Common Interface Problems among Various Construction Parties

Abstract

The objectives of this paper are to identify and assess the interface problems among the various construction parties. The methodology used in this research consists of two phases. In the first phase, a literature review and interviews with various construction professionals were conducted in order to identify the interface problems among them. This resulted in the identification of 19 common interface problems, which were classified into four categories: financial problems, inadequate contract and specification, environmental problems, and other common problems. In the second phase, a questionnaire was developed that included the identified interface problems obtained from the first phase. This survey was then randomly distributed to selected samples of 102 various construction professions consisting of owners, designers, general contractors, subcontractors, and maintenance contractors from Saudi Arabia to evaluate the severity of the 19 identified interface problems. The relative severity of the categories and their related problems were determined and then ranked according to a severity index. Three categories were found to have a “severe” effect, while the remaining category was rated “moderately severe.” Fourteen of the detailed common problems were evaluated as “severe,” while the remaining five were evaluated as “moderately severe.” Furthermore, this study presents additional common problems obtained from the survey.