Challenges of Risk Mitigation in Construction Projects - Research Proposal

PPMP20015: Assignment 2 - Research Proposal
Unit Coordinator: Dr Samer Skaik
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

Research Project Topic
Understanding the challenges associated with risk mitigation in construction projects
Abstract
The aim of the paper is to identify the challenges that are associated with the risk mitigation
tools and techniques in the construction industry. Additionally, identification of the risk
factors and identification of differences between the identified challenges associated with risk
mitigation according to the size of the organisation and area of establishment. The research
objectives have been developed based upon the literature review and the gaps identified
within it. The proposed paper will take consideration of the mixed data collection
methodology to attain the objectives of the paper. The secondary data will be collected to
devise a platform for the research work and assist in development of the questionnaire. The
primary question set for the qualitative data will be devised based upon the findings from the
quantitative data. The research scope, limitation and time schedule has also been discussed in
the proposal to offer a better understanding of the subject and the process that will be adopted
to conclude the research work. It will also be ensured that the findings from the research
report will be reliable in nature and are free from any ethical challenges. Appropriate
referencing has been done to justify the claims that are made in the discussion as part of the
proposal.

Table of Contents
The rationale of the study...........................................................................................................4
Significance of the study............................................................................................................5
Preliminary literature review......................................................................................................6
Research question(s) and objectives........................................................................................10
Research Methodology.............................................................................................................10
Research Approach..............................................................................................................10
Data collection methods and analysis..................................................................................11
Ethics Statement...................................................................................................................13
Research project management..................................................................................................14
Project exclusions.................................................................................................................14
Project schedule:..................................................................................................................15
Risk register including analysis and response strategy........................................................17
Stakeholder analysis:............................................................................................................17
References List.........................................................................................................................19
Appendix..................................................................................................................................22

The rationale of the study
Construction industry is one of the industries that houses some of the resource
consuming projects (Kerzner and kerzner 2017). The resources here refer to the
organisational resources such as the financial resources, effort by the human resources, time,
inventory and other prominent resources of the organisation. Hence. It becomes of great
prominence that projects undertaken as the construction projects are successful because
failure will cause sustainable damage to the organisation (Han et al. 2016). The major causes
that are associated with the failure of the project can differ according to situation. The failure
causes may have its association with the change in the organisation, conflicts, natural or
manmade damage or any other prominent cause. All of the discussed threats can be mitigated
by adopting a risk mitigation strategy (Oliveira and Handfield 2017).
Risk mitigation strategies are those strategies that take account of the threats that a
project may face and their potential solutions (Bommer, Crowley and Pinho 2015). The
discussed strategy has proven to be a viable tool for ensuring the success of the project. In the
discussed strategy a strategy is developed by taking account of the different risks that may be
associated with a project. The risks may be internal risks, external damage risk, legal risk,
stakeholder associated risk, uncertainty risk and multiple other risk (Kerzner and Kerzner
2017). The strategy considers all the possible situation and develops a suitable strategy that
include tools & techniques which can be adopted to mitigate the threats associated with
successful completion of the project.
Different scholars and researchers have attempted to discuss the potential solution for
the risks associated in a project individually or as a whole (Oliveira and Handfield 2017). The
discussion has also been laid upon the risk and their mitigating strategy in the construction
industry. However, one of the prominent gap that has been identified in the literary work of

past and present that discusses the risk & risk mitigation strategies is that of the challenges
that are associated with the risk mitigation strategy. Very little or no journals or articles has
discussed challenges that may be associated with the risk mitigation strategies, tools &
techniques.
The understanding of the challenges that may be associated with the risk mitigation
strategy would enable the project owner and managers to adopt the risk mitigation plan with
adequate approach and in the process leverage the adoption (Pap and Homolya 2017). The
reason for the above stated statement lays base on the fact that the understanding the
challenges will enable the understanding of the approach that needs to be taken to mitigate
the challenges that may have association with the risk mitigation strategies (Frascadore et al.
2015). It will also assist in leveraging the return from the resources consumed in devising and
implementing the risk mitigation plan. Additionally, taking consideration of the construction
industry and the major impact that the failure of the project or even a part of project will cite
on the project owners and stakeholders is a discussion that demands attention and the
proposed paper will attempt to cite that light.
Significance of the study
This finding of this research shall assist in providing the knowledge of risk
management in construction projects especially to the novice project managers, stakeholders
and the students of project management (Padgett 2016). As we know that sometimes the
occurrence of risk becomes inevitable (Qazi et al. 2016). And, once such risks are identified,
it is difficult to completely suppress it. The risk mitigation processes have been offered by
different articles, journals and others to mitigate the risk however, are those mitigation
strategies full proof. Or are there any challenges associated with the implementation of the
mitigation strategy in the construction industry. Therefore, this research aims to provide the
challenges that may be encountered during risk mitigation. With these challenges now

identified, it would not just help in identifying an appropriate risk mitigation procedure but
could also ease the application of entire risk mitigation process. In this research, a brief study
of various risk management methods is carried out with a purpose of identifying the problems
that are likely to arise. It will prove to be crucial for the project managers, project owners and
the individuals that are willing to educate themselves in the project management and the
factors with it. Hence, it will be justified to state that the significance of the research work
will be very impactful for the projects.
Preliminary literature review
The following sub-sections have offered an insight into the some of the academic and
scholarly work that had been assessed in the past over the factors and subjects that are
relevant to the proposed discussion and its objective.
Factors Affecting the risk attitude of contractors’ in construction:
Wang and Yang (2011), in the review article has attempted at discussing the factors
that are responsible for formulating the risk attitude of the contractor in the construction
projects. The selection of the discussed article as part of the review can be justified by the
fact that unlike other journals that focuses on the risk management success, the deemed
article has focused on the attitude that defines the risk attitude of the decision makers. It was
one of the crucial discussion that needs some light and the article has provided the readers the
desirable facts and figures.
The reviewed article adopted the mixed data collection method to collect the data.
Literature review was done to collect the secondary data while primary qualitative data was
collected through interviews and the primary quantitative data was collected through
questionnaire. The approach adopted by the paper was deductive and mixed sampling method