Causal Factors for Engineering Design Defects and Their Impacts

Abstract

Although research has identified factors affecting engineering design defects, these defects remain the primary cause of construction phase rework and poor project performance. The authors consolidated similar causal factors identified from their previous study, reducing the list to 96 unique causal factors. Then, Pearson’s Chi-Square test was used to identify any associations between these causal factors and their impacts. This analysis revealed associations between 96 unique causal factors and the impact priority scores, which indicate the relative frequency and relative impact severity. This study also identified the associations between the 96 unique causal factors and defect impact types. The result of this analysis showed that causal factors related to human resources were found to be significantly associated with higher impact priority scores and increased costs or negative schedule impacts. The significance of this study is the identification of causal factors by category, the identification of the impact of each causal factor, and the defect impact types that are associated with each causal factor. The principal beneficiaries of the analysis include directors and project managers. Design discipline helps to eliminate engineering design quality defects.