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Appropriate delay analysis techniques to analyse delays in road construction

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Article in Built Environment Project and Asset Management · November 2016

DOI: 10.1108/BEPAM-08-2015-0039

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 Built Environment Project and Asset Management
Appropriate delay analysis techniques to analyse delays in road construction
projects in Sri Lanka
E.M.K. Ekanayake B.A.K.S. Perera
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E.M.K. Ekanayake B.A.K.S. Perera , (2016),"Appropriate delay analysis techniques to analyse delays
in road construction projects in Sri Lanka", Built Environment Project and Asset Management, Vol. 6
Iss 5 pp. 521 - 534
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Appropriate delay analysis Road

construction
techniques to analyse delays projects in
Sri Lanka
in road construction projects
in Sri Lanka 521
Received 28 August 2015
E.M.K. Ekanayake and B.A.K.S. Perera Revised 18 February 2016
Department of Building Economics, University of Moratuwa, 26 March 2016
22 May 2016
Moratuwa, Sri Lanka Accepted 4 June 2016
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Abstract
Purpose – Delays represent one of the most critical factors that affect the cost of a construction
project. They have to be therefore analysed comprehensively using appropriate techniques.
The purpose of this paper is to find out the delay analysis techniques (DATs) that are most commonly
used in road projects in Sri Lanka, the extent of their usage, the criteria that can be used in selecting
them and the technique that is most appropriate for the selection.
Design/methodology/approach – The research methodology adopted included an extensive
literature review, expert interviews and a questionnaire survey.
Findings – In road projects in Sri Lanka, five types of DATs are mainly used. The “As-planned v.
As-built Analysis” technique is the most commonly used technique while “Window Analysis” is the
least used technique. Out of the nine criteria identified for selecting a DAT, the most important
criterion is the acceptability of the technique to courts and tribunals. “Window Analysis” was found to
be the most appropriate DAT that can be used in road construction projects in Sri Lanka.
Originality/value – “Window Analysis” can be recommended as the most appropriate DAT for road
projects in Sri Lanka.
Keywords Sri Lanka, Criteria, As-planned vs as-built analysis, Delay analysis techniques,
Road construction, Window analysis
Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction
For a project to be successful it has to be completed within the allotted time and budget
while meeting the expected standards. Unsuccessful projects lead to unfavourable issues
such as late completion, cost overruns and substandard work (Association of
Construction Development, 2014). Rashid et al. (2013) have stated that delays represent
one of the most critical factors that increase the cost of a construction project. According
to Kamanga and Stewen (2013), delays in construction projects are undesirable to both the
client and the contractor as they can make the projects to become unprofitable compelling
the affected parties to claim damages. Wei (2010) has defined “construction delay” as the
late completion of work compared to the planned schedule or contract schedule while
Assaf and Al-Hejji (2006) have defined it as the additional time needed for completion.
Perera (2006) has stated that 80 per cent of road projects in Sri Lanka undergo time and
cost overruns thereby making them high-risk projects in respect of cost and time. As there
could be various reasons and several parties responsible for these delays, it is necessary to
Built Environment Project and
first identify accurately the root cause and the party responsible for the same before Asset Management
claiming damages (Arditi and Pattanakitchamroon, 2006). Therefore the identification of Vol. 6 No. 5, 2016
pp. 521-534
the most appropriate delay analysis technique (DAT) for road construction projects in © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
2044-124X
Sri Lanka would be beneficial to the industry (Ekanayake and Perera, 2015). DOI 10.1108/BEPAM-08-2015-0039
 BEPAM Most of those involved in delay analysing processes use ad hoc methods to evaluate
6,5 claims for time extensions (Gunarathne, 2012). The accuracy of their delay claim
evaluations is very low. According to the Institute of Dispute Management
Professionals, only a few professionals in Sri Lanka attempt to resolve and manage
accurately the delays in construction projects (Sudeha et al., 2013). The parties to a
contract, therefore, will not have confidence on the delay analysis process in Sri Lanka
522 (National Construction Association of Sri Lanka, 2013).This results in creating disputes
in road construction projects especially in foreign funded projects. This subject being
an under researched area in Sri Lanka, this research was aimed at identifying the DAT
that is most appropriate to analyse delays in road construction projects in Sri Lanka.
The research objectives are to identify types of DATs used along with their advantages
and disadvantages, determine the extent of application of DATs, identify the criteria
for selecting a DAT and propose the most appropriate DAT.
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2. Literature review
2.1 Construction delays
Ryu et al. (2005) say that although contractors work hard to complete their projects on
time, the projects very often are not completed as planned. In most projects, irrespective
of their size, time overrun is inevitable (Menesi, 2007). The party responsible for the
delay can be the employer, contractor or even someone else. According to Sambasivan
and Soon (2007) delays are common in construction projects even in other countries. It
is important to classify the types of these delays in a construction project to determine
the liabilities (Menesi, 2007).
2.1.1 Types of construction delays. A construction project could get delayed when
there is a delay in handing over the site, or when there are unforeseeable ground
conditions, extra works, variations, suspensions of work, adverse weather conditions, etc.
These delays can be identified and categorized based on their causes and effects (Keane
and Calettka, 2008). They can also be categorized based on the party that is responsible
for them, i.e. excusable delays, non-excusable delays and concurrent delays (Menesi,
2007). Excusable delays and non-excusable delays can be further subdivided in to non-
compensable and compensable delays (Enshassi et al., 2009; Alkass et al., 1996).
2.1.2 Types of DATs. According to Arcuri et al. (2007), Braimah (2008), Barry (2009),
Delay and Disruption Protocol (2002), Enshassi and Jubeh (2009), Francis et al. (2014),
Hegazy (2012), Menesi (2007) and Ng et al. (2004) the most used DATs are As-planned v.
As-built, Time Impact Analysis, Window Analysis, Impacted as Planned and Collapsed
as Built. Yang and Kao (2009) have identified nine more DATs, namely, As Adjusted as
Built, As built but for, As planned but for, As built critical path, Global Impact
Technique, Net Impact Technique, Linear Schedule Analysis, Snapshot Analysis Method
and Isolated Delay Types. According to Baker (2014), the “As-planned v. As-build”
method first identifies the critical path of a project in the as planned programme and
delays that occur during project execution are inserted to the as built plan. The critical
path of the as built plan is thereafter identified. The time difference between the
completion dates of the as-planned and the as-built programmes is the claimant’s
entitlement. Impacted as Planned is similar to the “As-planned vs As-built” as the
difference in the delay events is inserted in to the as planned programme in the
chronological order. The time difference between the two critical paths is the Extension
of Time (EOT) that can be allowed (Baker, 2014). Time Impact Analysis is an
improvement to the previous two techniques as it updates the programme soon after a
 delay occurs. The critical paths of the As-planned and As-built programmes are Road
compared to identify the delay and thereafter the project completion date is forecast construction
(Francis et al., 2014). Window Analysis which is almost similar to the “Time Impact
Analysis” analyses the difference in a set of delays within a particular time slot (window).
projects in
The programme is updated by accommodating the variances. The delay is forecast when Sri Lanka
one window is analysed. At the end of the project the total EOT entitlement is estimated
(Delay and Disruption Protocol, 2002). Collapsed as Built (But for Test) is a modification 523
to the “As-planned v. As-built” and it subtracts the employer’s delay from the As-built
plan (As built but for) as the project could have been completed by the required date, if
not for the delays that extended its date of completion (Francis et al., 2014).
2.1.3 Advantages and disadvantages of different DATs. Barry (2009) has said that a
DAT should be used only if it has been specified in the contract and that its advantages
and disadvantages can vary between retrospective methods and prospective methods. It
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is difficult to analyse delays in a project with a large number of activities. Generally, the
number of activities of a construction project will depend on its size, the larger the project
the higher being the number of activities. The main factors to be considered in selecting a
DAT which have their own advantages and disadvantages (Menesi, 2007) are their
acceptability to courts and tribunals, reliability, accuracy, complexity, cost and time
taken for implementation. According to Braimah (2008), acceptability is the most
important factor. The situation may change if the delay is due to unforeseen conditions.
The advantages of “As-planned v. As-built” and “Impacted as Planned” methods are
almost the same and they are both simple and inexpensive. Their major drawback is their
unreliability (Barry, 2009; Menesi, 2007). The “Collapsed as Built” technique although
inexpensive is not as simple as the previous two. Its disadvantages are its ease of
manipulation and its inability to consider concurrent delays (Menesi, 2007). According to
Braimah (2008), the advantages of “Time Impact Analysis” are its reliability, difficulty
of manipulation and its ability to use the updated programme for analysis. Its
disadvantages are its cost, long time it takes for the analysis and the complexity of the
analysis. “Window Analysis” also has these same advantages and disadvantages but has
an additional advantage in its ability to analyse a group of delays.
2.1.4 Road construction in Sri Lanka. A considerable amount of money is allocated
annually in Sri Lanka for construction-related procurement. In total, 90 per cent of the
cost of road projects in Sri Lanka is borne by donors (National Procurement Agency,
2006). The Master Plan 2007-2017 of the Road Development Authority (RDA) indicates
that there is about 11,671 km of Class A and B roads in Sri Lanka. Most of these roads
are to be developed at a cost of Rs 669.9 billion. Out of a total road length of 91,907 km,
the RDA is responsible for the rehabilitation and maintenance of 11,696 km and the
Provincial Road Development Authority for 65,000 km (Priyantha et al., 2011).
However, with the pace of road construction increasing, delays too increase for various
reasons (National Construction Association of Sri Lanka, 2013).
2.1.5 Causes of delays in road projects in Sri Lanka. The National Construction
Association of Sri Lanka (2013) has identified poor preliminary planning, under budget,
unrealistic time allocation, imprecise contract clauses and late payments as the main
reasons for delays in local road projects. Wijenayake (2014) is of the view that in Sri Lanka,
due to issues related to land acquisition, improper designs, poor financial management,
political interference and environmental pollution, the road construction projects get
delayed. Variation orders have also led to delays in the completion of projects causing
significant cost increases (Halwatura and Ranasinghe, 2013). Arbitration and other dispute
 BEPAM resolution processes are time consuming, costly and affect the business relationships
6,5 between contractors and clients. Therefore early action to minimize delays and analyse
existing delays will be beneficial to all stakeholders of a project (Lawrance, 2002).
2.1.6 Use of DATs in road construction projects. Before selecting DATs suitable for
local road construction projects, the available techniques have to be studied
thoroughly. DATs that have been recommended in the literature by different authors
524 are listed in Table I.
Nine authors have recommended “Collapsed as Built” and “Window Analysis” with
eight authors recommending “Time Impact Analysis”, “As-planned v. As-built” and
“Impacted Analysis”. These top five methods have been considered for this study.
2.1.7 Importance of identifying the DAT most suitable for road projects in Sri Lanka.
Presently a large number of civil engineering projects, mostly donor funded and
including road projects are being implemented countrywide. The delays occurring during
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their preconstruction stages as well as post construction stages have to be minimized for
the effective utilization of the funds allocated (Fernando, 2013). The timely intervention
and applicability of relevant and reliable methods to analyse delays of these projects will
eradicate or minimize disputes between parties to the contracts (Lawrance, 2002).
According to the Master Plan 2007-2017 of the RDA, a considerable amount of funds
are to be allocated to improve the road network. Although delays will be inevitable in
road construction projects, it is the responsibility of the executing and project
implementing agencies to minimize delays. Pathiranage and Halwatura (2010) have
stated that 56-88 per cent of road construction projects experience time overruns which
can affect the country’s economy in many ways. These construction delays can even later
become socio-economic problems (Wijekoon and Attanayake, 2012). After the end of the
three decade long war, Sri Lanka is now in a position to construct bridges, expressways,
elevated highways and flyovers with assistance from donors. Therefore the
implementing agencies have to ensure that the expected economic targets are achieved
by completing the projects on schedule. According to Priyantha et al. (2011), Sudeha et al.
(2013), National Construction Association of Sri Lanka (2013), Halwatura and Ranasinghe
(2013), Wijekoon and Attanayake (2012) and Institute of Dispute Management
Professionals (2013), the variations and cost overruns of road construction projects are on
the rise. When there are variations, the contractor is entitled to claim time extensions and
his claims have to be evaluated properly using an appropriate DAT. The failure to
identify the delay will disrupt construction and the public will have to bear any
resulting additional costs (Seboru, 2006). However, literature on DATs used in road
construction projects in Sri Lanka is rare. Thus it is timely to identify DATs most
suitable for road construction projects in Sri Lanka so that disputes could be
minimized (Ekanayake and Perera, 2015).

3. Research methodology
This descriptive study had three phases in which primary and secondary data were
obtained using qualitative and quantitative approaches. A comprehensive literature
survey was carried out to identify various DATs and their advantages and disadvantages.
Interviews and a questionnaire survey were conducted to achieve the other objectives.
The qualitative and quantitative research approaches were used interchangeably to get the
required information and the research therefore had a pragmatic or a mixed approach.
Ellis et al. (2006) have proved that combined methods give more accurate results as the
qualitative approach could be used to improve the findings of the quantitative method.
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As planned v. Time Impact Impacted as Window Adjusted Collapsed As built Global impact Adjusted as Net Impact
As built Analysis Planned Analysis as built as built Analysis approach planned Analysis

Baker (2014) X X X X
Menesi (2007) X X X X
Braimah (2008) X X X X X
Society of X X X X X
Construction Law
(2002)
Onofrio X X X X X X
Barry (2009) X X X X X
Arcuri et al. (2007) X X X X X X X
Ng et al. (2004) X X X X X X X X
Hegazy (2012) X X X X X
Enshassi and Jubeh X X X X X
(2009)
Total 8 8 8 9 4 9 3 2 1 2
Rank 3 3 3 4 1 6 7 9 7
construction

Sri Lanka

different authors
Road

recommended by
techniques
Delay analysis
Table I.
525
projects in
 BEPAM Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four experts (practitioners) who
6,5 represented employers, consultants and contractors. Each of them had more than
20 years of experience in using DATs in road construction projects. A questionnaire
survey was conducted thereafter and based on literature review and considering the
feasibility, sample size was made 60 (Enshassi and Jubeh, 2009). Engineers, project
managers and quantity surveyors who were involved with delay analysis in on-going
526 major road construction projects in the country were included in the sample. The purposive
sampling technique was used to identify the professionals to whom the questionnaire could
be sent. The response rate of questionnaire survey was 71.7 per cent.

3.1 Data analysis methods

The multi-attribute analytical technique drawn from the multi-attribute utility approach
of Chang and Ive was used to obtain a mean rating (MR) point for each respondent. This
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tool has been used by Kamarazaly (2007) for a similar research. Four types of analyses
were conducted on the data collected: mean weighted rating; relative importance index
(RII); criterion suitability score (CSS); and overall suitability score (OSS).
3.1.1 RII. The RII was used to rank the criteria and it was calculated by dividing the
sum of weightings by the multiplication of the highest weighting and the total number
of respondents. Many researchers ( Jeyamathan and Rameezdeen, 2006; Sumithiran,
2009; Sudeha et al., 2013; Perera and Sudeha, 2014) have used RII to rank factors.
3.1.2 Mean weighted rating. The MR is calculated by dividing the sum of
weightings by the total number of respondents:
X
5
MR ¼ ðF i  % RÞ (1)
i¼1

where MR is the mean rating for an attribute; Fi the frequency of responses for an attribute
(ranging from 1 to 5); %R the percentage response to rating point of an attribute.
3.1.3 CSS. The CSS was used to evaluate the level of appropriateness of each DAT
for a given criterion. The CSS of the ith criterion in a subset can be computed as follows:
CSSi ¼ RIIi  MRi (2)
where RII is the relative importance index of the criterion; MRi the mean rating (i.e. the
level of suitability of a DAT).
3.1.4 OSS. The OSS indicated the overall suitability of a DAT. The OSS is computed
as follows:
Xn
OSS ¼ CSSi (3)
i¼1

This method has also been used earlier by Sivakumaran et al. (2014), Sivakumaran and
Perera (2015), Ahamad et al. (2013), Alaghbari et al. (2007).
3.1.5 OSS rating bands. To map the OSS into a continuum, a rating was adopted.
The minimum OSS that could be scored was 9 while the highest was 36, making the
OSS to have a range of 36 points which were divided in to five bands as follows:
(1) not suitable for values less than 9;
(2) mildly suitable for values in the range 9.1-15.75;
 (3) moderately suitable for values in the range 15.76-22.5; Road
(4) highly suitable for values in the range 22.6-29.25; and construction
(5) very highly suitable for values more than 29.26 (Ahamad et al., 2013; Alaghbari projects in
et al., 2007). Sri Lanka
Cross-tabulations were used to note the differences among the responses of consultants
and contractors. 527
Code-based content analysis was used to capture significant findings
gathered from semi-structured interviews. The QSR NVivo computer software
was used to simplify content analysis. Conclusions were derived by harmonizing
all of the findings.

4. Data analysis and discussion

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4.1 Types of DATs used in road construction projects

As already mentioned, in the literature 14 types of DATs have been identified
as being used globally and with the use of semi-structured interviews conducted
with four experts (practitioners) following results were derived using Nvivo 10
software (Figure 1).
The interviewees have confirmed that Collapsed as Built, Window Analysis,
As-planned v. As-built, Time Impact Analysis and Impacted as Planned are used
in Sri Lanka as well to analyse delays in road construction projects. Results of
semi-structured interviews match the existing literature.
4.1.1 Advantages and disadvantages of the identified techniques. The advantages
and disadvantages of the shortlisted techniques identified from the literature were
fine-tuned with semi-structured interviews as given in Table II.

4.2 Extent of application of DATs in road construction projects in Sri Lanka

Based on the information provided by the respondents, 48 road construction projects
in Sri Lanka each having a contract value exceeding Rs 500 million were identified

Expert 1 Expert 2 Expert 3 Expert 4

√ √ √ √
√ √ √ √
√ √ √ √
√ √ √ √
√ √ √ √
√
√
√
√
√
Figure 1.
Types of delay
√ analysis techniques
√ used in road
construction projects
√
 BEPAM Delay analysis
6,5 technique Advantages Disadvantages

As planned vs as Retrospective only known data Not reliable

built method being used
Simplest method Original plan not updated
Inexpensive Easy to manipulate
528 Less time consuming Considers net delay
A primitive method Variations not included
Impacted as All delay events considered Prospective and hypothetical
Planned method Inexpensive Original plan not updated
Less time consuming Easy to manipulate
A simple and primitive method Not reliable
Variations not included
Time Impact Considers only a specific delay Time consuming
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Analysis Difficult to manipulate Prospective and hypothetical

Original plan is updated Expensive
Reliable and accurate Complex Analysis
Provides directly the impact due More human resources needed
to delay
Compensation easily categorized EOT Experts needed
and cost wise
Considers the effect due to concurrent Acceptable to courts and tribunals
delay
Acceptable to courts and tribunals
Variations can be accommodated
Window Analysis Considers delays within a window Prospective and hypothetical
Most reliable technique Expensive
Very effective Time consuming
Difficult to manipulate Analysis is complex
Provides directly the impact due Need more human resources
to delay
Considers the effect due to Group of delay events are considered in
concurrent delay one window
Acceptable to courts and tribunals Accuracy vary as per the time slice
Variations can be accommodated Need experts
Acceptable to courts and tribunals
Collapsed as built Retrospective Concurrent delay cannot be separated
Table II. method Less time consuming Subjective and easy to manipulate
Advantages and Inexpensive Difficult to identify re-sequencing
disadvantages of the Reliable Complex analysis
most commonly used Original plan is updated More human resources needed
delay analysis Easy to handle
techniques Requires less man power

for the research. Two-thirds (66.7 per cent) of the selected projects were reported to
have got delayed and all the contractors have claimed extensions of time. More than
50 per cent of the projects which used DATs had used “As-planned v. As-built”
technique. The literature survey revealed that “Collapse as Built” and “Window
Analysis” are the techniques used mostly in other countries whereas in Sri Lanka
they were the least used. The extent of use of DATs was found to be 87.5 per cent.
“As-planned v. As-built” was found to be the most commonly used (with
53.4 per cent) technique.
 4.3 Identification of criteria for selecting a DAT for road construction projects in Road
Sri Lanka construction
According to the literature review, the selection of a suitable DAT will depend on seven
factors, i.e. cost, time, accuracy, acceptability to relevant parties, acceptability to courts
projects in
and tribunals, reliability and complexity. The interviews revealed workability Sri Lanka
(contemporaneous) and acceptability to the parties concerned also as factors to be
considered. The relative importance of these criteria was identified through the 529
questionnaire survey using a five-point scale.
The acceptability to tribunals and courts has scored the highest RII value, 0.953, to
become the most important criterion. Acceptability to the parties to the contract and the
accuracy of the technique ranked second and third scoring 0.886 and 0.828, respectively
as RII values. The complexity of the analysis, reliability, inputs of the experts and the
workability remain at moderate levels. The cost and time of analysis are of low
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importance, their RII values (0.488 and 0.477, respectively) being the two lowest.

4.4 Most appropriate DAT for road construction projects in Sri Lanka
The findings of the literature review, questionnaire survey and the interviews were
utilized to identify the DAT most appropriate to analyse delays in local road projects.
Respondents were requested to rank the suitability of each DAT in respect of each
criteria based on a five-point Likert scale. Thereafter their MR values were calculated
for each criterion. The MR of each DAT for a given criterion was then multiplied with
the relative importance of each criterion (Section 4.4) to obtain the CSS. Finally, the OSS
for each DAT was calculated. Ultimately, the CSS was used to assess the level of
suitability of each DAT for a given criteria. The OSS was used to identify the most
appropriate DAT.
4.4.1 Suitability of methods. The suitability of each method for a given criteria was
assessed on a five-point Likert scale and a sample calculation is given in Table III.
According to Table III, “As-planned v. As-built” method costs less and consumes
less time. It would be suitable when experts are not available. However, it has low CSS
values for acceptability to relevant parties (1.240), reliability (1.250), accuracy (1.193),
and acceptability to courts and tribunals (1.530). The OSS for this method which takes
in to account all criteria is 14.501. It is the lowest value for the methods studied.
Although this technique has been used in most road construction projects in Sri Lanka

Suitability level
(% of responses)
Criteria Mild Moderate High Very high MR RII CSS Rank

Time taken for the analysis 0.0 11.6 51.2 37.2 3.256 0.477 1.553 4
Cost of the analysis 2.3 14.0 37.2 46.5 3.279 0.488 1.600 3
Workability of the technique 27.9 58.1 14.0 0.0 1.860 0.619 1.151 9
Reliability of the technique 48.8 41.9 9.3 0.0 1.605 0.779 1.250 6
Accuracy of the technique 60.5 34.9 4.7 0.0 1.442 0.828 1.193 8
Acceptability of the technique to
the relevant parties 41.9 41.9 9.3 7.0 1.814 0.866 1.240 7
Acceptability to courts and tribunals 69.8 30.2 0.0 0.0 1.302 0.953 1.530 5 Table III.
Complexity of the analysis 0.0 11.6 55.8 32.6 3.209 0.789 2.531 1 Suitability of
Inputs of experts 2.3 14.0 46.5 37.2 3.186 0.756 2.408 2 “as-planned v.
Overall suitability score (OSS) 14.501 as-built” method
 BEPAM by almost all parties, these findings rate it as a technique with low reliability, accuracy
6,5 and acceptability. Enhashi and Subai have recommended that this method be avoided
except in instances where only a very simple analysis is required.
4.4.2 Most suitable DAT for each criterion. The CSS of each DAT for each of the
criteria is given in Table IV. The most suitable DAT for each criterion is the one that
scores the highest CSS for that particular criterion.
530 According to Table IV, each criterion has its own DAT that suits it most.
When there are constraints on time, cost, simplicity and the availability of experts,
“As-planned v. As-built” becomes most suitable followed by “Impacted as Planned”.
However, when a more reliable, accurate and workable analysis acceptable to both legal
and other parties concerned is required, “Window Analysis” becomes the most suitable
technique followed by “Time Impact Analysis”.
4.4.3 Most suitable DAT for road construction projects in Sri Lanka. The above was
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identified using the OSSs of DATs as given in Table V.

“Window Analysis” with the highest OSS is the most appropriate technique. There
are however no techniques in the highly suitable band. This may probably be because

CSS
As Impacted Time
planned as Collapsed Impact Window Most suitable delay
Criteria v. as built Planned as built Analysis Analysis analysis technique

Time taken for the 1.553 1.497 1.397 1.098 1.097 As planned v. As
analysis built
Cost of the analysis 1.600 1.532 1.449 1.146 1.317 As planned v. As
built
Workability of the 1.151 1.252 1.367 1.741 1.857 Window Analysis
technique
Reliability of the 1.250 1.540 1.630 2.499 2.492 Window Analysis
technique and Time Impact
Analysis
Accuracy of the 1.193 1.347 1.771 2.695 2.815 Window Analysis
technique
Acceptability of the 1.570 1.853 1.993 2.275 3.204 Window Analysis
technique to the
relevant parties
Table IV. Acceptability by courts 1.240 1.352 1.861 3.102 3.430 Window Analysis
Criterion suitability and tribunals
score (CSS) of Complexity of the 2.531 2.367 2.202 1.540 1.656 As planned v. as
different delay analysis built
analysis techniques Inputs of experts 2.408 2.406 2.250 1.705 1.890 As planned v. as
for a given criteria built

Delay analysis technique Overall suitability score (OSS) Rank Suitability bands

Table V. Window Analysis (WA) 19.761 1 Moderately suitable

Overall suitability Time Impact Analysis (TIA) 17.807 2 Moderately suitable
scores of different Collapsed as built (CAB) 15.924 3 Moderately suitable
delay analysis Impacted as Planned (IAP) 15.146 4 Mildly suitable
techniques As planned v as built (APAB) 14.501 5 Mildly suitable
 there is no single technique that can satisfy all criteria. DATs that are simple and which Road
consume less time would be inaccurate, unreliable and not acceptable to courts and construction
tribunals. The complex, expensive and time-consuming DATs would however be more
accurate, reliable and acceptable to courts and tribunals.
projects in
Sri Lanka
5. Conclusions
The comprehensive literature review enabled to identify 14 DATs that are used 531
globally and their advantages and disadvantages. The following listed in the
descending order of their use were found to be the most used techniques among them:
(1) As-planned v. As-built;
(2) Impacted as Planned;
(3) Time Impact Analysis;
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(4) Collapsed as Built; and

(5) Window Analysis.
DATs had been used only in 87.5 per cent of the delayed projects. The “As-planned v.
As-built” method was the mostly used DAT.
The comprehensive literature revealed that the time taken for the analysis, cost,
inputs required from experts, complexity, reliability, accuracy, acceptability to
tribunals and courts, acceptability to the parties to the contract and workability are
criteria used globally in selecting the most appropriate DAT for a given project. In
Sri Lanka, time taken for the analysis, cost, inputs required from the experts,
complexity, reliability, accuracy, and acceptability to the tribunals and courts,
acceptability to the parties to the contract and workability are the important criteria
used. The most important criterion was the “Acceptability to tribunals and courts”
while “cost” and “time” were found to be the least important criteria.
“Window Analysis” followed by “Time Impact Analysis” were found to be the two
most appropriate DATs. “As-planned v. As-built” method had the least OSS although it
was the most used method. The literature survey revealed that “Collapse as Built” and
“Window Analysis” are the techniques used most in other countries .The findings of
the research revealed that the local contractors prefer to use the “As-planned v. As-
built” method in analysing delays in road construction projects mainly because of its
simplicity and inexpensiveness.

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About the authors

E.M.K. Ekanayake is an Engineer – Contracts Specialist attached to Ministry of Infrastructure
in Oman. He has obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the Faculty of
Engineering University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. He has obtained the full membership of the
Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka. Prior to his current appointment he worked as a Contracts
Manager in KDAW & Co. LTD., and as a Chief Resident Engineer in MG Consultants in
Sri Lanka. He has obtained MSc in Dispute Resolution from the Department of Building
Economics, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. His research interests are delay analysis,
construction procurement, and road construction.
B.A.K.S. Perera is a Senior Lecturer attached to the Department of Building Economics,
University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. Prior to this appointment she worked in the construction
industry for six years holding a position of Senior Quantity Surveyor. She obtained her
Bachelor’s Degree in Quantity Surveying and Mater of Philosophy in Building Economic from
the University of Moratuwa. She is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Quantity Surveyors,
Sri Lanka (IQSSL) and the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS). She is also
a Fellow Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Her research interests
are risk management, construction procurement, quantity surveying education and property
development. B.A.K.S. Perera is the corresponding author and can be contacted at:
pererabaks@gmail.com

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