Evaluation of cost and schedule growth trends during construction

Scope and method of study. This research study evaluates data from completed construction projects to identify factors that are indicators of changes in the original planned cost and schedule of projects. To accomplish this study, project data from 106 completed projects were collected from companies in the construction industry. These data were analyzed to identify factors which show a trend of positively or negatively impacting the cost and schedule growth of projects during construction. Statistical tests were performed to verify the hypotheses which were formulated from the collected data. Findings and conclusions. This research has identified numerous factors that are known before the start of construction which are indicators of cost and schedule growth of projects. Separate factors are defined for the two types of pricing of construction contracts: fixed price and cost reimbursable. Professionals in the construction industry can use these factors as early warning signals to effectively manage project changes and control costs.