survey.
Project- 5. Changes in site topography after design.
Related Delay 6. Restricted access.
Factors 7. Accidents on site.
8. Problems due to existing structures.
9. Unavailability of utilities in site area.
10. Rework due to error in construction.
1. Inclement weather effects.
External- 2. Inaccurate cost estimates.
Related Delay 3. Restriction due to site location.
Factors 4. Changes in government regulation & laws
EFFECTS OF DELAYS
Time and cost overruns have been identified as the main
effect of delays, which are a recurring problem in the road
construction industry. However, some researchers have
identified other effects of road construction project delays.
Kikwasi (2013), for example, identified cost and time overrun,
compromised quality, arbitration, disputes, litigation, low
profit margin or financial loss, revocation of contract, and
total abandonment of project as some of the resulting effects
of delays. All these delays have severe negative consequences
on both the construction firm and the client (Salunkhe and
Patil, 2014).
Al-Khalil and Al-Ghafly (1999) examined the relationship
between the schedule, scope of work, and project conditions
in the road construction sector. They observed that any
changes in one or more of these three items can affect the
compensation level and time of completion. It has been
argued that it is necessary to create awareness for the causes
of project schedule delays, their frequency, and the extent to
which they adversely affect project delivery. Kaliba et al
(2009) noted that delays of construction projects are a
universal phenomenon, especially in the road construction
projects, and that their consequences were different for
different parties. The general consequences of delays
however, are loss of wealth, time and capacity.
Thus, based on the literature reviewed in this section, it is
obvious that in order to address delay issues in the
construction industry, a systematic methodology must be put
in place to militate against these delays and so, minimize their
consequences. This may involve several modalities such as
ensuring that estimates are prepared properly by experienced
professionals, and that clients should provide a clear brief of
the scope of work. Furthermore, consultants should ensure
that the design and specifications fall within the approved
budget and the budget team should be appointed early and
they should participate in the design process. All parties must
also assess the risk and impact of less likely situations that
may significantly impact a project. Closer consultant
coordination is required at the design stage, and utilization of
an experienced consultant to produce a concluding design,
working drawings, and contract drawings, should be done at
the tender stage. In addition, maintaining proper
communication channels and documentation is very important
in terms of order management variations. Halwatura and
Ranasinghe (2013) concluded in their study on the causes of
delay in road construction projects that in order to minimize
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the effects of delays in construction projects, adequate
planning in advance is required by all involved parties before
commencement of work at the site.
METHODS FOR MINIMIZING DELAYS IN ROAD
CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Different studies have in the past proposed different
approaches and techniques in an attempt to address project
delays in the road construction sector. Although some
variations and differences in degree exist among all these
previous techniques and approaches, an understanding of their
weakness and strengths will help this study in adopting a
better approach in tackling these delay issues, particularly
within the context of Sudan based on the different influential
factors already identified in the course of this literature
review.
The method proposed by Abdul Rahman et al. (2013)
supposed that financial issues should be given considerable
importance by ensuring that there is an effective mechanism
for making timely payment from client to contractor, from
contractor to sub-contractor, and to suppliers and staff. Based
on the significant impact of equipment-related factors on
project execution, they also recommended that construction
firms should have sufficient materials at hand to ensure a
smooth supply throughout the project construction phase, and
to invest heavily on the latest machinery, tools and
technology, rather than to source them on rental basis.
Memon et al. (2014) recommended that proper planning of
work, committed leadership and management, and effective
communication system can be very helpful in improving time
performance. Harisaweni (2007) developed a framework to
minimize the effects of delay factors in road construction
projects in Padang and Pekanbaru, Indonesia. All these
frameworks show that the cycling steps in each framework are
almost the same and they also have the same purpose which is
to control the project. However, the framework of Bakhary et
al. (2016) proposed a more concise description than others
because it gave detailed descriptions of the possible actions
and endeavors. The key concept of previous frameworks,
which can be used as a basis for developing a theoretical
framework, is summarized in Table 2.
From the above discussions and Table 2, it is clear that the use
of a structured framework will help provide a more systematic
approach for the road construction process, and a sequence of
logical steps for implementation based on predefined activities
at each stage of the project. Moreover, having a clear
approach for undertaking the project will help in identifying
delays at the early stages of the project and hence overcome
the consequent effects of such delays. This will help the
project manager and the project team to easily monitor and
control the progress of their assigned tasks, which helps
minimize delays and progresses the project itself.
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Table 2: An analysis of different frameworks
perspectives
No. Framework – Key concept Reference
This framework described what has to be done in the
monitoring, evaluating and remedying phases of the
control loop and also gives detailed descriptions of Bakhary
1 the possible action that contractors should take in
each step. The basic approach of this framework is
comparing the actual or anticipated final time and
cost of work items against predetermined standards.
This framework described a step-by-step
methodology that project team should follow if faced
2
with the changes in their project plan before the best
decision or a revised project plan can be made.
This framework described Ritz (1994) definition in
the key function of the project management system,
3
but a detailed input part and time and cost cycle in
project that must be shown was not described.
This framework described the basic mechanism of
the control function that keeps the work of the
4
project on target & accordance with plans to meet the al. (2016)
goals and it have to be developed.
The periodic cycle in this framework is used for the
day-to-day time and cost control of the project during
5 incorrect soil analysis, conflict among the involved parties and
the process not only in the planning stages. It is
described in the general stages.
SURVEY RESULTS AND FINDINGS
A total of 100 respondents were distributed with
questionnaires. The respondents were randomly drawn from
the roads construction industry in Sudan. The collected
primary data were analyzed quantitatively using Statistical
Package for Social Science (SPSS 16.0) to determine the
factors that contribute to project delays and their
corresponding effects based on respondents’ opinions. The
Relative Important Index (RII) technique was used to rank and
categorize the identified factors based on their level of
contribution in minimizing delays in road construction
projects in Sudan. Each delay factor was calculated using the
equation:
RII = ………………………. (1)
Where,
W ≡ is weight given to each factor by the respondents
(ranging from 1 to 5).
X ≡ is frequency of responses given for each factor.
A ≡ is highest weight (i.e. 5 in this case).
N ≡ is the total number of respondents.
Note: 0 ≤ RII ≤ 1.
RII is useful for filtering the significant issues, adding
attributes or missing relatives, and grouping and classification
of data (Gündüz, Nielsen and Özdemir, 2012). Details of the
results and findings are presented and discussed in the
following subsections.
Factors that cause road construction project delays in
Sudan
In this subsection, the results of the analyses of the delay
factors that were identified by all respondents from the survey
study is presented and discussed. These include contractor-
related factors, consultant-related factors, client-related
and factors, governmental-related factors, and external-related
factors.
I. Contractor-related delay factors:
In this category, the contractors-related factors that cause road
construction project delays based on the responses of the
respondents are: materials, machinery, manpower,
et al.
(2016) management and money. The results indicate that majority of
the respondents (with an aggregate total of 90 out of 100
respondents) believe that there is a strong correlation between
contractor related factors and materials, while an aggregate
Akinola
(2015)
total of 77 out of 100 respondents believe that there is a strong
correlation between contractors-related factors and machinery.
Also, an aggregate total of 83 out of 100, 90 out of 100, and
Gwaya 93 out of 100 respondents agree that there is a strong
(2016)
correlation between manpower, management and money, and
contractor-related factors, respectively.
Wang et
II. Consultant-related delay factors:
The response of the candidates who were asked to rate the
Adam consultant-related delay factors, which are: design changes,
(2015)
uncooperative consultant, delays in drawings or any other
documents preparations, delays in response to contractor, Poor
communication and coordination problems among involved
parties (consultant, contractors and owners), Frequent
variation in orders for the same task, Compensation issues and
disagreement on the valuation of work done, Mistakes in
specifications (frequent modifications/amendments) are
presented below in Figure 1.
Strongly Agree Agree Fairy Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Figure 1: . Consultant-related delay factors
III. Owner-related delay factors
In this category, the respondents were asked to rate the owner-
related delay factors i.e. delays in payment to contractor;
inadequate client finance and payments for completed work;
enforce unrealistic time schedule; poor communication and
coordination problems among involved parties (i.e.,
consultant, contractors and owners) and governmental
authorities, at different project stages; delays in handing over
project site; slowness in decision making; delays in response
to contractor or consultant (information delays due bad
decision-making process); excessive bureaucracy in
government-owner/contractor deals; project schedule changes;
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unnecessary interference in contractor work; damaging

Strongly Disagree Disagree Fairly Agree Agree Strongly Agree
penalties imposed on contractors; and uncooperative 40
owner/client. The results are shown in Figure 2. 35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

Figure 4: . External - related delay factors

Based on the results in this section, it is evident that the

findings of the survey are in agreement with the literature
review findings. It can therefore be concluded that the major
factors that cause road construction project delays in Sudan
can be grouped under five categories namely; contractor-
related factors, consultant-related factors, client-related
factors, governmental-related factors, and external-related
Figure 2: . Owner-related delay factors factors. Next is to determine the effects of these delay factors
so as to ascertain their level of impact on road construction
IV. Government regulations-related delay factors project delays.
Here, the respondents were asked to rate the government
regulations-related delay factors i.e., difficulties in completing
the documents and the verifications, fluctuation in rules and EFFECTS OF DELAYS IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION
regulations, high governmental fees, and state bureaucracy. PROJECTS IN SUDAN
The findings are shown in Figure 3. The data obtained from the survey study was used to examine
the effects of delays in road construction projects in Sudan.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Fairy Agree Agree Strongly Agree The effects examined include time and cost overrun, dispute,
50
45
arbitration, total abandonment, and litigation as shown in
40 Figure 5. The Relative Importance Index (RII) was used to
35 rank and categorize these delay factors in order to determine
30
25 their level of contribution in minimizing delays in road
20 construction projects in Sudan as presented in Table 3. It is
15
10
worthy to note that the importance of attributes for each factor
5 or group of factors is considered as being significant if the
0 value of the RII is greater than 0.5. However, all factors,
including those that the RII was less than 0.5, were considered
in the discussions so as to ascertain their significance to the
overall project delay.

Always Mostly Sometime Seldom Never

50
45
40
35
Figure 3: . Government regulations -related delay factors 30
25
20
15
10
V. External-related delay factors 5
0
Figure 4 reflects the respondents’ answers on the external
factors that causes delay in road construction projects in
Sudan. The external factors include; weather, traffic motion in
the project site, interference between different sub-contractors
tasks, and contractor’s attitude.

Figure 5: . Effects of delays factors in road construction

projects in Sudan

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Table 3. Effects of delays factors in road construction projects should be noted that any method with RII value above 0.5 is
in Sudan based on their ranks considered significant. This however shows a very high value
and signifies the superiority of the RII method over other
No. Effects of delay RII Rank methods as it gives room for many options (or methods) to
1 Cost overrun 0.840 1 choose from (or apply) in minimizing delays in road
2 Time overrun 0.780 2 construction projects.
3 Dispute 0.680 3
4 Arbitration 0.600 4 Table 4: The extent of influence of each identified delay
5 Litigation 0.600 4 factors to the overall project delay
6 Total abandonment 0.590 5
Methods RII Rank
According to the RII value which is calculated from the Choosing a project manager with sufficient knowledge
and experience of project management and the use of 0.880 1
survey data presented in Table III above, the six delay effects appropriate tools and techniques
are listed as follows: cost overrun effect has the highest RII Application of project management principles in the early
0.858 2
value at 0.840, followed by time overrun effect which has RII project stages
value of 0.780, then dispute effect which has 0.680 RII value, Site management and supervision 0.858 2
whereas arbitration and litigation effects both have 0.600 RII Complete and proper design at the right time 0.856 3
value each, and finally, the total abandonment effect which Make sure there is a clear plan included in the project
0.848 4
document before starting the project
has the lowest RII value of 0.590.
Proper project planning and scheduling 0.836 5
The findings therefore indicate that cost overrun has the most
Periodic review of progress for each project stage 0.832 6
significant effect on road construction project delays in Sudan.
Clear information and communication channels 0.824 7
The justification behind the increase of cost overrun with the
Effective strategic planning 0.822 8
delay time in road construction project might be due to the
Evaluation of each project stage before moving to another
additional costs incurred in fixing problems to the overall stage
0.816 9
project cost, such as labour cost and management cost as a Use appropriate construction methods 0.816 9
result of the extended delay time of the project. Moreover, the Proper material procurement 0.808 10
effects of these two major delay factors (i.e. cost overrun and Accurate initial cost estimates 0.802 11
time overrun) could sensitively implicate the other factors and Frequent coordination between the parties involved 0.798 12
may contribute to others effects like disputes, arbitration,
Use proper and modern construction equipment 0.794 13
litigation, and total abandonment (in cases where the cost of
Collaborative working in construction 0.780 14
continuing the project becomes infeasible).
Proper emphasis on past experience 0.776 15
Up-to-date technology utilization 0.772 16
Compressing construction durations 0.688 17
MINIMIZING DELAYS IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION
PROJECTS IN SUDAN
To be able to effectively minimize delays in road construction
projects, it is necessary to first identify the extent of influence CONCLUSION
of each delay factors on the overall project delay. Thus, based Road construction delays remain a major problem to
on the analysis of collected data, we ranked the methods developing countries. This is the particularly the case for
associated with these delay factors after calculating their RII Sudan, which has the second lowest road density in the world.
values as shown in Table 4. The method with the highest rank The causes and effects of construction delays have continued
or RII value provided the highest impact on minimizing the to result in severe economic and social losses for
delay time in road construction projects in Sudan. governments, contractors and for communities that would
Table 4 suggests that the choice of a project manager with otherwise benefit,. This study attempted to identify the major
sufficient knowledge and experience relevant to project causes and effects of road construction delays in Sudan, in
management and the use of appropriate tools and techniques order to determine their impact and level of importance in
for the project scored the highest RII value of 0.880 thereby road construction projects, with the intent of proposing ways
ranking first. This implies that to be able to effectively to minimize these effects. The reseachers undertook a detailed
minimize road construction delays in Sudan, project managers literature review on the causes and effects of road construction
must have sufficient knowledge and relevant experience in project delays and validated them through the approach of
project management. Also, appropriate tools and techniques doing a survey study.
must be employed for project executions. These will help to Based on the study findings, road construction delay factors
minimize the effects of cost overrun and time overrun, which can be divided into five major groups: contractor-related delay
were identified as the major effects of road construction factors, consultant-related delay factors, owner-related delay
delays in Sudan. factors, government-related delay factors, and external-related
However, some of the other methods can still minimize delays delay factors. This agrees with the literature review findings
in road construction projects in Sudan but with different levels (Nyasetia et al., 2016). The results further indicate that cost
of impact given that about 70% of these factors scored RII and time-overrun factors are the main results of delay in road
value above 0.8, and about 95% of the factors recorded RII construction projects in Sudan with highest RII values of
values of over 0.77, while none scored RII value below 0.5. It 0.840 and 0.780 respectively. Moreover, the most methods or

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strategies most likely or effective in minimizing delays in road
construction projects in Sudan were found to be the choice of
a project manager with sufficient knowledge and experience
relevant to project management, and the use of appropriate
tools and techniques for the project.
One limitation of this study is that it did not investigate the
correlation between each delay factor and the effects of delay,
in order to determine the significance of influence of each
delay factor on other delay factors identified in the study.
However, it used the RII method to examine the extent of
influence of each delay factor on the overall project delay
given that the scope of this study is to identify the causes and
effects of road construction project delays and to determine
ways to minimize these effects on the overall project delay.
Further studies may be carried out to investigate the
correlation between each delay factor and their corresponding
effects on other delay factors, by researchers who wish to
develop a model or framework applying to this domain.
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