Factors Affecting Design Quality in Construction Industry in Syria


Abstract in English

Poor design is a major factor in reducing the overall performance of construction projects as well as being directly responsible for many projects cost overrun, delay and being plagued with rework, variations and disputation. This research discusses the main factors affecting Design Quality in the Construction Industry in Syria. The result is based on a number of interviews and questionnaire surveys involving 54 designers, contractors and construction professionals. The survey identified 45 different factors classified in categories related to designer, management of the design process, owner and design documents. The severity of those factors was measured by the level of importance and was ranked according to the importance index. It was concluded that, insufficient overall design time, method of selecting the designer based on the lowest price offer, lack of documentation and changes client’s requirements were the most important factors. The results show that designers and contractors have different perceptions of the quality of design factors. The aim of this study is to assist all construction parties to plan effectively before starting a project during the design phase in order to minimize problems and eliminate extra costs needed to complete the defective design. Finally, some recommendations were made in order to improve the design quality in the construction industry.

References used

AKINTOYE, A., 2000 - Analysis Of Factors Influencing Project Cost Estimating Practice, Construction Management and Economics, 18(1), pp 77-89
Lutz JD, et al., 1989 - Framework For Design-Quality-Review Data-Base System. Journal ofManagement in Engineering, 6(3) pp 296–312
Tilley, P., 2005 - Design and Documentation Quality Problems—A Lean Thinking Opportunity, Proceedings of the International SCRI Symposium, Salford, UK, 12–13 March

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