Conflict Early Warning Signals in the Execution of Construction Projects

Abstract

Most conflicts in the construction industry have long incubation periods. Meeting project objectives in the terms of time, cost and quality benchmarks is the bane of the industry. Therefore, the need to identify Early Warning Signals (EWS) of potential conflicts in construction project delivery has become very imperative. This research aims at evaluating the efficacy of existing theoretical models of EWS. This is vital in trying to avoid potential conflicts. The methodology involves extensive review of relevant literature and evaluative study by means of questionnaire. The results of the study revealed that a probabilistic model approach to managing construction project will mitigate conflicts by showcasing EWS that have higher probabilities of occurrence than others, by this, necessary mitigation measures can be taken in a timely fashion. The study concludes that EWS probabilistic model will help stakeholders in the construction industry to identify potential construction conflicts with appropriate response strategies. The study recommends the use of EWS probabilistic model and brief description of EWS functional components.