Sample one

4 Research objectives and methodology

The research is proposed to improve current construction practices of determining
the
construction cost and controlling the cost of non-infrastructural project. The
objectives of the
research are as follows
- To identify the causes of cost overrun and their impact on project performance at
various
stages of the project
- To identify cost performance risk indicators and its frequency of occurrence in the
project
life cycle and thereby accurate cost can be predicted
The proposed methodology includes;
- Studying the literature on construction cost performance, cost overrun and its
causes.
- Doing the case/ethnographical studies to observe the cost performance and to
collect the
data. Empirical evidence of cost performance risk factors, cost overrun and its causes
were
studied
- Questionnaire surveys and interviews were conducted with the stakeholders and
professionals in Indian construction. The questionnaire was designed based on
review of
related literature and ethnographic studies. Statistical analysis was employed to
discover
the linkages between the cost overrun, risks involved and their impact on project
performance.
- Identifying and categorizing the causes and impact of overrun in different stages of
the
project so as to develop a theoretical framework that portrays the occurrence of cost
overrun at different stages of the project execution. It will demonstrate the
relationships
between types of cost overrun, its causes, and corresponding management
approaches.
Thus, the understanding of the costs and cost related risks, risks and risk related
costs with
respect to the project cost performance will be emphasized. The framework will sort
the
cost overrun causes and their occurrence with respect to the project progress. It will
recognize and describe patterns of relationships among causes, overrun and
corresponding
management methodologies. This can be used as an indicator to predict the risk
involved in
the project execution at various stages and for the stakeholders.
5 Questionnaire survey
5.1 Questionnaire design
The questionnaire has been designed in such a way that it considers the objective of
the study
with the aim to answer the research questions. Based on an extensive literature
review and
input from industry experts, sixty eight factors that causes cost overrun were
identified as
shown in the Table.1. To validate the listed factors with respect to Indian construction
sector,
few discussions and feedback sessions were conducted with the industry
professionals.
5.2 Contents of the questionnaire
The questionnaire has two sections comprising general information and the causes of
cost
overrun. The major causes of cost over-runs from the literature have been listed and
the
respondents were asked to state the frequency of causes of cost over-run happening
in their
past or current projects. The reply has been noted in terms of five point likert scale
for each
of the listed causes that was organised in the form of frequency scaling ( 1 = never, 2
=
seldom, 3 = sometimes, 4 = often , 5= always).The questionnaire was distributed to
planning
managers and cost consultants of 15 mega sized non-infrastructural projects like
residential,
commercial, hotel etc. The objective of the questionnaire survey is
MATEC Web of Conferences 120, 02023 (2017) DOI: 10.1051/matecconf/20171200
ASCMCES-17
2023
4
- To confirm the findings of cost over-run from the literature, in lieu with industry
practices
- To understand the existence of cost overrun / risk factors in Indian construction
(non infrastructure) projects
- To establish the relative importance of the various factors responsible for cost
overruns
- To understand the linkages between the causes of overrun

Sample Two

The factors causing cost overrun of construction projects were identified in the
literature and were categorized into client, contractor and external related factors.
This study adopted a quantitative approach in carrying out the research and used a
stratified simple random sampling technique to collect the relevant data. The
population for this study comprised contractors' companies that registered with the
Construction Industry Board Malaysia (CIDB) and the quantity surveying firms that
registered with the Board of Quantity Surveyors in Malaysia. A total of 25 quantity
surveying firms and 201out of the 420 Grade 7 contractors participated in the survey.
With reference to Enshassi’s et al. [19] prescription, this research used a 5-point
Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5 as follows: 1 = Not significant, 2 = Slightly significant,
3 = Moderately significant, 4 = Very significant, and 5 = Extremely significant.
Respondents were requested to rate a list of 35 factors causing cost overruns from 1
to 5.

Sample three

The research methodology for present study has adopted questionnaire survey to
identify significant factors influencing cost overruns in construction projects. To
identify cost overruns factors, literature reviews, discussion with experts were carried
out. From existing literature on the construction industry it was possible to identify
certain major effects of cost overrun on project delivery. A questionnaire was then
drawn up. As the outcome of review 45 factors of cost overrun were identified. These
questionnaires were distributed to Owners and Contractors of construction Industry.
The data from the questionnaire was analyzed statistically. The perspective of owner
and contractor has been analyzed to rank the causes of cost overruns based on their
Relative important index . Relative important index method was used for hierarchal
assessment of factors and found out the top most significant factors of cost overruns.
The questionnaire was designed so that it is easy to read and responses are easy to
fill in. An ordinal scale of measurement will be applied for data measurement in
questionnaire survey. These sections were designed to obtain the responses on a
ordinal scale that indicates the relative importance of various cost overrun. Ordinal
scale use in this study will be adopted from (Enshassi et al. 2009) i.e Extremely
Significant (E.S); Very Significant (V.S); Slightly Significant (S.S) and Not Significant
(N.S). However, abbreviation replace with numbers i.e 1 for not significant (0%); 2 for
slightly significant (25%); 3 for moderately significant; 4 for very significant (75%) and
5 for extremely significant (100). will be adopted to understand the perception of
personnel of the owner and contractors involved in handling construction projects.
For reliability of data Authors decided the minimum experience of respondents
(owner and contractor) as 10 years. The questionnaire has been given personally to
the respondents and communicated to fill without hesitation or with no bias.
Questionnaire has been also given to the Class I Gazette Officers or reliable
colleagues. In the study Relative Important index (RII) have been employed and
calculated for ranking of causes of cost overrun in the construction project. The RII is
used to rank the different causes. These rankings make it possible to cross-compare
the relative importance of the factors as perceived by the two groups of respondents
(i.e. owner and contractors). Each individual cause’s RII perceived by all respondents
should be used to assess the general and overall rankings in order to give an overall
picture of the causes of construction cost overrun in construction industry. All the
numerical scores of each of the identified factors were transformed to relative
importance indices to determine the relative ranking of the factors. Higher the value
of RII, more important is the cause of cost overrun. Dhanashree et al., International
Journal of Advance Research in Computer Science and Management Studies Volume
As discussed earlier questionnaire survey have been carried out among the two
major participants namely Government and Private representative from construction
projects firms. The respondents involved in the survey had several years of
experience (more than 10 years minimum) in handling various types of projects such
as buildings, roads and bridges. Total 50 sets of questionnaires were distributed, 37
responses were received. Table-1. shows brief Summary of survey conducted. The
respondents are senior employees of their companies and holding executive and
managerial position. The reliability of the survey results is expected to be high
because all the respondents are top-level experienced management officials in their
organizations

Sample four
3.1 Introduction Cost overrun in construction projects are as a result of many causes.
Each cost overrun causes have different rate of occurrences and impact on the
project cost at completion. Some causes may happen frequently but their impacts on
cost may be less severe. Whereas some other causes may happen rarely but their
impact may be severe. Therefore, it is necessary to identify cost overrun causes
based on both occurrences and their impact, in order to rank their overall effects on
cost overrun. This helps to prioritize the factors and, hence to determine the
mitigation actions to be taken. In this chapter, the research design and methodology
followed to achieve the ultimate goal of the research which is specified previously
will be discussed. In addition data and information sources, research instruments,
sample size and method of analysis are presented. 3.2 Research Design The strategy
followed in this research was first started with problem identification which has been
done through unstructured literature review, archival study and informal discussion
with colleagues and professionals in the sector; and then the research design was
formulated. Then data and information sources were determined based on the
formulated research design. On the basis of the data and information sources the
research instruments were decided; and available documentary sources relevant to
the research were reviewed. The review include books, journals, internet sources and
other documents. After an in-depth literature review and desk study a questionnaire
listing the various causes of cost overruns were distributed to reputed construction
contractors clients and consultants to get their professional opinion based on
experience. Upon obtaining the desired data, checking and sorting of data has been
done. The data were then analyzed for cross-checking the validity and conformity of
the information obtained through the overall research work. This was followed by
thorough discussions in order to draw a conclusion and to forward recommendations
based on the findings of the study. An objective type survey design was used for this
research. It was attempted collect data from relevant population to rank the causes
of cost overrun on the basis of importance. This survey-based research design has
been selected as it is useful in demonstrating the prevalence of the problem
throughout the population. Once the distribution of the problem has been
determined and major causes identified, it may be possible to get hints on how to
prevent the problem. It also helps to identify differences among groups and to
recommend possible remedies to be taken by respective stakeholders. 3.3 Sources Of
Data And Research Instrument The research instrument used to identify and rank
causes of cost overrun in this research was questionnaire survey. It was employed to
get professional opinion and other relevant data through questionnaire. Besides this
a literature review to develop conceptual basis for the study was also conducted.
Through the literature review, potential causes leading to cost overrun, effects of cost
overrun and methods of controlling and managing cost were identified. The review
provided the basis to design the questionnaire which was distributed to professionals
involved in the construction sector. Causes Of Cost Overrun In Construction
International organization of Scientific Research 5 | P a g e Owing to the large
number of public agencies that own construction projects and the large number of
contracting and consulting companies that undertake work for public agencies a
survey by questionnaire was found appropriate. The questionnaire was designed in
such a way as to get high response rate from respondents. Only closed-ended
questions and Likert Scale options were used so that responding was easier. A pilot
study is conducted with an experienced person in the construction industry who was
asked to critically review the design and structure of the questionnaire, to ensure
that the questionnaire will serve its purpose when distributed to stakeholders in the
industry namely, clients, contractors and consultants. For the questionnaire survey,
the respondents were randomly selected from construction sector. Care was taken to
select different respondents from contractor, client and consultant groups. The
questionnaires were given to potential respondents either personally and in a few
cases through e-mail. The questionnaire consisted of close-ended questions.