Quantifying the Causes and Costs of Defects in Construction

The provided content is about various research studies on the causes and costs of defects in construction projects. The studies aimed to quantify the reasons behind rework, its cost implications, and strategies to reduce rework. The findings suggest that defects can occur due to various factors such as poor design, lack of communication, and inadequate quality control. The cost of rework can be significant, ranging from 2% to 35% of the total project cost. The studies also highlighted the importance of organizational learning and quality practices in reducing rework. Additionally, the findings indicated that different types of construction projects, procurement methods, and respondent types (designers, constructors, and project managers) have varying levels of direct and indirect costs associated with rework.

Project Management: An Analysis of Causes and Effects of
Rework on Construction Project
Prepared By
Student ID 129920
Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment
for the requirements of a degree in Master of Science in Project
Management Faculty of Business
Dissertation Supervisor
May-2014

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Title
Project Management: An Analysis of Causes and Effects of Rework
on Construction Project
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I understand that I may apply to the University to retain the right to withhold or to restrict access
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MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 2

Abstract
The significance of construction projects to any nation or society cannot be over emphasized.
However, various challenges affect the successful completion of construction projects. In this
research, the main causes of rework and the effects on project performance have been studied.
This research was carried out on an ongoing pipeline construction project situated in Libya and
data was collected from three main areas: 50 samples of non-conformance report (NCR);
financial information; interviews with the key staff working directly on the pipeline project.
After the identification of the project categories, the analysis of the interviews was conducted
using qualitative coding as the method for identifying the root causes of the rework on the
pipeline project. The financial information of the project that was obtained from the financial
head was used to substantiate the outcomes of rework impact on the pipeline project based on the
overall project performance.
The research findings indicated that the main causes of the rework on the project were closely
related to: people; process; technology; communication; materials; machines and equipment.
Moreover, it was found that the inadequate supervision; erroneous workmanship; lack of job
experience; poor training-culture of the organization; machines delivered with defects;
complication of the machines; language barriers and poor work procedures among other minor
faults are the root causes of the rework.
These causes triggered consequential effects on the project performance such as: fatigue and
stress among others. The average rework calculated for the project categories identified in the
pipeline project revealed that there was 4.7% increase in the total cost of the project.
Recommendations are also made so that the cost of rework may be reduced considerably at the
end of the project by: ensuring effective communication among the staff; improving the training
of the staff; increasing the amount of supervision; usage of right materials and ensuring the
usability and functionalities of the machinery and equipment.
Keywords: Rework, Rework Index, Project Performance
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 3

:ملخص البحث
تعتبر مشاريع اإلنشاءات ذات أهمية بالغةة يةأ أمجتمةع أ
مسسةة
ةمةع ذلةا هاةاد العنيةن مةي التلةنيات التةأ تةس ر
.على إنهاء هذه المشاريع باجاح يأ هذا البلث تمت دراسة األسباب الرئيةية إلعادة تافيذ العمة(Reworkآ ارهةا
على أداء المشر.ع
.أجرى هذا البلةث علةى مشةر ع تلةت التافيةذ إةاا بخنشةاء إة أنابيةو ميةاه بن لةة ليبيةا تةتجميةع البيانةات الةا
ة
ة
بالبلث مي:ال ة مال ر رئيةية هأ05عياة مي تقارير عنم المطابقة لبعض أعمال المشرع(NCR، المعلومةات
المالية، مقابالت شةصية مع بعض العامليي يأ المشر.ع بعن تلنين المراحاألساسية يأ المشرع تتلليةبيانةات
المقةةابالت الشةصةةية باسةةتةنام الترميةةا االةةوعأ واسةةلوب لتلنيةةن األسةةباب الجذريةةة التةةأ أدت إلةةى إعةةادة تافيةةذ العمةة(Reworkبهذا المشر.ع
وذال تةاسةتةنام المعلومةات الماليةة التةأ تةاللصةول عليهةا مةي اإلدارة الماليةة بالمشةرع لنراسةة تةف ير إعةادة تافيةذ
األعمال(Reworkعلى األداء العام للمشر.ع
مي إالل نتائج البلث اتضةأ األسةباب الرئيةةية إلعةادة التافيةذ العمة
وو (Reworkمرتبطةة ارتبااةا:يقةا األيةراد،
إطةوات العمةالتافيذيةة، التالولوجيةا، المةواد، االت.المعةنات إلةى جانةو ذلةا، يقةن تبةيي أعةنم وفايةة اإلشةةرا،
أإطاء األيراد، نقص الةبرة يأ الوظائف، عنمجةود برنةامج تةنريبأ، تةةليالمشةرع االت بهةا عيةوب، اللةواجا
اللغويةةة، فةةعف يةةأ إطةةوات العمةةالتافيذيةةة هةةذا إلةةى جانةةو بعةةض اأإلطةةاء البةةةيطة اأإلةةرىجميعهةةا تعتبةةر مةةي
.وةةذال األسةباب الجذريةة إلعةادة تافيةذ األعمةالتتمعة:تتابعةات تةف ير هةذه األسةةباب علةى العةامليي يةأ ااتةأ التعةةو
اإلجهادفغ. العم
مي إالل احتةاب متوسقيمة األعمال التأ تإعادة تافيذها يتضة أنةةبتها%7.4هةذه االةةبة تعتبةر ديةادة يةأ
.اجمةاأل تللفةة المشةر ع تمةت التوةةية بفنةأ يملةي أيةتتةفةيض تللفةةة إعةادة تافيةذ األعمةال(Reworkيةأ نهايةةة
المشةةر ع:ذلةةا يةةأ الترويةةا علةةى ااتةةأ تفعيةةالتواةةالجنيةةن بةةيي العةةامليي بالمشةةرع، تلةةةيي برنةةامج التةةنريبأ
للعامليي، تلةيي الشرا، استةنام المواد المااسبة، فماسهولة استةنام االت.المعنات
:الكلمات الرئيسة إعادة تنفيذ األعمال(Rework)، مؤشر إعادة تنفيذ العمل، إدارة المشروع

MSc Dissertation for 129920Page 4

Acknowledgement
The completion of this dissertation would not have been possible without the support of the staff
of the construction company, particularly the financial head and other relevant departments of
the company. Their immense help has enabled me to collect the relevant data needed to
accomplish this dissertation. It is with great delight that I wish to thank my supervisor, Dr Arun
Bajracharya, for his assistance throughout the duration of the dissertation. I wish also to
acknowledge Professor Muhammad Dulaimi and Professor Paul Gardiner for making the project
management programme such a worthwhile one. Finally, I also thank all university staff for their
support and encouragement extended.
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 5

Dedication
I dedicate this dissertation to my wife and children for their patience, understanding and support
in making this dissertation an accomplishment. My regards also go to the entire staff working in
my company for easing my task especially, when the going got tough.
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 6

Table of Contents
Abstract..........................................................................................................................................................3
Acknowledgement.........................................................................................................................................5
Dedication......................................................................................................................................................6
List of Figures.............................................................................................................................................10
List of Table................................................................................................................................................11
Chapter 1.0 Introduction..............................................................................................................................13
1.1 Background.......................................................................................................................................13
1.2 Project Description............................................................................................................................14
1.3 Problem Definition............................................................................................................................15
1.7 Aim of research.................................................................................................................................15
1.0 Objectives..........................................................................................................................................15
1.6 Research Hypotheses.........................................................................................................................16
1.7 Research Rationale............................................................................................................................16
1.8 Scope of research study.....................................................................................................................17
1.9 Research Structure.............................................................................................................................17
Chapter 2.0 Literature Review....................................................................................................................20
2. 1 Definition of Rework........................................................................................................................20
2.2 Origin of Rework...............................................................................................................................21
2.2.1 Client Related.............................................................................................................................21
2.2.2 Design Related...........................................................................................................................21
2.2.3 Constructor Related....................................................................................................................22
2.2.4 Vendor Related...........................................................................................................................22
2.2.5 Transporter Related.................................................................................................................22
2.3 Multiple Causes of Rework...............................................................................................................23
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2.4 Classification of Rework...................................................................................................................25
2.5 Impact of Rework..............................................................................................................................29
2.5.1 Overview of Cost of Rework......................................................................................................30
2.5.2 Impact of Rework on Quality Cost.............................................................................................31
2.5.3 Impact of Rework on the Project Cost Performance..................................................................33
2.5.4 Disruption of cordial relationship...............................................................................................36
2. 6 Rework Model Analysis.......................................................................................................................36
Chapter 3.0 Methodology............................................................................................................................40
3.1 Research Design................................................................................................................................40
3.2 Qualitative Research..........................................................................................................................41
3.2.1 Coding in qualitative research....................................................................................................42
3.2.2 Importance of coding..................................................................................................................43
3.3 Research Participants........................................................................................................................43
3.4 Data Collection Methods...................................................................................................................44
3.4.1 Interviews...................................................................................................................................45
3.4.2 Observation and review of NCR................................................................................................45
3.4.3 Financial Data.............................................................................................................................46
3.5 Data Analysis....................................................................................................................................46
Chapter 4.0 Research Discussion and Analysis..........................................................................................50
4.1. Introduction......................................................................................................................................50
4.2 Data Discussion.................................................................................................................................50
4.2.1Non-Conformance Report (NCR)...............................................................................................50
4.2.2 Interviews...................................................................................................................................55
4.2.3 Financial Data.............................................................................................................................64
4.3 Data Analysis....................................................................................................................................68
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4.3.1 Root Cause of Rework...............................................................................................................68
4.3.2 Classification of Rework............................................................................................................71
4.3.3 Cost Impact of Rework...............................................................................................................74
Chapter 5.0 Research Result and Discussion..............................................................................................77
5.1 Rework Prevailing Factors................................................................................................................77
5.2 Causes of the Rework........................................................................................................................79
5.3 Impact of Rework on Project Performance.......................................................................................79
5.3.1 Indirect Impact of Rework.........................................................................................................80
5.3.2 Cost Impact of Rework...............................................................................................................80
Chapter 6.0: Recommendation and Conclusion..........................................................................................83
6.1 Recommendations.............................................................................................................................83
6.2 Conclusion.........................................................................................................................................86
References...................................................................................................................................................87
APPENDIX I...............................................................................................................................................93
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 9

List of Figures
Figure 1: Generic cause and effect rework diagram (Love et al., 1997).....................................................23
Figure 2: Interactions among the three sub-systems of a project (Love et al., 1999a)................................24
Figure 3: Rework Categories (Wasfy, 2010)...............................................................................................25
Figure 4: Rework Classification (fishbone) (Ruwanpura et al. 2003)........................................................29
Figure 5: Quality Cost: Cost of Control and Failure (Feigenbaum, 1991)..................................................32
Figure 6: Taxonomy of the Indirect Consequences of Rework (Cooper, 1993).........................................36
Figure 7: Pilot Study on Field Rework Tracking (Fayek et al. 2003).........................................................38
Figure 8: Project Categories with the Project Percentage...........................................................................66
Figure 9: Project Categories with the Project Values..................................................................................66
Figure 10: Project Categories with the Percentage of Rework...................................................................67
Figure 11: Project Categories Plotted Against Planned and Actual Cost of Project...................................68
Figure 12: Causes of Rework and their Contributions to Overall Rework Costs.......................................73
Figure 13: Shows the Project Categories and the Percentage Rework Index..................................................72
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List of Table
Table 1: Shows the project profile..............................................................................................................14
Table 2: Definitions of Origin of Rework...................................................................................................23
Table 3: Rework Classification System (Burati et al. 1992).......................................................................27
Table 4: Amounts of Rework in Projects adapted from (Love & Edwards, 2004).....................................31
Table 5: Showing the process of coding in an inductive analysis...............................................................47
Table 6: Shows the non-conformance descriptions for haul road...............................................................51
Table 7: Shows the non-conformance descriptions for excavation.............................................................51
Table 8: Shows the non-conformance descriptions for pipe transportation................................................51
Table 9: Shows the non-conformance descriptions for pipe installation....................................................51
Table 10: Shows the non-conformance descriptions for back fill...............................................................52
Table 11: Shows the non-conformance descriptions for concrete work.....................................................52
Table 12: Shows Categories by Rework Frequency...................................................................................54
Table 13: Shows the numbers of participants and their position................................................................63
Table 14: Shows the 1st and 2nd Tie Categories with their Symbols.........................................................63
Table 15: Project Categories with the Project Values.................................................................................65
Table 16: Project progress percentage represented with total project value and percentage of rework (50
samples).......................................................................................................................................................67
Table 17: Showing Project Categorization and Root Causes......................................................................70
Table 18: Percentage Categorization of Theme Formation.........................................................................72
Table 19: Cost Impact of Project Categories on Rework Index..................................................................74
Table 20: Shows the relationship of the main rework causes with the project categories..........................78
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Chapter 1.0: Introduction
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Chapter 1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background
Over the decades construction work across the globe has been a means for countries upgrading
their national economies. In order to sustain this growth, different factors (that affect the
operations and productivity in construction projects) should be considered. It has now become a
known fact that construction industries often experience rework in construction projects, which
is definitely not desirable and has a negative impact on project cost and its performance. A
research conducted by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) shows the direct cost escalation
as a result of rework on an average of 5% of the total construction cost (CII 2005). Prior to this,
several researchers investigated the causes of rework and its impact on construction cost
(O’Conner and Tucker 1986; CII 1989; Burati et al. 1992; Love et al. 1999a, b; Love 2002b;
Fayek et al. 2003; Love and Edwards 2004). All these findings point to the fact that rework
creates an adverse impact on construction cost. What then is rework? What causes rework to be
necessary in construction projects, and what are the resultant impacts on total construction cost
and performance? These are the key research questions considered in this research work.
Rework is referred to as the process of repeating an activity that has already been completed or
activity that was incorrectly implemented in the first instance (Love, 2002). Most construction
projects have got an assortment of causes that leads to rework, this include; omissions, alteration,
failures, proper communication, and inadequate coordination and collaboration between
stakeholders. Invariably, the impact of rework has badly impacted on the productivity,
performance, and finance of a project.
According to Wasfy (2010) defines two categories of rework causes, direct and indirect, a study
were composed in the light of this model. Some of the direct causes that lead to rework has been
attributed to poor supervision, incompetent supervision, poor workmanship, defective material,
and error in designs. In general, a greater part of indirect causes usually create a situation that
leads to the rework. These indirect rework were majorly attributed to issues like poor
subcontractor selection, significant collaboration among worker, and improper work sequence.
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There is a general consensus by most researchers as observed in the literature that the rework
although prevalent to some extent in all projects, is not intrinsic and can be avoided. In some
research findings, an overall estimation of 2.40% and 3.15% of the project cost has been
attributed to industrial and residential buildings respectively due to rework (Love and Li 2000).
This research will focus on rework in one construction project in Libya in order to investigate the
possible causes (direct and indirect) of the rework impact on cost. It also suggests some possible
solutions to reduce rework to a minimum.
1.2 Project Description
The project was launched by a company based in Libya (to maintain anonymity it will be called
DACAL). The project entails a long-running water supply system across a distance cutting
across towns in Libya. The project started in November 2010 and duration for completion was 48
months. The main contractor was a multi-national company based in Turkey, and it was expected
that by the end of the year 2014 a 383km long pipeline would have been completed in
conformity with the contract signed. A brief summary of the project is given in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Shows the project profile
Water Supply System Project
Project Name DACAL (Construction of a water supply system)
Contract Type Design and Build
Project Value 980,000,000 USD
Project Duration 48 Months
Project Stage Three
Progress Ratio 76%
Project Starting Date 22/10/2010
Report Analysis Date 15/9/2013
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1.3 Problem Definition
Poor project performances which were associated with project delay and cost overrun were some
of the outcomes of the infrastructure designs. These outcomes precipitated the need to investigate
the impact of rework which served as the underlying cause of the problem. Accordingly, the
causes of rework and its impacts on total construction project cost of this nature need to be
studied, while the possible findings could be suggestions to prevent or reduce rework in this
project and similar construction projects.
Earlier research identified three major rework issues; initial contractor design error, contractor
construction error, and insufficient on-site supervision (Akin, 1986; Miller, 1993; Rounce, 1998;
Love and Li, 2000) and these factors may be synonymous to the project at hand. These factors
usually impact greatly to the project cost performance as a result of delay born out of unapproved
project activities. Due to the delays encountered in the project, rework is necessary to put the
project back on track, as well as to meet the client expectations. This was the case in the Libya
water pipeline project where records observed shows that contractors only focused on getting the
work done without given enough time to investigate the main causes of rework which may have
helped to eliminate such rework from reoccurring in the project.
1.4 Aim of research
The aim of this research is to investigate, analyze and discuss the causes and effect of rework in
a construction project.
1.5 Objectives
The objectives of the study are as follows:
(1) To investigate the prevalence of rework in the pipeline projects
(2) To determine the major underlying causes of rework
(3) To determine the impact of rework on overall project cost
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(4) To suggest viable recommendations to reduce the occurrence of rework and its adverse
impact
1.6 Research Hypotheses
In most construction work, three key aspects have been found to be inherent in the success of a
project; these are the people (human involvement), the processes, and the technology. As will be
seen in the literature review of this study, the people involved in the project can be the following;
clients, contractors, sub-contractors, consultants and the vendors. Similarly, the process of
execution of a project would involve the documentation, communication channels, designs,
transportation means, organization procedures, and adopted project management practices. The
technology entails the sort of equipment to be used in the execution of the project, and software
needed to accomplish the construction work. Thus, the research study is interested in ways in
which these three aspects could be contributing factors to rework that adversely impact on the
overall project cost and its performance.
The hypotheses for the research study are stated below:
HI: There is a significant relationship between the people and the rework in construction projects
H2: There is a significant relationship between the process and the rework in construction
projects
H3: There is a significant relationship between the technology employed and the rework
in construction project
H4: The impact of rework has a great influence on the performance of the project
H5: The impact of rework has a great influence on the total project cost
1.7 Research Rationale
The research will examine the causes of rework on a large scale water supply pipeline in Libya.
The research is of particular interest knowing well that causes and impact of rework have been
identified in the construction project but there are only a few researchers that have conducted
research in identifying the causes of rework on a huge pipeline project of this nature and
examining the impact of such rework on the total construction cost. In carrying out this research,
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 16

it might be possible to discover some possible causes of rework since large pipeline projects are
affected by the global economic conditions. Thus, some causes of rework may be engendered
from the following factors: clients change order; regulatory bodies; weather; unforeseen risk and
public bodies. The outcomes of the research findings will shed more light on the issue.
1.8 Scope of research study
Although the impact of rework cut across time, quality of work, and cost, the study is confined to
identifying the causes of rework, implication of the rework on project performance and the
impact on the total cost of construction project. It is also important to note that the research is
basically assessing those factors from a huge pipeline water project in Libya, and as such, some
other causes of rework pertaining to building infrastructure may not be included in the result
findings. A factor worthy of note is that the financial details used for the research study entails
only the planned cost and the actual cost of the project after the activities of the non-
conformance report (NCR) has been duly corrected to satisfy the contract requirements. In other
words, only rework costs as per the NCR are considered and not any incidental costs that may
have occurred to increase the planned cost.
1.9 Research Structure
The research study intends to examine the causes of rework in a large pipeline water system
project and determine its extent of impact to the overall total construction project cost. Having
been identified by researchers that many of the causes of rework are due to human error ranging
from errors or omissions, a better method of investigating these causes could be a qualitative
approach methodology. Accordingly, the study begins with a review of the literature on the
various definition of rework; it then goes on to identify the factors and classifications of rework.
Thereafter, a collection of field reports were gathered which serves as the data and examining the
root cause(s) of the problem by a semi-structured interview with concerned staff. Afterwards, a
theoretical coding of the interviews (which served as the research method for the research study)
was adopted. Finally, the result of the investigation shows the causes and the impact of the
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 17

rework on the total construction cost on the project. In total, the structure of the report comprises
six chapters which are presented in a logical sequence as the research progresses.
Chapter 1: Introduction - The first chapter begins with the introduction of the research topic
and its background. It further includes the definition of the problem statement, the aim of the
research study and those objectives which are expected to be achieved in the study, including the
research questions that precipitated the research study.
Chapter 2: Literature review – The second chapter deals with the literature review of earlier
research study on rework covering the causes of rework in construction projects and its impact
on the total project cost and project performance.
Chapter 3: Research Methodology – In the third chapter, the methodology used to conduct the
research study is explained. This includes the collection of the data; the interviews that are
conducted which precipitated the research findings that are used to address the objectives of the
study.
Chapter 4: Research Discussion and Analysis – The fourth chapter shows the findings of the
research study and also the data collected during the research.
Chapter 5: Result of the Research – In the fifth chapter, the result of the research study was
discussed in such a way that the research problems can be seen to have been addressed by the
study by an appropriate comparison of the estimated start-up value with the result values
including identification of rework in the study.
Chapter 6: Conclusion and Recommendation – The sixth chapter covers the inferences of the
research study and suggestions to reduce rework in pipeline construction projects resulting in the
reduction on the total construction project cost due to rework.
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 18

Chapter 2.0: Literature Review
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Chapter 2.0 Literature Review
In construction and engineering management, there exist a number of factors that contribute to
projects not being completed on time to the required quality and within budget; one of these
causes is rework (Gyles, 1992; Walker, 1994; Love, 2002a). This has brought about a significant
reason to look carefully into the issue of rework in construction projects. What then is rework?
2. 1 Definition of Rework
Various suggestions have been put forth as to the definition of rework; among these definitions
we are offered: rework is activities in the field which have been completed but were required to
be repeated or undertaken again as a result of some impeding correction that was necessary to be
carried out during the project regardless of source, or effecting a change order not due to change
of scope by the owner (Fayek, et al. 2003). It was analyzed by researchers that only delay in field
operations results in rework. However, there were other contending definitions suggested by
other researchers, where rework was revealed to be a significant factor that contributes to
schedule delay in project and cost overruns (Chan and Kumaraswamy, 1997; Thomas and
Neapolitan, 1994). Further studies reveal rework is “quality deviation” (Burati et al. 1992, p36);
“non-conformance” (Abdul-Rahman, 1995, p25); “defects” (Josephson & Hammarlund 1999,
p77); and “quality failures” (Barber et al. 2000, p482). Thus, based on the various interpretations
within construction management literature, Love (2002) identifies two main definitions of
rework as; “the process by which an item is made to conform to the original requirement by
completion or correction” (Ashford, 1992) and “doing something at least one extra time due to
non-conformance to requirements” (Construction Industry Development Agency, 1995). Love et
al. (2000) explains that rework can be defined as “the unnecessary effort of redoing a process or
activity that was incorrectly implemented the first time”. Love et al. (1997) carried out a study
that looks at what could have brought about rework. In this study, it was identified that certain
main factors brought about rework- people, design, and constructors.
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2.2 Origin of Rework
According to Davis et al. (1989), certain factors are the cause of rework in construction projects,
and these have been classified into five origins of rework. A summary of their definitions are
presented in Table 2.
i. Client Related
ii. Design Related
iii. Constructor Related
iv. Vendor Related, and
v. Transporter Related
2.2.1 Client Related
Palaneeswaran (2006) identified there are some issues attributed to clients that engender rework
in construction projects. These client factors relate to poor experience and knowledge of design,
and processes involved in the construction work, inadequate funding allocated for site
investigations, early involvement in the construction process, inadequate communication with
design consultants and proper administering of contract documents. Each of these areas has been
identified as a cause of deviations that result in change, error, or omission (Dalty and Crawhaw,
1973). A proposed recommendation found in the literature was that clients and the executor of
projects should embrace a mutual communicative approach (Walker 1994).
2.2.2 Design Related
When there is an inadequacy in documentation, there is need for the design team to ensure
contractors are provided with the assessment design status and the potential for change as
signified by construction industry institutes (CII 1990). Failure to provide this fact also brings
about rework when contractors act otherwise due to communication problems (Josephson and
Hammarlund 1999). A study conducted by Love and Li (2000) reveals that a major cause of
rework lies in the coordination and proper integration of design team members restricting the
flow of information. Equally, technological gaps between the engineer and architects have
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resulted in drawings and dimensional errors that invariably result in rework at the point when
such errors are detected (Love et al. 2012).
2.2.3 Constructor Related
The competency of the constructor (main contractor) is necessary to ensure proper coordination
of all other subordinates that will be working alongside on the project (Chan 1998; Walker
1994). This would ensure the effectiveness of managing the site teams and subcontractors.
According to a business roundtable meeting held in 1982, it was concluded that the inability of
the contractor’s supervisor to plan effectively, schedule tasks, and communicate efficiently,
results in mistakes that lead to reworking of completed activities. In a further study conducted by
Cusack (1992), he explains that the non-implementation of quality system (i.e. improper
selection of sub-contractors, poor workmanship, inadequate supervision) to check mate processes
brings about 10% increases in the amount of rework to be done.
2.2.4 Vendor Related
The process by those handling the procurement process needs to be optimized so that the
occurrence of rework is reduced in such a process (Love et al. 1999a). As it has been recognized
that the success of a project is dependent upon the effectiveness of the main contractor’s (and
their subcontractors and suppliers), thus construction progress depends on this fact (Chan, 1998:
Faniran et al., 1999; Walker, 1994). It has been further emphasized that other concerning areas
upon which rework comes to play by the vendors lies in poor use or choice of materials
(Josephson et al. 2002).
2.2.5 Transporter Related
The changes occurring with regards to transportation have been attributed to error resulting from
accidents, lack of knowledge to ensure safety, and changes resulting from error that lead to
quality deviations, and have to be amended.
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 22

Table 2: Definitions of Origin of Rework
Origin of Rework Definitions and examples
Client Related Changes resulting from poor project definition, poor communication,
poor knowledge of design, inadequate funds.
Design Related Changes that occur as a result of error or omission in the project design
or requirement.
Constructor Error/Omissions made by constructor due to change in construction
Related methods, sequence of activities, procedure or job functions, inadequate
supervision.
Also, changes could occur as a result of change in constructor
Vendor Related Changes resulting from items necessary for execution were erroneously
omitted by vendor.
Also, changes can occur as a result of change in vendor
Transportation Changes occurring due to mistake during transport, accidents or
Related transportation error
2.3 Multiple Causes of Rework
In an assessment conducted by Love et al. (1997), the report states the main causes of rework to
be people, design, and construction. It was explained that each group has its representation arms
by which it brings about rework in construction projects; this has been depicted in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Generic cause and effect rework diagram (Love et al., 1997)
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 23

Similarly, Evans and Lindsay (1996), and Mandal et al. (1998) express that a system of
construction project work can be classified into three sub systems as follows: technical and
operational, human resources and quality management. Upon this, Love et al. (1999a) developed
a model that shows the factors influencing the causes of rework illustrated in Figure 2. As noted
in their study, technical/operational encompasses the operating environment, technological
advancement, level of technical know-how and the adopted methodology. All these are said to be
intrinsic to quality that overall forms the process, strategic formation and the ways of ensuring
that customer satisfaction is achieved. In the case of human resources, the attributes attached to it
are the methods of communicating information, skill availability, manpower and employee’s
readiness status. Also, these enumerated factors influence the skill acquisition of the employee,
the training level, building up motivation for employee, and enhances the right decision making
in the construction arena and their organization make up as a whole.

Training
Skill level
Employee motivation
Incentives and rewards
Participative decision-making
Human
Resource
Sub-System
Human support
Motivation
Resource planning
Innovation
Partnering/Strategic alliances
Quality Process improvement
Programme
Management
Customer needs/client brief
Sub-System
Technical/O
perational
Sub-System
Procurement
Operating environment
Technical support
Technology level

Figure 2: Interactions among the three sub-systems of a project (Love et al., 1999a)
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 24

In an account to understand what influences rework directly and indirectly, Wasfy (2010) defines
two categories of rework into direct and indirect causes of rework. The direct factors are said to
be the factors that affect the rework directly on field operations, and these have been identified as
lack of proper supervision of construction projects, incompetent supervision, poor workmanship,
defective material, and design errors. On the other hand, indirect rework causes have been
classified as situations that will lead to rework, which include: improper subcontractor selection,
poor work protection, lack of collaboration, and improper work sequencing. A diagrammatical
representation of the two forms of rework is illustrated in the Figure 3 below:
Figure 3: Rework Categories (Wasfy, 2010)
In other categories of rework, client-initiated changes, non-variations, and defects have been
identified (Love and Li 2000). Thus, it was concluded that various causes of rework are
interrelated due to the complexity of construction operations.
2.4 Classification of Rework
After the identification of the causes of rework in construction projects, several researchers have
proceeded on classifying these causes. According to Burati et al. (1992), their results reveal the
classification of rework in an undertaken study of construction projects to be categorized as
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 25

design and construction as shown in the Table 3. The categories included the types of the rework,
the factors causing the rework and their descriptions. In explaining the types, Love et al. (1998)
stress that rework in construction projects are aggravated by error made in the design process and
only manifest during the procurement stage. The longer the error goes unnoticed, the greater the
impact will be on the cost and schedule of the project (Love et al., 2009).
The manifestations of error in such instances in most cases become evident during the
incorporation stage (Busby and Hughes 2004), thereby prolonging the extent of rework to be
done on such a project. Similarly, omission contributes greatly to rework in a project, and this
may be as a result of the work practice of the organization not incorporating sufficient project
management procedure during the execution of the project. A study conducted by Love et al.
(2009) investigated the impact of omission in construction and resource engineering projects. It
was revealed that a major factor contributing to omission is the design fee when discussing the
design related rework.
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Table 3: Rework Classification System (Burati et al. 1992)
Category Type Tertiary Description used
Design Change Construction A change is made at the request of the contractor
Client/client A change made by the client/clients’ representative to
rep the design
Occupier Design change initiated by the occupier
Manufacture A change in design initiated by a
Improvement supplier/manufacturer
Design revisions, modifications and improvements
Unknown initiated by the contractor or subcontractor
The source of the change could not be determined, as
there was not enough information available.
Error Discussion with project manager does not reveal the
Omission cause
Errors are mistakes made in the design
Design omission results when a necessary item or
component is omitted from the design
Construction Change Construction A change in the methods to construction in order to
improve constructability
Site Changes in construction methods due to site
conditions conditions
Client/client A change made by the client/clients’ representative
rep. after some work has been performed on-site.
Occupier Occurs when a product or process has been
completed
Manufacture Process or product needs to be altered/rectified
Improvement Contractor request to improve quality
Unknown The source of the change cannot be determined, as
there is not enough information available. Discussion
with project manager did not reveal the cause
Error Construction errors are the result of erroneous
construction methods or procedures
Omission Construction omissions are those activities that occur
due to omission of some activities
Damage Damage may be caused by a subcontractor or
inclement weather
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 27

When discussing the change factor as a reason causing rework in a project, Burati et al., (1992)
stated that a change in any form of the project after work has been executed, alters the
established project requirement which results to reworking the construction. According to CII
(1990), they stress that rework in the form change impacts negativity to the project, in which
reducing the productivity of the workers and the entire project performance may be treated.
On a broader view, Construction Owners Associate of Alberta (COAA, 2002) further reclassify
rework causes as fishbone likely shape as shown in Figure 4, the result of a study undertaken by
(Ruwanpura et al. 2003), which was used to depict a situation of cause and effect of what brings
about rework in construction work. The contributing factors were classified into five different
branches as follows:
 Human resource capability: It was expressed that some major contributors to rework in
construction work are inadequate supervision, lack of skillful workmanship, deficiency
on the part of the instructor and poor job planning.
 Leadership and Communications: Inability of the leader to enforce proper quality
management in order to ensure control commitment on the part of the subordinates, poor
communications and poor implementation of safety standards contribute greatly to
rework.
 Engineering and Reviews: Error, omission and change characterize the problem in
engineering design that is accompanied by poor document control and the alteration in
scope changes.
 Construction planning and scheduling: Some of the resulting factors of construction
planning and scheduling brings about construction problems, insufficient profit gain, late
implementation of design and unrealistic schedule.
 Material and Equipment: Not getting materials at the right time, materials not meeting
project requirement and compliance issues are the subsequent effects of poor material
handling.
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 28

Human Resource Leadership &
communications
Capability
Lack of Safety and QA/QC Commitment
Excessive Overtime
Unclear Instruction Ineffective Management
To worker of Project Team
Insufficient Poor Communications
Inadequate Supervisions Skill level Lack of Operations
(End& Job Planning User) Persons Buy-in Contribute to
reworkScope Changes Unrealistic Untimely
Late Design Schedules Delivers
Changes Late Designer Non-compliance with specification
Errors and Input Prefabrication &
Poor Document Omissions Construction
Control Insufficient Turnover
And Commissioning Materials not in right place when needed
Constructability Resourcing
Problems
Engineer &
Reviews
Construction
Material &Planning
&Scheduling Equipment Supply
Figure 4: Rework Classification (fishbone) (Ruwanpura et al. 2003)
2.5 Impact of Rework
The presence of rework in construction projects clearly has an adverse effect on the overall
project performance. As it has discussed in the sub headings below, the impact of rework cut
across time, quality and the cost of the construction work and this result in a reduction in project
profit, diminished organization reputation, brings about conflicts and loss of future contracts
(Love 2002b). When considering all these factors, it can be concluded that rework has great
impact on the overall cost of an undergoing project or expected future projects. The differences
observed in the definition of rework by researchers based on the collection of data and methods
used, signifies that the extent of rework costs could be far greater than what has been reported in
the available literature (Love and Smith, 2003)

MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 29

2.5.1 Overview of Cost of Rework
The significant impact of rework on a construction project in terms of schedule delay has made
companies consider measuring the cost implication of rework on the total construction project
cost. Significant researchers have looked in this direction for example, Rogge et al. (2001)
identified that in the North American construction industry, a major way of tracking the field
rework is by the use of quality performance management system (QPMS), and sometimes an
internal proprietary tracking system. According to the Construction Industry Institute (2003),
they propose a benchmarking and metrics program that advocates the following index to measure
the amount of field rework for benchmarking purposes:
[1] Total field rework factor = Total direct cost of field rework
Actual construction phase cost
Many researchers have investigated the cost of rework in the construction and engineering
industry. Table 4 shows the significant work carried out by the researchers which was adapted
from Love & Edwards (2004). Only numbers that represent rework are shown. A major study
that was carried out using nine engineering projects, by Burati et al. (1992), found that rework
was based on what was termed “quality deviations” and rework in this respect accounted for an
average of 12.4% of the contract value. Other research conducted by Josephson and
Hammarlund (1999) reported that the cost of rework on residential, industrial, and commercial
building projects ranged from 2% to 6% of their contract values. Similar research conducted by
Love and Li (2000) found the cost of rework to be 3.15% and 2.40% of the contract value for a
residential and an industrial building, respectively. Based on these studies, an implementation of
quality policies in an organization revealed that cost of rework can be reduced to 1% of the total
construction cost if continuous improvement strategy were adopted.
In a related study, Azhar et al. (2008) explains that the issue of cost overrun has been a
reoccurring problem in many projects undertaken by the construction industry. In understanding
the key factors to project success, they stress that cost has its topmost contribution in that regard.
While examining the fundamentals of a project, Elchaig et al. (2005) declare that factors
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 30

revolving around projects are majorly qualitative, i.e. issues relating to supervisory roles,
planning methodology, and selection and procurement procedures.
Avots (1983) defines cost overrun as the incurred excess on the budget cost of a construction
project. The severe consequences of cost overrun have been greatly experienced in developing
countries which make Angelo and Reina (2002) stress that the problem of cost overrun needs to
be studied in greater details.
Table 4: Amounts of Rework in Projects adapted from (Love & Edwards, 2004)
No Author Country Cost
1 Cusack (1992) Australia 10% *
2 Burroughs (1993) Australia 5% *
3 CIDA (1995) Australia 6.5% *
4 Lomas (1996) Australia >1% *
5 Love et al. (1999) Australia 2.4% & 3.15% *
6 Love (2002) Australia 6.4% *
7 CIDB (1989) Singapore 5-10% +
8 Hammarlund et al. (1990) Sweden 6% +
9 Josephson & Hammarlund (1990-1996) Sweden 2.3-9.4% *
10 Josephson et al. (2002) Sweden 4.4% *
11 Burati et al. (1992) USA 12.4% +
12 Abdul-Rahman (1993) UK 2.5-%% *
Remarks:
+ = % of project costs
*= as a % tot Total Contract Value
2.5.2 Impact of Rework on Quality Cost
A general consensus reached based on the various studies shows that reducing rework in a
construction project reduces the impact on the total cost of construction. However, rework cost
has been translated to mean quality costs, and thus, one type of measurement designed to help
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 31

the management with sufficient information about process failures and obtaining designed
activities to prevent or reduce rework in construction project is based on quality cost approach.
Love et al. (1998) define rework costs as the total cost accrued from problems of products or
services before and after it was delivered. Thus, it was expressed that one of the ways to measure
rework costs is to consider items including rework, material waste, and warranty repairs. This
has been proposed by Feigenbaum (1991), who classifies cost to include failure, preventive and
appraisal cost. These are one of the ways of examining quality costs. Such costs can be classified
as the cost of conformance and the cost of non-conformance. It was expressed that conformance
costs include cost of training, indoctrination, verification, validation, testing, inspection,
maintenance, and audits. Alternatively, cost of non-conformance relates to cost of rework waste
materials, and the warranty repair cost acquired by the company. All these were put together by
Feigenbaum (1991), who classifies these costs of failure, prevention, and appraisal as cost of
control and cost of failure control depicted in the Figure 5 below:

Cost of control
Cost of Failure
control
Prevention costs
Appraisal Costs
Internal Failure
Costs
External failure
Costs

Figure 5: Quality Cost: Cost of Control and Failure (Feigenbaum, 1991)
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 32

2.5.2.1 Failure Cost
Failure cost can be internal and external. It was explained that the internal failure costs are those
costs which are meant to resolve error or defect within identifiable measures set up by the
organization. On the other hand, external cost dealt with costs that are not in conformity with the
client agreement.
2.5.2.2 Appraisal Costs
This has been identified as the cost spent on detecting error or defects in construction work by
measuring the level of conformance to the client’s design specifications. This includes ensuring
proper engineering and structural drawings, work in progress, assessment of incoming materials
and ensuring finished work is acceptable.
2.5.2.3 Prevention Costs
The cost of prevention is the cost invested to prevent the occurrence of the error or defects taking
place in the first place or cost expended to ensure the absolute reduction of error or defects from
occurring in the construction work.
An earlier research by Campanella and Corcoran (1983) explains that increasing the finance
expended on prevention and appraisal cost will bring about a reduction in the failure costs over
time of its implementation. Failure costs on the other hand are almost avoidable. Eliminating the
causes of rework will drastically reduce the appraisal cost (Low and Yeo, 1998). It is on this
basis that a number of researchers place more weight on cost associated with rework. Woodward
(1997) stresses that rework accounts on average 10% or greater of the total project cost.
2.5.3 Impact of Rework on the Project Cost Performance
Love and Edwards (2005) carried out a national questionnaire survey in Australia and identify
two categories that result to total cost of rework, as direct and indirect rework cost. Although a
lot of research has been conducted to determine the significance of direct cost on rework,
exploration into the indirect cost of rework has been minimal. This is due to the fact that it is
quite difficult to quantify in its absolute (Love 2002b).
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 33

2.5.3.1 Direct Cost of Rework
In a research study by Love & Sohal (2003) emphasis were placed more on finding how much
percentage are associated to direct cost with respect to rework in the overall contract value (Love
& Sohal, 2003). Other study carried out by Love & Li (2000), found that the direct costs in
residential and industrial building were 3.15% and 2.40% respectively on an account of the
rework associated in both cases on the total contract value of the projects. Similarly, Love and Li
(2000) revealed that on large projects such as the civil and heavy industrial engineering projects,
it was found that the total contract value related to direct cost was on average 12.4 %.
The direct costs associated to rework as identified above show that additional costs from rework
have a substantial adverse effect on project performance. Although, the effect of cost associated
to project performance, the additional time required to redo the work would also result in a time
shift or delay and would affect the project schedule. Tommelein, et al. (2007) states that the
direct rework cost includes man-hour, schedule, equipment, materials and the required space
used up in the cause of the project.
Furthermore, Palaneeswaran (2006) explained that calculating the impact of direct cost in a
construction project should be viewed from the start of additional time spent on redoing a given
task, extra cost needed to cover the expense of the rework task, supplementary materials used up
for the rework and the additional labor force and supervisory efforts needed to cover the rework.
In a study undertaken by the Construction Task Force in UK estimated rework in construction
work could rise to 30% (Egan, 1998), and an associated cost of this rework as high as US$15
billion could be the resultant loss of a construction project expanded on rework (CII, 2001a). The
gravity of rework is also felt extensively in the quality (cost), overheads (Indirect cost) and upon
all the resources associated (Love and Edwards, 2004).
Similarly, as mentioned earlier in the classification of rework, Fayek et al. (2003) carried out a
study in Canada on a total number of 108 field reoccurring incidences and found out the cost
contributions on the followings; engineering and reviews (61.65%), human resource capability
(20.49%), materials and equipment supply (14.81%), construction planning and scheduling
(2.61%), and leadership and communication (0.45%) were as a result of rework.
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 34

2.5.3.2 Indirect Cost of Rework
Love et al. (2002a) revealed that indirect cost of rework cannot be readily worked out as the cost
spread across the following: loss of schedule and the productivity, litigation and claims, and low
operational efficiency but could be five times higher than the cost of modification (Love 2002b).
Similarly, Tommelein et al., (2007) stated that indirect cost of rework is a combination of the
construction performance factors, the extent of attainable coordination, and network impacts. In
a study conducted by Love (2002b), it was revealed that the significant cost incurred in indirect
cost of the organization was via the extension of its original contract duration of the construction
work, and this affected the organization’s capacity to pave way for other new contracts. This was
a situation in which the organization had to cope with by adding extra resources and payment of
extra cost as a result of overtime.
Further, other areas focused on by researchers are the indirect consequences of having rework in
construction. Love (2002) noted that rework brings about psychological degeneration on the part
of the organization workforce as shown in Figure 6 for which monetary value cannot be attached.
Work Inactivity De-motivation Loss of Future
Work
Fatigue Absenteeism
Stress Indirect Poor Morale
Rework
Conflict Reduced Profit
End-user Professional Image
Dissatisfaction
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 35

Figure 6: Taxonomy of the Indirect Consequences of Rework (Cooper, 1993)
Another contributing factor that has been found to be a major contributing factor to rework is
defect cost. The defect cost has been defined as the resources value embedded in the
performance of rework as a result of the detection of defect (Josephson 1998). A large amount of
time, materials and equipment are used up in correcting defect. Defects could result from all
concerned in a construction project, and is calculated irrespective of who undertakes it. As earlier
defined by (Josephson and Hammarlund 1999), rework could be said to be a ‘defect’, further,
distinction based on direct and indirect defect (failure) cost has equally been explained above.
Harrington (1987) declares that indirect defect costs are related to cost incurred by the customer,
dissatisfaction cost of the customer, and this usually brings loss of reputation cost due to the
occurrence of defect experience.
2.5.4 Disruption of cordial relationship
Another very serious consequence of rework in the construction industry is the loss of
reputational goodwill. Love and Edwards (2004) agree that a major setback encountered with
frequent reoccurrence of rework in the construction project makes the organization lose its
industry reputation. Endut et al. (2005) studied the dissatisfaction of rework implication in the
construction industry and concluded that it was a problem that needs to be addressed in order to
avoid tarnishing the glory of the company involved, and incurring loss of future business and
reduction of company profits.
2. 6 Rework Model Analysis
There have been some documented ways by which rework can be tracked. Fayek et al. (2003)
proposed a model on the field rework as shown in Figure 7. In the proposed study, the field
rework is initiated once any form of rework attributes has occurred on the field, and subsequently
identified. In the model, the supervisory role identify the rework and report it to the appropriate
level of authority in order to obtain a directive on what is needed to be done. Detailed gathering
of information was encouraged, such as event of occurrence, time of event, labor working at the
time of incidence, type of equipment used, cost of the material and the cost of the subordinating
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 36

handling the operation. These types of information are gathered for every observed rework
occurrence. Subsequently, the data are put together as the total direct field cost of rework as
shown below:
Dr= ∑i=1 L r i +E r i +M r i +S r i +V r I ….equation 1
Dr is the total direct field cost of rework, L r is the direct field labor and supervision cost of
rework, E r is the direct equipment cost of rework, M r is the material cost of rework, S r is the
subcontract cost of rework, V r is the vendor and supplier cost of rework, i is the rework event
n is the number of rework events.
Further, the construction field rework CFRI is now calculated using this equation;
CFRI = (Dr*IF) / [D+I+P+Q] ….equation 2
Where D is the direct field construction phase cost, I is the indirect field construction phase cost
P is the profit fees (CAN$), Q is the overhead fees (CAN$), Dr is the total direct field cost of
rework, CFRI= (total direct plus indirect cost of rework performed in the field)/(total field
construction phase cost).
Although, the model has stated processes of tracking rework in a quantitative sequence, but there
has been emphasis placed on qualitative approach in evaluating the causes of rework as noted by
(Josephson 1998; Dew, 1991; Wilson et a., 1993).
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 37

Rework Incident
Identification
Report
No Decision Rework?
yes
Rework Instructions
By Workforce/Crew
Supervisor
QA/QC Personnel
To Field Engineer
Field Technical
By Field Engineer
QAA/QC
Field Technical

Field Operation Report

Rework Rework Schedule Impact
Activity Data Casue & Ripple Effect
Collection Classificatito
Indirect Unit Rates
Mark Factor
Calculation
Rework
databas
e
Rework Index Rework Root
Cause
Analysis
Rework activity information is
collected by observing the
activity and time sheets, and
by interviewing construction
personnel.
Cause classification is based
on discussions with all
relevant parties involved in
the rework incident.
Indirect mark-up factor is
calculated from the field cost
reports.
Unit Rates: Labor, Equipment,
Materials.

Figure 7: Pilot Study on Field Rework Tracking (Fayek et al. 2003)
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 38

Chapter 3.0: Methodology
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 39

Chapter 3.0 Methodology
The research design for the study is discussed in this methodology chapter. It explains the
approach by which the data for the study was collected and the structure in which the research
study will be undertaken.
3.1 Research Design
This research studies the causes of rework and the impact of the rework on the construction
project to the overall total cost of project. The proposed hypothesis in the introductory chapter of
this study assumes that the underlying problems of rework as reviewed by previous researchers
can be grouped under three factors: people, process and technology. As such, it shows that a very
close interactive relationship is expected that could impact on the total project cost and project
performance. According to Robertson et al. (1990), the best way of making inquiry is through
interviewing the participants involved in the case, as this will give the interviewer an in-depth
knowledge into the situation leading to the occurrence of the problem. Further, interview is a
systematic investigative approach of ascertaining the factors surrounding the decisions taken by
the participants. Looking from a dictionary point of view, the Concise Oxford English Dictionary
(COED 2004) defines interview as the systematic investigational approach of studying people in
order to gain insightful facts concerning the occurrence of a problem and establishing cognitive
evidence as to why such a problem as occurred, and thus, by so doing, a new conclusion is
reached. Similarly, Burns (2008) expresses that the principle of inquiry is a systematic approach
for answering a problem definition. The research design covers the scope of the study to which
the research has been confined. Additionally, the method of collecting the data and mode
adopted to make inquiry into the cause of rework in the construction project are covered in this
chapter. According to Bell (2005), the methodology of a research study is critical to the success
of any research work, as the vital details of its framework are expected to be elaborated in such
study. An important point noted by the researcher is that the methodology of collection data is
crucial to finding a viable solution to the underlying problem posed in the study (Leedy and
Ormrod 2010). In this light, the research study has taken the approach of being pragmatic in
presentation by following four fundamental principles of sourcing the facts (i.e. data and
information) as delineated below:
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 40

What types of data are needed: This refers to the data source for verifying the extent of overruns
in the total cost of construction work of the studied pipeline project. This will include the factors
causing the rework in the project and the associated cost impact it will effect on the total cost
performance of the project.
Where the data will be obtained: This indicates from where the data will be obtained. In order to
get the data for this study several employees were interviewed from both the contractor and sub-
contractor involved in the project such that rework became necessary.
How to obtain the data: A method of ensuring that the approach adopted will capture the needed
factors to determine and solve the research problem must be adopted. In this study, a qualitative
research was adopted.
How to ensure an accurate interpretation of the data: Information gathering would follow a
particular pattern of analysis as recognized by the researcher.
In view of these explanations, the research study has adopted an inductive qualitative approach
in the investigation of the root causes of rework on the construction project.
3.2 Qualitative Research
Qualitative research as defined by Creswell (2009), states that it is a social related method of
inquiry into a problem that is in line with the developed conceptual framework of the research
study. Leedy and Ormrod (2010) stress that qualitative research is a way of examining the
characteristic of human factors leading to the cause of a problem, such as those reviewed in the
literature section. As it has been discussed earlier in the literature review of this research,
researchers conclude that the defects, omission or error that occurs in construction work usually
manifests from the clients, main contractors, are sub-contractor related, are predominantly the
result of people, the process and the technology as has been conceptualized in the framework.
Further, qualitative research has been classified to be exploratory research in nature, where
observations of the root cause(s) of a problem are used to build up theory (Leedy and Ormrod
2010). Similarly, Gummesson (1991) depicts that data that are put together from the basic are
used to analyze situations which could be used for future research. A recognized form of
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 41

reporting qualitative research was proposed by (Creswell 2009). Creswell characterizes
qualitative research as follows:
 Collection of data at the sites where the problem was experienced and with the
participants involved.
 Method of inquiry and collection data in qualitative research comprises documentation,
behavioral observation or interviewing participants.
 Qualitative research relies on various forms of data collection rather than to limitation to
a single point data source.
 The researcher in qualitative research keeps focus on the problem at hand during the
process of making the inquiry.
Thus, in this research study, in order to determine the root causes of the rework in the existing
pipeline construction project, coding of the interviews was employed done to extract those
factors that led to the rework on the project.
3.2.1 Coding in qualitative research
According to Anselm (1987), the quality and value of qualitative research lies in its excellent
way of coding the data into category, such that working with the themes developed, will form a
new cut of the data that are used to resolve or address the research problem. Furthermore, (Patton
2002) stresses that choosing the “right tool for the right job” is essential to accomplish the
resolution of research problems, research questions, conceptual frameworks and the generated
field data, since those problems are context-specific based. What then is coding? Coding in
qualitative inquiry is expressed as a short word or phrase used to capture the salient feature in a
language-based text (Saldana 2008, pg 3). It is assumed that the data can be the result of the
transcription of an interview that was conducted in the reason for the study, notes observed from
participants, journals so on. The processes of coding are usually done in cycles, depending on the
magnitude of the study, and are classified as descriptive, In Vivo, and Initial coding (Saldana
2008). The research study is expected to follow the important rules of understanding the pattern
and regularities of the data (Agar, 1996, p.10). It was further expressed that the coding could be
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 42

categorized based on the settlement of the participants. However, Hatch (2002) proclaims that
patterns should not be assumed to follow a stable regular pattern but is in fact, in varying forms.
Thus, patterns are characterized as follows: similarity, difference, frequency, sequence,
corresponding and causational. This type of analysis was employed in the transcription of the
interviews conducted with the research participants for the purpose of the research study.
3.2.2 Importance of coding
Coding allows new themes to emerge which are developed from the transcripts of the interviews.
The emergence of these themes is identified in order to correlate the findings of the interviews
with what is being researched. According to Elliott and Gillie (1998, p.331), the importance of
coding helps the researcher to identify the similarities and differences across the varying groups
that are interviewed. Using coding in qualitative research enables the use of a guided
methodology in the evaluation of the research objectives to be achieved. Furthermore, coding
ensures the reliability of the data collection and ensures the validation of the data when carried
out by other researchers.
3.3 Research Participants
To be able to carry out the research study, many of those involved in the construction project
have been interviewed in order to have a deeper insight to the problem necessitating rework on
the on-going project. The participants are mainly from the main contractor and include the site
engineers, project manager, and supervisors, (10 interviewees). 13 from lower cadres working on
the project directly were similarly interviewed, including the site technician, foreman, operators,
and the drivers. In all, the total number of interviewees was23; it was necessary to interview
many of the concerned as this would give the right direction to the nature of the problem and
ultimately lead to the root cause(s) of rework as aimed in the research study. Further interviews
were held with the financial manager and the document controller in order to find whether there
were measures in place for detecting cost impact of rework. To a very large extent, these are
significant steps needed to inquire into a root cause of a problem as exemplified in the research
work by (Robertson et al. 1990) principles of inquiry.
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3.4 Data Collection Methods
Collection of data has been done through two different approaches. One approach was to look
into relevant authors who have written textbooks on the issues of rework in construction projects,
accessing related relevant journals, conference release on rework in the construction project, and
so on. This was categorized as secondary data sources, and has been done in such a way that only
the relevant ones were evaluated with respect to the study at hand as proposed by (Stewart and
Kamins 1993) when using secondary data in research study. Stewart and Kamins (1993) explain
that the relevance of the data must tend towards addressing the problems of the research study,
serve to strengthen or illustrate the diverse views of researchers on the intended study and
perhaps, operate as a guide line to the method of collection of the data. Furthermore, the
reviewing of earlier studies of other researchers in a given subject area on the basis of its
descriptive and analytical format makes it possible to view the similarities and possible
contradictions on such a research work (Naoum 1998). Other researchers have mentioned the
need of a preliminary and full study of other researchers work (Melville and Goddard 1996).
Thus, in this study sources relevant to the rework, its origin, main causes, classification, and its
impact in the advent of its occurrence has been reviewed. While on an elaborate scale, views of
researchers on the causes and cost impact of rework in the construction industry was depicted.
Nevertheless, primary data have been obtained for the purpose of investigating the root causes of
the problem into rework on n a huge pipeline water construction project in Libya. This includes
the interviews conducted with the workers of the main contractors, sub-contractors and meeting
with the financial departmental head of the main contractor to collect the financial data in order
to evaluate the cost impact of rework to the overall project cost. An account related by Leedy and
Ormrod (2010) claimed that the best form of validating information or data is via the primary
data. By so doing, two forms of primary data were conducted to ensure that the research study
addressed the aim of the research study, which comprised interviews and collection of written
documents on financial data so that both the root causes and the cost impact of rework could be
properly investigated, along with its corresponding influence on the project’s performance.
Walliaman (2005) explains that primary data should be collected directly, with a clear
observation within the context of a real world that is undisturbed by any prejudice, thus forming
the basis of an exploratory research of the study. Neuman (2000) states that exploratory research
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 44

is research conducted to look into an area of study where new ideas can be developed that will
address the underlying reason for carrying out the research study. To this end, this research made
use of semi-structure interviews, observation of site situations, review of the non-conformance
report (NCR), which is the site reports and collection of financial reports of the project’s
progress. This data would be used to develop the classification of information needed to
investigate the theoretical hypothesis of the research study.
3.4.1 Interviews
Interviews as described by Rubin and Rubin (1995) are conversation between two or more
people that is guided on the basis of an inquiry into a study being made, and can take the form of
a rigid or a fluid pattern. In an earlier definition, Best (1981) viewed it as a discussion that
involves two or more people, usually called an interviewer and interviewee(s). To uncover the
reason for conducting an interview, Wimmer and Dominick (1994) stressed that a successful
interview unveils the perspectives of research participants with respect to the aim of the research
study. Further, the interview is expected to serve as a means of gathering information, making a
direct observation of the issue at hand, and form the basis upon which hypothetical assumptions
are tested (Best 1981). In this research, a semi-structured interview has been used. This form of
interview was adopted in order not to limit the participants to the researchers’ views but also to
be able to get an in-depth reason from those that were being interviewed. A semi-structure
interview is a bridge between the structured and unstructured interviews. Fellows and Liu (2008)
declare that there are many forms of semi-structured interviews ranging from a questionnaire to a
probing form of questions set or prepared to investigate the root cause of a problem. Relevant
participants have been interviewed in this research study and include the project manager, site
manager, site technicians, supervisors, operators, foreman, drivers etc. The interviews were taped
and transcribed for onward categorization of the investigating facts via coding.
3.4.2 Observation and review of NCR
Direct observation of the situation at the construction site was carried out by the researcher in
order to observe the extent and see the reason why such facts emanating from the interviewed
participants resulted in rework in the ongoing project. This was essential for this research study,
as numerous factors might be the cause of the rework occurring in the project; this could
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include behavioral and climatic factors, tight regulations and so on which might be difficult for
some of the research participants to communicate. The NCR is the site reports originating from
the client claiming non-conformance of work done at the site with the signed contract. A total
number of 50 NCRs were collected and this serves as the basis of examining the root causes of
the rework on the project.
3.4.3 Financial Data
The financial data are the data that ensures the researcher is able to evaluate the impact of rework
on the on-going project, although this has been very difficult to collect; nevertheless, the cordial
relationship that was built up with some key members of the main contractor gave the researcher
the opportunity to meet with the financial manager to obtain certain confidential information
which was meant solely for the research purpose.
3.5 Data Analysis
In this section, the methods of analyzing all the data collected from the construction site are
explained. Firstly, the research methodology being an inductive qualitative approach, the method
of analyzing the interview was done via an inductive coding. It begins with a close reading of the
transcripts of the interviews and deriving multiple meaning(s) that are embedded therein in the
text. Thus, useful identification of segments containing units of meaningful themes is formed,
although the approach follows a cyclic pattern in which at the initial stage, collection of
descriptive items are formed into categories and are associated with links. Furthermore, these
links are later re-categorized to form various relationships that come in the form of network,
hierarchical order or patterns. According to Hatch (2002), these patterns do not have to be stable,
but may come in varying forms and can thus be characterized as similarity, difference,
frequency, sequence and so on. On this basis, Tesch (1990, pp. 135-8) acknowledges that the
construction of category in qualitative inquiry on the data may not necessarily be precise but may
be confounded within a fuzzy-like frame at best. In order to ensure focus on the study that will
address the aim of the research and test the proposed hypothesis, Charmaz (2003) pointed out the
following must be ensured during the coding:
 What is the sequence of events?
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 What are the participants involved in?
 What are the participants saying?
 What do the actions and inactions of the participants take for granted?
 How does the structuring of the context depict the impeded actions?
An encapsulation of the coding process was outlined in Creswell’s (2002) work. Table 5 shows
the sequence of the process outlined. As delineated in the table, the process is such as to capture
the key concepts relating to the objectives of the research findings from the raw data. Thereafter,
it is being assessed as the main cause of rework in the on-going construction project.
Table 5: Showing the process of coding in an inductive analysis
Initial reading of Identify specific text Label the segments Reduce overlap Create a model
Text data segments related to of text to create and redundancy incorporating
Objectives categories among the most important
Categories categories
Many pages of Many segments of 30 to 40 categories 15 to 20 3 to 8 categories
text text categories
The second analysis is based on calculating the impact of the rework in the construction project
to the total cost of the project. The collected NCR data for the site report on rework are checked
and the amount the rework is correlated with the actual cost of the work. The principle follows
the formula deduced by construction industry institute (CII) bench marks and metrics program
(2003) in the estimation of cost of rework as given below:
Total field rework factor (TFRF) = Total direct cost of field rework
Total construction cost
The outcome of these findings will be reviewed against similar research findings relating to
construction project studies done in other research. Appendix I shows studies that have
calculated cost of rework across projects and the impact of the rework is described in percentage.
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Azhar et al. (2008) declares that cost overrun in construction project has become a frequent
phenomenon that has called for attention. This is necessary as cost has gotten a large impact on
the success of the entire project. However, those cost overrun incurred in a project is largely as a
result of rework, which can be addressed. The research study examines the causes in the pipeline
construction project and calculates the percentage ratio associated to rework in the on-going
project on the basis of the identified categories of concern to the project. The planned cost details
and the actual cost of the project progress financial report received from the financial
departmental head plays a large role in this regards. The frequency of each identified rework
categories were obtained from the NCR data that were obtained as a result of non-satisfaction of
the client’s objectives. This enables the research study to identify areas where much of the
rework lies and helps to channel interview questions in that area. Also, the categorization of the
frequency of the rework equally helps to determine the number of times such rework occurred,
and this helps to determine the amount of cost associated with such type of rework. It is
important to note that the frequency has been denoted with numerical value ranging from 0 to 5,
with 0 as the minimum number of times the rework occurred while 5 signifies the highest
number of times the rework has occurred.
Summary
The investigation into the root causes of rework using an inductive qualitative approach achieved
via the coding of the interviews and examining the cost impact of rework in the on-going
construction project serves as a means to verify the initial logical supposition posed in the
hypothesis of the research study. As stated by Leedy and Ormrod (2010) an in-depth
understanding of the research hypotheses will emanate from the sub-problems, and a closed
corresponding frequency upon which the sub-problem lies. Thus, hypotheses may either be
supported or proven not to have any relationship based on the initially posed assumption.
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Chapter 4.0: Research Discussion and
Analysis
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Chapter 4.0 Research Discussion and Analysis
4.1. Introduction
This chapter deals with the research discussions and analysis of data for the research study. It
covers the analysis of the data collected via non-conformance reports (NCR), financial data and
the interviews which are meant to investigate the root cause(s) of the problem into rework
experienced in the on-going pipeline construction project, and also understand its impact on
project performance, and to determine the percentage of rework on the total project cost. The
next sections address the research focus.
4.2 Data Discussion
The section discusses the data of the research study starting with the non-conformance reports
that were collected from the contractor quality department; this is followed by the interviews
conducted with the research participants and, finally the financial data of the project progress.
Details of these are given in the sections below:
4.2.1Non-Conformance Report (NCR)
The NCR is a report that focuses on the non-conformity of the contractors work to the agreed
contract specification. It is usually reported by the client representative assigned to monitor the
progress of the project. The NCR signifies something that has gone wrong, which needs to be
addressed. It is often reported with the acceptable corrective action needed to remedy the error.
In this research study, a random sampling of 50 NCR’s of the ongoing pipeline project was
obtained from the site manager. The NCR has been collated based on the clients request to
amend or correct the defective area of the project that does not meet specification or the
requirement of the project. Table 6-11 shows the extracted descriptions of non-conformance
reported in the project. Although the NCR’s included the following, item descriptions, item
Number, disposition proposal, apparent cause among others, the focus was on the non-
conformance and the number of times of occurrence of such error in the project.
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Table 6: Shows the non-conformance descriptions for haul road
S/N Category NCR Description Frequency
1
Road 1a Oversize materials were used during the general fill for the 7
haul road construction
Haul
1b Soft spots identified on haul roads 6
1c Borrow pit materials were used during haul road construction 5

Table 7: Shows the non-conformance descriptions for excavation
S/N Category NCR Description
2
Excavation 2a Depth of excavation does not meet requirement
Frequency
3

Table 8: Shows the non-conformance descriptions for pipe transportation
S/N Category NCR Descriptions Frequency
3
Transpor
tation 3a Pipe damage during transportation 2
P
i
(Spigot groove)
3b PCCP damage during transportation 1
3c PCCP pipe (external & internal mortar cracks) 1
During unloading
3d Spigot ring damage during unloading 2
Table 9: Shows the non-conformance descriptions for pipe installation
S/N Category NCR Description Frequency

4
Installation
Pipe
4a Pipes need cleaning during installation 2
4b Spigot damage during the pipe layering 3
4c Pipe pushing machine got broken, cracking the pipe 3
4d Pipe cover depth does not meet specification 2
4e External mortar crack damage during pipe layering 3

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Table 10: Shows the non-conformance descriptions for back fill
S/N Category NCR Description Frequency
5 5a Back fill soil compactness does not meet requirement (i.e. 3
fill Structural backfill test)
5b Earth pressure test shows that subsurface pipes are prone to 3
Back
damage
Table 11: Shows the non-conformance descriptions for concrete work
S/N Category NCR Description Frequency
6 6a Uneven concrete gap in between pipe installation causing 3
Concr
ete
wor
k faulty Air test
6b Concrete rings test shows that manholes cannot withstand 1
dynamic forces
The NCR’s has facilitated the researcher to categorize the main project structures, and six areas
of the project have been identified which include the haul road, excavation, pipe transportation,
pipe installation, back fill and the concrete work (i.e. manholes). In order to gain insight of the
project categories and terminologies, a brief explanation of each term has been described below:
Haul Road
The haul roads are constructed for use by large and expensive trucks. It uses an empirical design
method, which may not necessary result in an optimum road design. The functional haul road
covers 380 km in distance and needs a reliable wearing course to avoid damage to large trucks. It
was agreed for construction as per the contract requirement to reduce inefficiency of the trucks,
increase road usage and maintain the life-span for the trucks. Thus, this has called for selective
materials to be used in the construction of the haul roads, needing special attention paid to
density of materials (i.e. soil compactness), and dust ratio and particle size distribution.
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Pipe Transportation
The pipe transportation involves the transportation of pipes from the pipe factory to the point of
their usage across the whole length of the pipeline project. The transportation of the pipes is
made along the haul road, and since the pipes are made of concrete, they are prone to cracks or
total damage if the slightest external pressure is impact on them. Thus, this calls for an
experienced driver; safety measure procedures, and a well constructed haul road among others to
enable the successful achievement of this operation.
Excavation
This is the trench dug in readiness for the laying of the pipes. During excavation, it is necessary
to prepare for how to handle; store, transport, and even dispose of the excavated earth materials
in such a way it does not result in unnecessary rework to activities that have already been
completed. The excavation for this pipeline project is expected to be 7 meters in depth and 5
meters in width, and done in such a way that it will not result in the collapsing of the walls or
exceeding the required depth and width as this would amount to using more materials than
necessary. During the excavation process, three main phases might be encountered and should be
prepared for; normal, blistering and dewatering. The normal excavation is the process of
excavating without encountering any foreign earth materials such as rocks, limestone etc.
Blistering involves breaking hard solid earth materials by means of an explosive material and
special equipment to facilitate the excavation of the earth materials. Lastly is the dewatering, and
entails the removal of water from the area of the planned excavation site. A successful
accomplishing of the excavation work requires an experienced workforce, special equipment and
proper planning and monitoring.
Pipe Installation
The pipe installation entails the laying of the pipes beneath the soil surface at a depth of 5 meters
from the ground surface, and thereafter, back filled with 1 meter of compacted sand. The laying
is done in a sequential order considering the slope of the flow of the water. The pipes are of 75
tons each in weight and need to be handled with care. The laying of the pipes needs special
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heavy cranes which require operation by an experienced crane operator, and a significant amount
of advanced machinery is required during the installation process.
Back-Fill
The back-fill involves the filling of the installed pipes with reinforced gravel. This is needed to
facilitate the redistribution of some of the load away from the pipe and into the side-fill soil. It is
important to ensure the trench backfill is placed back on the pipes in a compacted form at a level
2 meters below the pipes and 1 meter above the installed pipes, as per specification.
Concrete work (Manholes)
The manholes as per requirement are expected to be placed at 5 km from pipelines. The
manholes structure serves as the principle access point in the system maintenance of the pipeline
construction. The manholes for the pipeline work have agreed height and diameter measurements
of the frame which needs to be adhered to. Each manhole is expected to have a physical
description that will facilitate the subsequent phase as the project progresses. Depending on the
installation pipes’ area, cathode protections are installed to prevent the pipe from aggressive
attack by corrosion.
As indicated in Table 12, it was obvious that what led to rework in the ongoing pipeline project
had not been addressed as there are quite a number of factors that reoccurred more than once.
Based on the information derived from the 50 detailed NCRs, a semi-structured interview was
conducted with some main contractor workers, subcontractors, and departmental financial heads
to look into the root cause(s) of the problem for those rework activities taken place at the site.
The next section discusses the outcomes of the interviews that were conducted.
Table 12: Shows Categories by Rework Frequency
Category of rework Total frequency Ranking
Haul Road 18 1
Pipe Installation 13 2
Back fill 6 3
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Pipe Transportation 6 4
Concrete 4 5
Excavation 3 6
4.2.2 Interviews
This section presents some interviews that were conducted with some of the field workers at the
ongoing pipeline project. A total of 23 interviews were conducted as shown in Table 13. The
interviews were aimed at finding out the root cause(s) and impacts of the rework that resulted
from the main structural areas of the pipeline project as observed from the NCR’s categorization,
the influence of human resource capability, quality management practices on the occurrence of
rework, and were conducted in such a way that the participants could share their own points of
view with respect to the problem, while noting the impact of the rework through observation and
analysis of financial data collected thereafter. The interviews were conducted with relevant
parties who were working at the site and directly involved with the operations of the project. A
time limit of 40-50 minutes was given to each participant, and the interviews spanned a period of
three weeks. The set of semi-structured interview questions reflected some factors that have been
identified from the literature review, factors observed from the NCR’s, research objectives, and a
host of other questions to ascertain answers to the hypothetical questions that were formulated in
the introductory chapter. It should be noted that the researcher took the time to note the
responses of the participants, as it was initially observed that some of the participants were not at
ease with the interview being taped, and as such the researcher resorted to noting their views on a
written document which made the participants express their views extensively having been
promised that their identity will remain anonymous. These conditions are very understandable as
the project was still an ongoing project and many feared losing their jobs. The interviews
conducted then, were noted in written document format, and thereafter, a segmented coding was
performed.
Coding qualitative data
In this research study, a hierarchical coding structure of the text was done. The written
documents followed several codes that were grouped together as observed from the participants’
interviews to be the root cause(s) of the rework experienced in the ongoing pipeline project. It
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follows that some codes were put into groups, while some were further sub-coded to reflect the
main groups as shown in Table 14. The coding was done by marking the identified segments (i.e.
descriptive words) of the data with alpha-numeric symbols as depicted in the section below and
subsequently, the relationships between the codes were further grouped into themes that reflect
the findings from the literature review with respect to the possible main causes of rework in the
construction industry and was discussed under section formation of themes.
Foreman
I started working with the company and on this project for the last 11 months. I am responsible
for the pipe installation team. I think the company had a good facility in terms of equipment and
machinery, but the problem with the work was that the pipe installation is a very sensitive job
and some of the laborers do not have enough skills and knowledge (Line 4: erroneous
workmanship) (A1) to use the installation equipment (i.e. advanced heavy cranes) as there is no
special training given to the operators (Line 6: training on machines) (B2). Many have little
knowledge of operating those machines before, which might have given them the opportunity to
work on this type of project in the first instance, but it showed that some intrinsic parts of the
operation were being learnt on site while performing the task (Line 9: faulty work preparation)
(B1), so there are some mistakes that have to be reworked. Coupled with that, there are quite a
number of advanced machines that are being used at site such as the cranes and pushing
machines, and they need some time for the operators to get used to them (Line 12: difficulties in
learn advance machines) (E1).
Technician
I have been working with the company for more than 1 year as a technician. I worked with the
pipe installation team as a punching machine operator. Sometimes we faced installation
problems which cause pipe damage and this could be as a result of the following reasons:
Punching machine efficiency: - Sometimes we do not work with the support of a specialist at the
final stage of fixing (Line 5: difficult to use advance machine) (E1).
Communication problem: - the team is made up of diverse people (i.e. different nationalities) like
people from Arabian countries, Poland and Turkey, although we all communicate in a common
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language (i.e. English) but sometimes their accent in pronunciation might mean something else
to another team member (Line 9: language difficulties) (D1), so as a result of that, some errors
do occur and we have to work it again.
Crane Operator
I have been working with the company for more than 3 months as a crane operator. The
difficulties which I sometimes face have to do with some functions of the crane. They tend to be
a little bit more advanced than the ones I had experience with at my former company (Line 3:
difficulties to use advance machine) (E1). Although I have more than 15 years of working
experience, as a result of this technicality, I sometimes make mistakes, especially during the first
two months I started working with this company. In that regard, I would rather suggest that the
management provide training to newly employed staff (Line 7: lack of training) (B2) for
sometime before being given the responsibilities to work on demanding projects of this nature.
However, it might be that the company has more work to do; they would rather terminate an
operator appointment and employ another person rather than to train and this has made many of
us pretend that all mistakes were of the making from a faulty machine (Line 11: faulty machines)
(E2). I think this is not good for the company.
General Labor
I started working with the company about 1 year ago as general laborer. I work with the
excavation team and sometimes with the trench cleaning team. There are some challenges we
face while working, some of which are made obvious when backfilling, perhaps due to the initial
depth specification not meeting requirement (Line 4: erroneous workmanship) (A1). Honestly,
the job is tasking and we are made to work longer hours (Line 5: working long hours) (B3) such
that many are tired but we have to keep working, coupled with the climatic condition of the place
we are working (i.e. very hot). Because the company pays us overtime, so many are always
willing to stay behind even if they are tired, as for me, I work 12 hours daily and feel the fatigue
at some point in time, but I need the money. I am sure this brings about some of the errors we
make on the work. Our supervisors come only twice in the night shift and this is not enough to
monitor the large amount of work that might have been covered (Line 11: insufficient
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supervision) (A2). Thus, when the client’s consultant engineers carry out their inspections, they
are always finding one thing or the other to write up as a complaint. Thereafter, we are called to
rework the same work we have done before. It may be that the laborers are not enough, so the
company needs to employ more staff (both laborers and supervisors) so that more people are at
work to do the job properly.
Driver ‘Trailer’
I have been working with the company for more than 2 years as a trailer driver. My duty as a
trailer driver is to transfer the pipes from the manufacturing factory to the site. The main problem
which causes the damaging of the pipes is during the transportation and a few as the result of off-
loading the pipes. Most of the causes are due to the following:
Unclear visibility: This is due to dust from the road during transportation, especially at night.
High speed: I noticed that some of us usually speed during the transporting of those pipes (Line
6: over-speed) (B4) and not all the drivers have the same level of expertise.
Lack of safety rules: I noticed that some of the safety signs have been damaged and were not
replaced (Line 9: damage safety signs) (B4), so sometimes the drivers do not stop where they are
supposed to, or even pack were they are not supposed to park. These usually cause accidents.
Malfunctioning of trailers: Sometimes the trailer malfunctions (Line 11: trucks malfunction)
(E3) which causes the drivers to lose control of the steering, which results in an accident which
damages the pipes.
I would rather suggest the company should have sufficient maintenance teams that would carry
out maintenance services as and when due, maintain the haul road regularly to relieve the drivers
of the dust they encounter when driving, have a monitoring team, and amend the damaged road
signs, so that every driver at least can follow the road signs that would enable the drivers to
know that some areas are dangerous to park. Similarly,, I have observed that while off-loading
those pipes at the site, some get cracked at the tips which may be due to the usage of the cranes
(Line 18: faulty machine handling) (A3).
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Site Engineer
I have worked with the company about 2 years now as a site engineer. The major factors that
cause some activities to be repeated are:
Change of site nature: The nature of the site in which the project is being carried out is subject to
change in soil texture (i.e. hard, soft, soil water-level etc) that causes modification of the original
procedure of work (Line 5: changes in work process) (B5).
Lack of experience: Some of the employees have been observed to lack experience (Line 6: in
adequate job experience) (A4) in some aspect of the project area, thus the inadequate overseeing
of all site activities has caused that work to be repeated (Line 8: inadequate supervision) (A2).
Subcontractor work deficiency: It has been observed that the work of the subcontractor has not
been meeting the required standard which tends to affect our activities (Line 10: subcontractors
faulty work procedure) (B5) and thus, they need close monitoring of their activities. Areas
involving provision of adequate resources such as water tankers and laborers have not been
sufficient (Line 12: inadequate resources) (A5), and has resulted in some of the accidents our
drivers experience on the road during transportation of pipes.
Delay in approval: Sometimes the delays we experience relates to the modifications on work
while the work is in progress and this usually brings about the revisit of some completed
activities after the approval is issued (Line 17: work delay procedure) (B1). There is slow
receiving of responses due to poor implementation of information technology system (IT) (Line
18: poor IT system) (C1).
Quality Control Engineer
I started with the company barely two years ago, and my duties are to make sure all the work is
done according to the specification and approved technical drawing. My report is directed to the
company top management and a copy is usually sent to the project manager. During my work, I
recognized that the company had some problem to fit with the technical specification due to
some quality defects. The main areas of defects are:
Haul Road: Materials used are oversize and lack of water fill for compaction (Line 6: Oversize
materials) (F1).
Excavation: Over excavation and differences experienced in gravel back fill.
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Pipe Installation: Pipe damage during handling or during fixing with pushing machine (Line 8:
difficulties of machine) (E1).
Technical drawing: Error in some technical drawing that results in rework of already completed
work (Line 9: defective drawing) (B11).
Work procedure: Some of the work procedures are not duly followed such as safety (Line 10:
poor safety implementation) (B4).
The company should have more experienced employees (Line 11: lack of experienced worker)
(A4) and give those good training to be able to operate the machines and equipment (Line 12:
poor training) (B2).
Site Manager
I have worked with the company for more than 15 years now and I have been on this project for
two and half years. We tried with my project team to work hard to complete the project on time
within expected cost and quality parameters. However, there are some factors that usually occur
beyond our control, and lead to errors and omission occurring at the site. Some of which may be
borne out of the following:
Employees experience and skills: - The experience of the operators, drivers and technicians is
important. Sometimes human resources (HR) send some operators, drivers and technicians to the
site and they do not have enough experience to do the job (Line 8: lack of job experience) (A4).
Lack of training: - The Company has special cranes, transport trucks and punching machines
which are advanced but the company does not give good training (Line 10: lack of training) (B2)
for the operators to be able to use those machines in the right way.
Long working hours: - As a result of shortage of the staff, sometimes the company push the
employees to work more hours (Line 13: long working hours) (B3) which make them very tired
and thus, subject to stress and fatigue.
Communication problem: - In our project, we have more than 13 nationalities and they all
communicate in English. Some mistakes or errors do happen as a result of misunderstanding
among them (Line 17: language barrier) (D1).
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 60

Trailers defects: - Some of the trucks that were delivered for the transporting of pipes, sometimes
are not suitable for the work (Line 19: machine not working satisfactorily) (E21), they might
either have design problem or malfunction.
Change in site condition: - the condition of the site sometimes changes from soft to hard water
level close to the surface, thereby causing some modification for the approved work procedure
(Line 22: change in work procedure) (B5) and time required to modify.
Inadequate safety procedure: - There is no detailed safety procedure for pipe handling and pipe
transportation which has resulted in many accidents or damage occurring at the site (Line 24:
inadequate safety procedure) (B4).
Delay:- The procedure for handling the site documents takes longer than expected before it gets
approved by the technical department at the head office, while at the same time we experience a
long procedure with the site management level for approval to be granted. I believe steps need to
be taken to facilitate this process, as some of those delays were not caused as a result of
management taken decision but due to poor implementation of information technology (IT)
system (Line 30: Inadequate IT implementation) (C1).
Inadequate supervision:- Some of the factors that bring about rework are caused as a result of
lack of proper supervision and as such there is need to increase the number of supervisors at the
site for this project so that we can reduce the number of activities we had to carry out again ( Line
33: Inadequate supervision) (A2). It is also important to note that these supervisors need proper
training to be able to handle the operations at site because there are some technicalities involved
in the project expected of a supervisor to be aware of (Line 36: training) (B2).
Project Manager
I have been with the company for some time now. I started working with this pipeline project
from its time of commencement, and according to schedule and cost, the project is lagging
behind due to some defects we encounter at work. There are several causes of these defects or
rework which are:
Labor error: - labor error arises from lack of experience and skills (Line 5: lack of experience)
(A4), communication problem with each other (i.e. labor comes from different regions and have
difficulties in the language barrier) (Line 8: language barrier) (D1). Also, long working hours
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 61

has been a complaint by the workers (Line 9: long work hours) (B3), while lack of regular
trainings to use some advanced equipment and machines has been a major problem that causes
defects (Line 10: poor training) (B2).
Materials problem: - We had problems with subcontractor query concerning the oversize
material (Line 12: oversize materials) (F1) which are used during the haul road. This usually
occurs as a result of poor sieving equipment being used by the subcontractor (Line 13: poor sieve
equipment) (E4), more so, the subcontractor lacks quality control on usage of material at project
site (Line 14: poor quality control) (B6). Furthermore, there is quite a large number of the
subcontractors water trucks that are not working properly, and as such, there has not been
enough water to make adequate soil compaction which will reduce the dust experience during
pipe transportation (Line 16: shortage of water trucks) (A52).
Long time taken for approval: - There has been problem experienced in the approval of
modifications in the work procedure and/or getting approval on defects related matter from the
affected department from the head office. The information technology system has been very poor
(Line 19: poor IT system) (C1).
Pipe damage: - Certain factors bring about pipe damage and mainly result from truck accident
due to high speed and/or unclear visibility caused by dust from the haul road (Line 21: high
speed) (B4). Other causes of pipe damage result from poor experience of the operators to use
advanced cranes and the pushing machine, thus, defects are bound to result (Line 23: poor
experience) (A4).
Insufficient supervision: - The project being a huge project demands sufficient supervision to
ensure that all workers do the work according to the project requirement. Inexperience on the
part of some laborers accounts for defects which require sufficient supervision for the activities
taken place on project site (Line 26: Insufficient supervision) (A2).
In short, the impact on the project cost result from the cumulative of these factors which have
been mentioned. Likewise, the impact has been felt by the project team and this causes stress and
fatigue to the workers (Line 29: stress and fatigue) (A6), ultimately, this will lead to a reduction
of the company’s profit and reputation.
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 62

Subcontractor Engineer
I have been working with the subcontractor company as a haul road supervisor for some years
now. A major problem that I used to experience is the issue of oversized materials (Line 3:
supply of oversized materials) (F1) and inadequate water for soil compaction. The over sized
materials result from the poor quality of sieve been used at the quarry (Line 4: poor sieve
equipment) (E4), while the shortage of water for proper compaction was usually as a result of not
enough water tankers transporting water to the point of use at the site (Line 6: Inadequate
resources) (A5) but the work needed to go ahead as planned.
Table 13: Shows the numbers of participants and their position
Participant’s Position Frequency
Project Manager 1
Site Manager 1
Site Engineer 3
Quality Engineer 2
Foreman 3
Technician 2
Crane Operator 2
General Labor 4
Drivers (Trailer) 3
Subcontractor Engineer 2
Total 23
Table 14: Shows the 1st and 2nd Tie Categories with their Symbols
Themes (2nd Tie) Codes (1st Tie) Sub-codes SC S Sc
People Erroneous workmanship A1
Insufficient supervision A2
Poor machine handling A3
Inadequate work experience A4
Inadequate resources Laborers A5 A51
Stress and fatigue
Water tankers
A6
A52
Process Faulty work preparation Defective drawing B1 B11
Poor training B2
Working long hours B3
Poor safety procedures Over speeding B4 B41
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 63

Change in work process
Damaged safety signs
B5
B42
Poor quality control B6
Technology Inadequate use of IT Slow modification approval C1 C11
Advanced machines C2
Communication Language difficulties D1
Machine/Equipment Machines complications E1
Faulty machines Machine not working E2 E21
satisfactorily
Machines delivered with defects Malfunctioning machines E3 E31
Bad sieve equipment E4
Materials Oversized materials F1
SC and SSC represent Symbol codes and Symbol sub codes respectively
4.2.3 Financial Data
The project is based on the construction of a water supply system in Libya, herein in this report
referred to as pipeline project. The project cut across a large region across the entire country with
the aim of providing potable water to the people of the country. As such, it is a huge project
which has been valued at a total sum of 980,000,000 USD as the project value. The significant
reason in carrying out this research is to study the root cause(s) of rework in pipeline
construction project and in particular to determine the financial impact of rework on such a huge
pipeline project of this nature. Thus, the researcher has made effort to collaborate with top
financial departmental heads to obtain the present financial update on the project based on the
progress of the identified categories of the main project structure as explained in a previous
section. The project has been categorized into six main sections which are mentioned below:
 Haul Road
 Excavation
 Pipe Transportation
 Pipe Installation
 Back filling
 Concrete work (Manholes)
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The project progress has reached 76% of its estimated planned duration and a series of
complaints has been received by the main contractor from their client, which are documented in
form of non-conformance reports (NCR) which has been explained in a previous section. This
section, however, deals with the record of spending and it is out to determine the impact of
rework on the total project cost. Table 15 shows the budgeted value for each of the categories
and the allocated amounts to be spent with respect to the project has been calculated. An
illustration of the apportioned percentage and project values for the budget is described in Figure
8 and Figure 9 respectively.
Table 15: Project Categories with the Project Values
Project Area Category Percentage (%) Budget ($)
Overhead 8 78,400,000
Road
Haul Road 15 135,2400,000
Haul Maintenance 4 36,064,000
Pipe
line
Excavation 35 315,560,000Back fill 10 90,160,000
Pipe Transportation 7 63,112,000
Pipe Installation 15 135,240,000
Concrete work 14 126,224,000
Haul Road
Maintenaance (Haul
14% 15% 4% Road)
Excavation
10%
15%
35%
Pipe Transportation
Pipe Installation
Back fill
7%
Concrete work

MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 65

Figure 8: Project Categories with the Project Percentage
350,000,000
300,000,000
250,000,000
200,000,000
150,000,000 Proj. Bgt.
100,000,000
50,000,000
0
Haul Excava. Pipe Pipe Back fill Concr.
Road Trans. Instal. Wk.
Figure 9: Project Categories with the Project Values
The above table revealed that the bulk of the project budget was allocated to the excavation with
35% and the maintenance of the haul road seems to have the lowest share with 4%. The
remainder of other categories falls within 7% - 15%. Pipe transportation and haul road with 15%
each, back fill with 14% and the pipe transportation was apportioned 7%. In this research study,
apart from obtaining the impact of the rework on the total project cost, it goes further to show the
category with the highest observed numbers of rework that took place in the project as the
project progressed. Apparently, the excavation has the highest apportioned project budget but
percentage of rework shows that the least amount of rework was actually carried out from this
project area at 3.67% of rework, while the percentage budgeted for haul road was barely half of
excavation, it has the highest percentage of rework at 100% of the project. Table 16 shows
details of the project expenditure for each category at their respective project progress. A
diagrammatical representation of the rework percentage is shown in Figure 10 and Figure 11
below for clarity.
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 66

Table 16: Project progress percentage represented with total project value and percentage of
rework (50 samples)
S/N Category Planned Project Actual Rework %
Cost Progress % Cost Cost Rework
1 Haul Road 94,668,000 100 101,957,000 7,289,000 7.71%
2 Excavation 172,294,200 78 178,617,397 6,323,197 3.67%
220,890,000 100
3 Pipe 44,809,520 71 46,306,158 1,496,638 3.34%
Transportation 63,112,000 100
4 Pipe Installation 90,610,800 67 93,465,040 2,854,240 3.15%
135,240,000 100
5 Back fill 56,800,800 63 58,482,104 1,681,304 2.96%
90,160,000 100
6 Concrete work 76,996,640 61 79,206,444 2,209,804 2.87%
126,224,000 100
2.87%
7.71%
Haul Road
2.96% Excavation
3.15%
Pipe Transportation
Pipe Installation
3.34% 3.67% Back Fill
Concrete work
Figure 10: Project Categories with the Percentage of Rework
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 67

180,000,000
160,000,000
140,000,000
120,000,000
100,000,000 Plan. Cost
Actual Cost
80,000,000
Rework Cost60,000,000
40,000,000 Proj. Prog.
20,000,000
0
Haul Excav. Pipe Pipe Back Conc.
Road Trans. Install. fill Wk.
Figure 11: Project Categories Plotted Against Planned and Actual Cost of Project
4.3 Data Analysis
This section presents the analysis of the data collected and explains the relationship gathered
from the discussion of the data. It deals with the analysis of the interviews and draws a related
conclusion based on the suggestions, experience, and remarks of the interviewees to address the
research objectives and invariably verify the developed hypothesis posed in this research study.
The analysis of the interviews as described under the research methodology chooses to use
coding of the written notes obtained from the interview sessions in relation to various research
outcomes on the root cause(s) of rework in pipeline construction project as discussed under the
literature review chapter, while further research data helped to determine the impact of rework
on total project cost and its performance. Thus, the following sections point in the direction of
addressing the research objectives.
4.3.1 Root Cause of Rework
The identification of rework activities in the ongoing pipeline project has been explained under
the discussion of data and six project main structures were identified. The interviews conducted
with the participants help to discover where the problem lies and draws attention to the root
cause(s) of the rework identified in this project. To help in this regard, meaningful segments of
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 68

the interviewed text were coded, and this process was continued to be applied to all the
participants interviewed text. Thereafter, six themes were formed from the coding and explained
in the section classification of rework.
Categorizing Rework Cause
As described in the data analysis, six categories were identified as the major project area. These
six categories were associated with a series of rework activities, an investigation of these rework
activities by the researcher via the interviews conducted with the employees of the main
contractor and subcontractor. Each of the project categories were associated with causes obtained
from the first level coding of the written documents gotten from the research participant as
indicated by the line numbering under the interview section and collated in Table 17.
Haul Road: Most of the rework activities that occurred in haul road construction were associated
with poor workmanship, inadequate supervision, supply of oversized materials, inadequate
resources (i.e. insufficient water for soil compaction), and poor sieving equipment. These were
indicated in the interview section under data discussion with A2, F1, A5, E4, and A1.
Excavation: The activities resulting in rework under excavation were associated with poor
workmanship, lack of job experience by the workers, changes in work process, inadequate
supervision, working long hours, slow modification approval (IT) and language barriers. These
were indicated in the interview section under data discussion with A1, A4, B5, A2, B3, C11 and
D1.
Pipe Transportation: Rework in pipe transportation was associated with inadequate safety
procedure, truck malfunctioning, faulty machines and poor condition of the haul road. All these
factors were indicated by B4, E3, and E2.
Pipe Installation: Pipe installation activities were observed to have emanated from the difficulty
to understand the advanced machines, lack of training, working long hours, inadequate job
experience, inadequate supervision, machines not working satisfactorily, and faulty machine
handling. These factors have been indicated with E1, B2, B3, A4, A2, and E3.
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 69

Back fill: Rework activities experienced during back filling were linked to inadequate resources,
inadequate supervision, poor workmanship and working long hours. These can be found with the
labels A5, A3, A1 and B3.
Concrete work: Activities associated with concrete work were erroneous workmanship,
inadequate supervision, inadequate resources, lack of training, and inadequate job experience.
These factors were indicated by A1, A2, A5, B2, and A4 in the interview section under the data
discussion.
Formation of Themes
After a significant portion of the interview text had been coded and associated with the activities
of project categories, these root causes for the rework were further coded by the formation of
themes which are common to the factors developed in the hypothesis. These factors are people,
process and technology. Subsequently, the research study found that communication, machines
and equipment and materials were also factors that can be generated as themes for this research
to qualify as main causes of rework in the ongoing pipeline project. A detail of how these themes
contribute to rework is described under the classification of rework.
Table 17: Showing Project Categorization and Root Causes
Project Rework Attributes (NCR’s data)
Categories
1. Oversize materials for general filling
rela
ted
2.Soft spots identified on haul roadsroad construction
3.Borrow pit materials during haul
Subcontractor
Rework
Haul road
Related
Rework Excavation Excavation depth requirement
MSc Dissertation for 129920

Causes
Lack of supervision
Lack of resources
Poor workmanship
Bad handling of equipment (sieve)
Poor workmanship
Lack of supervision
Soil Nature
Work procedure
Language difficulty
Page 70

TransportationPipe
1.Pipe damage during transportation Poor workmanship
(Spigot groove). Inadequate safety procedures
2.PCCP damage during transportation. Faulty machines
3.PCCP pipe (external & internal Poor haul road maintenance
mortar cracks)
during unloading.
4.Spigot ring damage during unloading.

1.Pipes need cleaning during Difficulty of using machines
installation Poor training
Installati
on 2.Spigot damage during the pipe Poor workmanship
layering Inadequate supervision
3.Pipe pushing machine got broken Malfunctioning of machines
4.Pipe cover depth does not meet Language difficulty
Pipe specification
5.External mortar crack damage during
pipe layering
1.Back fill soil compactness does not Lack of supervision
meet Poor workmanship
Fillin
g requirement (i.e. Structural backfill Inadequate work experience
test).
Back 2.Earth pressure test show that
subsurface
pipes are prone to damage
(M
an
hol
es)
1.Uneven concrete gap in between pipe Lack of supervisioncannot withstand dynamic forces
Poor workmanshipinstallation causing faulty Air test
2.Concrete rings test shows that
manholes
4.3.2 Classification of Rework
The analysis of the available data for this research study has shown that the rework activities of
this pipeline project can be classified into six categories. These categories were deduced from the
interview responses of the research participants via the collation of like segment of the written
text. Details of the classification are shown in Table 18.
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Table 18: Percentage Categorization of Theme Formation
Formation Category (2nd) Codes Freq. First Coding Rework Percentage
People A1 2 Error workmanship
A2 3 Insufficient supervision
A3 1 Poor machine handling 30%
A4 2 Inadequate work experience
A5 2 Inadequate resources
Process B1 2 Faulty work preparation
B2 4 Poor training 35%
B3 2 Working long hours
B4 2 Poor safety measures
B5 2 Change in work process
Technology C1 2 Poor IT system 6%
Communication D1 2 Language difficulties 6%
Machine/Equipment E1 3 Difficulties of machines
E2 1 Faulty machines 17%E3 2 Truck malfunction
E4 1 Bad equipment
Materials F1 1 Oversized of materials 6%
In the above table, the contribution of process to rework as obtained from the causes of the
rework is 35% and that associated with people is 30% are the two most important root causes of
rework activities in the pipeline construction project. This was followed by the machines and
equipment with a value of 17% as their rework percentage, meaning that the contribution of the
machines and equipment is not as much as that compared to the project process and the people
factors. The other factor shows a minimal contribution to rework activities but nevertheless, still
has an impact in the causes of rework in the project. A value of 6% was obtained for technology,
communication and materials problems in the rework activities. Figure 12 shows the associated
factors to each of the themes identified in the analysis while a graphical representation is
illustrated in Figure 13.
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 72

People (30%)
Erroneous workmanship
Insufficient supervision
Poor machine handling
Inadequate work experience
Inadequate resources
Process (35%) Technology (6%)

Faulty work preparation
Poor training
Working long hours
Poor safety measures
Change in work process
Communication (6%)
Rewor
k
Poor IT system
Advanced computerized
machines
Machines (17%)

Language difficulties Difficulties of machines
Faulty machines
Truck malfunctioning
Bad equipment
Materials (6%)
Oversize of materials
Figure 12: Causes of Rework and their Contributions to Overall Rework Costs
35
30
25
20
15 % Rework
10
5
0
People Process Tech. Comm. Machines Materials
Figure 13: Shows the Project Categories and the Percentage Rework Index
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 73

4.3.3 Cost Impact of Rework
The rework impact viewed in this research has been felt across the six project main structures.
This section analysis the rework index based on the construction field rework index (CFRI)
given in equation 2 in sections 2.
Table 19 below shows the rework index for each of the project main structural areas for the
period of the research study.
Table 19: Cost Impact of Project Categories on Rework Index
Indirect
Total Project Total Total Project
Cost Rework
Progress Rework Rework Cost Field
S/N Project Area Markup Index
Direct (C)= (A) x Progress
Value (E)=(C)/(D)
Cost (A) (B) Cost (D)
(Field) (B)
1 Haul Road 7, 289,000 1.53 11,152,170 101,957,000 10.94%
2 Excavation 6,323,197 1.53 9,674,491.41 178,617,397 5.42%
3 Pipe Transport 1,496,638 1.53 2,289,856.14 46,306,158 4.95%
4 Pipe Installation 2,854,240 1.53 4,366,987.20 93,465,040 4.67%
5 Backfill 1,681,304 1.53 2,572,395.12 58,482104 4.40%
6 Concrete Work 2,209,804 1.53 3,381,000.12 79,206,444 4.27%
Total 21,854,183 33,436,900 558034148 6.00%
The total project progress fields rework cost was deduced from the rework cost of the project for
each project category as shown in Table 16 in section which has considered all the total man
hours, equipment, materials, and the subcontractors charges were based on.
The resulting value for the indirect cost markup value is the cumulative indirect cost relating to
field operations in the ongoing project and it is said to be the multiplication factor. This value
was obtained from the division of the contractor’s direct and indirect cost value by their total
project progress direct cost for the period of the research study (November 2010 – September
2013). In this study, the average of the indirect cost markup value was used as indicated by
rework cost in Table 16. This was then used for the calculation of the CFRI calculations, while
the indirect cost mark –up value shown in the table was used to multiply the rework cost that has
accounted for the total rework cost in column 4 in the above table.

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The resulting figure for the project categories indicated that the rework index for haul road was
the highest with a value of 10.94% while concrete work comes with the lowest rework index
value of 4.27%. Excavation accounts for 5.42% of the rework index in the project, while pipe
transportation is with a value of 4.95%, while both pipe installation and backfill had 4.67% and
4.40% of rework index respectively. It was obvious from these values why the concrete work
had the lowest CFRI, and this might be why less rework was done in this project category.
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 75

Chapter 5.0: Research Results and
Discussion
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 76

Chapter 5.0 Research Result and Discussion
The focus of this study was centered on investigating, analyzing and discussing the causes and
impact of rework on construction pipeline project. After an extensive research finding, the
researcher has been able come up with some findings relating to the aforementioned task. A
justification of the study was done via a collection of non-conformance report (NCR), one-to-one
interviews with key employees working directly on the project, and the collection of the financial
data of the project progress. All of this has helped in the result discussed here.
The results are discussed in four sections; firstly, the prevailing factors attached to each project
categories of the rework on the pipeline project was described based on its average frequency of
occurrence; the second section addresses the causes of the rework, while, impact of the rework
on the project performance was delineated in the third section. The cost impact of that rework
encountered in the pipeline project on the basis of rework index capped up as the last section.
5.1 Rework Prevailing Factors
The outcome of the study shows that there are six main factors contributing to rework on the
construction project. According to the under study pipeline construction project, people, process,
technology, communication, materials, and machine and equipment were the prevailing factors
contributing to rework. Based on the hypotheses developed in the introductory part of the
research, the study supports the first three hypotheses which are stated as follows:
H1: There is a significant relationship between people and the rework in construction projects
H2: There is a significant relationship between the process and the rework in construction
projects
H3: There is a significant relationship between technology and the rework in construction
projects.
In Table 20, the average frequency of occurrence indicates that the project rework occurs as a
result of the consequential causes identified in the study. Furthermore, the study shows that apart
from the three prominent factors which are people, process and technology which were revealed
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 77

in most literature review studies, there are also connections involving communication, materials
and machines and equipment in relation to rework in construction projects.
Table 20: Shows the relationship of the main rework causes with the project categories
Category/ Haul Road Excavation Pipe Pipe Backfill Concrete Average
Rework Main Factors Trans. Install. Work Freq.
Main Cause Related
People 3 2 2 3 3 2 2.50
Process 2 1 1 0.67
Technology 1 0.17
Communication 1 1 0.33
Materials 1 0.17
Machines/Equipment 1 1 1 0.50
Total 5 6 4 6 3 2
Table 5.0 above indicates the average frequency of occurrence and the total number of the main
causes as it affects the project categories. An understanding derived from this table, shows that
people and process have the highest impact on rework activities with a value of 2.5 and 0.67
respectively, while machines and equipment follows with a value of 0.5. The study shows a
relative low impact of communication, technology and materials to the rework activities, but
their presence had significant effects on the rework. Above all, the total number of main factors
for excavation, haul road, pipeline installation signifies that a significant number of main causes
affects the project categories. For instance, there is a total of 6 main causes each contributing to
the rework activities that occurred in both excavation and pipeline installation, while the
completed project category on haul road had a total value of 5. It is indicated from the research
study that lesser numbers of main rework causes contribute to pipe transportation, backfilling
and concrete work. The implication of this rests on the fact that to address the causes of rework
in this ongoing pipeline project, these main causes affecting the project categories need to be
looked into.
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5.2 Causes of the Rework
One of the major objectives of this research study is to identify the cause of rework in the on-
going pipeline project. To this effect, six main categories of rework contributing factors have
been identified; people, process, technology, communication, materials, and machines and
equipment. According to Figure 12, people contributed 30% to the occurrence of rework in the
pipeline project. An investigation into this shows that erroneous workmanship, inadequate
supervision, poor machines handling, poor work experience of the employees and lack of
adequate resources formed the root cause of the problem. Also, the process embarked upon by
the management shows that a high percentage of 35% accounts for rework in the on-going
pipeline. This is significantly high, and investigation into the problems bringing about this shows
that faulty work preparation, poor training, working long hours, inadequate safety measures and
the changes in the work process that were not given adequate attention formed the root cause of
the problem. Furthermore, machines and equipment had a slightly high percentage compared to
people and process with a value of 17%. The root cause associated with machines and equipment
are difficulties of the machines, faulty machines, machines delivered with defects, using of
defective sieve equipment among others are the root cause of this problem. Although, technology
is usually technology associated with rework activities on construction projects but in this study
a considerably low value of 6% was obtained, and investigation into the root cause on this
pipeline project shows that inadequate implementation of IT system, use of advance
computerized systems (i.e. machines) were the key contributing factors to the problem. An
average percentage of 6% each was obtained for both communication and materials. The study
shows that language barriers and the ability to clearly understand each other was the root cause
for communication problem, and the use of oversized materials and formation of good
compacted soil were the root cause of material problems that were encountered in this research
study.
5.3 Impact of Rework on Project Performance
The impact of rework on construction project can vary from one aspect to the other. It can be in
the form of delay (i.e. schedule) to the project, affect the quality of the project, and can impact on
the total project cost.
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 79

5.3.1 Indirect Impact of Rework
The indirect impact of rework associated with this project was based only on the loss of schedule
and productivity. As observed in the literature review, working out indirect rework actually
entails lots of things and as such it is difficult to address. Factors that affected the project in this
study were the loss of time, poor work protection and improper work sequence that resulted from
the workers having to redo the same sets of activities that they had done before. This brings
about stress and fatigue to the workers as indicated in the coding of the interviews that was
conducted with the workers. Thus, to a reasonable extent this addresses the hypothesis stated
below but with a change in phrase as addressed in this research.
H4: The impact of rework has a slight influence on the performance of the project
5.3.2 Cost Impact of Rework
The impact of cost was felt across the entire project categories. The financial data obtained
shows that the least amount of rework cost that was experienced as at 71% the project progress
on pipe transportation was $1,496,638 and this increases to $7,289,000 which was experienced
in the completed part of the project (i.e. haul road). Table 16 shows the project progress
percentage represented with total project value and percentage of rework. In this table, the
percentage of rework was calculated for each of the project categories. It shows that haul road at
100% project completion had 7.7% of rework, excavation at 78% of the project progress had
3.67%, pipe transportation at 71% of project progress at 3.34%, while pipe installation, backfill
and concrete work at 67%, 63% and 61% project progress had 3.15%, 2.96% and 2.87% of
rework percentage respectively. On average, it shows that the average percentage of rework for
this study is 4.7% based on the average of the project progress. According to previous studies
shown in Table 4, the outcome of this study falls within the cost impact of rework calculated in
countries like Australia, Singapore, Sweden and UK. However, a quick response to address the
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 80

causes of the rework identified in this research could reduce the percentage of rework when the
pipeline project reaches its completion. It goes to confirm the hypothesis stated below:
H5: The impact of rework has a great influence on the total project cost
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 81

Chapter 6.0: Recommendation and
Conclusion
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 82

Chapter 6.0: Recommendation and Conclusion
6.1 Recommendations
The study examined the causes and effects of rework on an ongoing pipeline construction project
in Libya. After an extensive research, it is found out that the causes of rework were
predominantly related to: people; process; technology; communication; materials; machines and
equipment. Based on the investigation carried out by the researcher, it was found out that quite a
large number of factors form the basis of these causes, and if sufficient attention was given, the
rework could easily be minimized.
As identified in this study, rework causes like erroneous workmanship, faulty material handling,
and faulty machine handling among others, have been associated to human factor (i.e. people).
Thus, it is recommended that experienced workforce in terms of labor and supervisor should
always be considered. Alternatively, the company should give relevant trainings that would cater
for the lower cadre of the supervisors who work directly on the project. This could be done by
experienced supervisors to mentor the lower ones so that the lower supervisors could learn from
the experience. For instance, an experienced supervisor can ensure the protection of an
excavation wall from collapsing; defining the starting point of excavation in a clear and
understandable manner, so as to avoid the subsequent usage of large materials, and efficiently
manage the resources required. Also, problems associated with the cleaning of pipes bringing
about reworking of completed activities could have been avoided if adequate supervision had
been in place. It may be obvious that the management of the company has a goal to achieve but
the dissemination of the information usually gets lost when there is no one to convey it in the
best manner to the executors. Thus, by ensuring the implementation of these recommendations,
the high percentage (i.e. 30%) observed in the causes of rework in Figure 12 could be adequately
brought to its minimal.
The main cause of rework with a value of 35% has been typically identified as the process under
which the project is being executed. There have been problems like faulty work preparation,
mistakes in planning, slow procedures on the construction site, poor training, inadequate safety
procedures, wrong setting up among others have impacted negatively on the project. It is
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 83

recommended that the management of such a project employ a suitable work procedure by
adopting good planning; implementing a viable information technology (IT) system to facilitate
dissemination of change to work activities and giving approvals at the right time. For this, the
workforces are given the needed training on IT to facilitate the work procedure, so that the
repetition of work would be addressed. Provision of adequate safety measures to reduce or
address accident resulting to damages of pipes should also be looked into. The selection of sub-
contractors must not be based on the lowest bidder but must be accessed on the grounds of
capability and qualification.
The fact that machines and equipment took a value of 17% as the percentage contribution to
rework activities in the ongoing pipeline project is significant. It resulted in problems like the
difficulty of operating machines, machines delivered with defects, bad sieve equipment,
malfunctioning of truck and faulty machines. One of the ways to address this issue is to ensure
the proper functionality of those machines at the time of purchase. Moreover, machines used for
the project must be reusable without any difficulty. Experienced operators should handle those
machines, although a low percentage value (of 6% each) was found as the contributing factor of
rework. Language barrier has been a great challenge at the project site which results in
misunderstanding among the project team. This leads to repetition of work due to
misinterpretation of instructions. For instance, it is recommended that foremen should speak the
common language as laborers of different nationalities work on such big projects.
Slow information exchange creates delay resulting in rework. The management should ensure
that a systematic IT system is in place which would facilitate documentation, make the
assessment of information rapid, and put the internal communication in order.
Lastly, the use of wrong materials not acceptable by clients is another major cause of rework. So,
an adequate supervision on the subcontractors work and other facilities of this nature can help to
avoid the sub-standard use of materials. Also, the regular inspection of materials supplied to the
site by the supervisor should be ensured. This should be done from the point of production (i.e.
quarry) before it has been transferred to the project site for its usage.
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 84

The findings of the research could be applied to any similar project of the same nature. It can be
deduced that adequate attention should be given to the root causes of rework. Contractors should
know how to deal with the unforeseen situation resulting in rework. This can be achieved by
ensuring the following:
 Project staff should be properly equipped i.e. properly trained or possess previous
experience.
 Contractor supervisors should be qualified possessing skills of supervising the required
work at the project site.
 The selection of sub-contractor should be based on qualification not on the basis of
lowest bidder selection process.
 Before the commencement of work, detailed work descriptions should be given to a sub-
contractor and the workers in order to execute the task ahead adequately.
 To minimize errors in drawings, contractors are advised to regularly inspect and ensure
that they comply with the required drawings provided by clients.
 Contractors should take proactive steps to solving rework activities in a project, so work
should be done in an effective and efficient way.
 To manage the project resource, a contractor should define the required number of
people, and clearly estimate machinery required for the project.
 Contractors should ensure an effective IT system is implemented to facilitate information
flow, fast approval to enhance the decision making processes.
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 85

6.2 Conclusion
For the construction industry, one of the major challenges affecting the industry is rework. In this
study, effort was made to investigate the causes and effects of rework. The study revealed that
rework is as a result of errors by people, in process, in communication, and in wrong use of
materials/machines/equipment. The consequences of these cause impacts on the project
performance, and on the total cost of the project. A careful review of the NCR’s shows that there
is a huge amount of rework that occurs several times, showing that there has not been sufficient
close monitoring to avoid rework as experienced on the pipeline project.
Based on the 50 random samples collected for the research purpose, it was found that there are
six project categories namely: Haul road; excavation; pipe transportation; pipe installation;
backfilling and concrete work. Examining of the NCR’s, a ranking order was obtained with haul
road topping the rank order with 18 times occurrence, following pipe installation with occurrence
of 13, backfill and pipe transportation with occurrence value of 6, and concrete work and
excavation having an occurrence value of 4 and 3 respectively. The impact of this rework has
been noted in the total cost of project. The findings from this study have brought the following
 The study discovers the rework prevalence in construction projects
 The study finds out the root causes and their categorization to pipeline projects
 The impacts of rework on the total project cost was observed in the pipeline project
 The study tries to find out possible solutions on how to address the problem of rework
It is worthy of note that the root causes of rework in the ongoing pipeline project are factors that
are prevalent in most construction projects. The outcomes and recommendations made by the
research can be helpful in addressing the problem of rework in similar construction projects. The
causes of rework can be subjective factors that may best be addressed by interaction with the
people concerned as in this research study it is through interviews. The financial data helps the
study to operationalize the 50 samples that are collected at random, thus, it has helped to reveal
in particular where most of the rework activities are done. In a nutshell, the findings of this
investigation on ‘rework’ would help to address or reduce the unexpected increase in total
project cost and also in finding ways to avoid its occurrence to the minimal.
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 86

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APPENDIX I
Study Name Year Field Rework % No. of Projects
Published Studied
CII Research Summary 10-1 1989 12% total 9 industrial projects
Design = 9.5%
Construction =
2.5%
Benchmarking & Metrics Data Report 1997 3.4% 19 industrial
projects
Investigation of field Rework In 2011 4.4% 109 industrial
Industrial Construction – CII Research projects
Report 153-11
Construction Productivity Research 2011 2% - 20% Unidentified
Program Phase III
The Field Rework Index: Early 2011 4.4% 153 projecrs
Warning for Field Rework and Cost
Growth
Costs of Quality Deviations in Design and 1989 17.5% total 9 industrial projects
Construction Construction
Deviations = 2.5%
Cost Analysis of Inadequate Interoperability 2004 1% of sf cost/sf Unknown
in the U.S. Capital Facilities Industry
Private interview with Executive of global 2012 2% - 5% 35 years of
EPC firm experience with
same firm
Causes of Quality Deviations in Design and 1992 Design = 9.5% 9 projects
Construction Construction =
2.5%
Fabrication = 0.3%
Operability = 0.1%
The Causes and Costs of Defects in 1999 2% - 6% 7 projects
Construction: A study of Seven Building
Projects
Quantifying the causes and Costs of 2000 10% Total 2 projects
Rework in Construction Variations = 1.9%
Non- Variations =
0.7%
Defects = 0.3%
Measuring and Classifying Construction 2003 Direct cost = 0.5% 1 project
Field Rework: A Pilot Study Indirect cost =
0.4%
Total cost = 0.9%
Learning to Reduce Rework in Projects: 2003 0% -35% Unknown
Analysis of Firm’s Organizational Learning
and Quality Practices
Adding Value to the Facility Acquisition 2000 12.4% total Unknown
Process: Best Practices for Reviewing Design errors =
Facility Designs 9.9%

MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 93

Construction errors
= 2.5%
Influence of Project Type and Procurement 2002 12% total 161 projects
Method on Rework Cost in Building
Projects
Respondent Type
Designers Direct Costs =
8.0%
Indirect Cost =
6.8%
Constructors Direct Costs =
5.8%
Indirect Costs =
5.5%
Project Managers Direct Costs =
4.3%
Indirect Costs =
3.6%
Total Direct Costs =
6.4%
Indirect Costs =
5.6%
MSc Dissertation for 129920 Page 94