The Effect of Design and Construction Integration on Project Delays in Bahrain

One of the prime contributing factors to fragmented and poor project performance in the present construction industry is the lack of integration between different disciplines of design and construction. It has been identified that lack of integration and coordination results in issues of project delays and inefficient project delivery in the modern construction industry. Based on the various research studies that have attempted to address the problem, no studies were found that analysed the cause of delays due to lack of design and coordination integration. This study particularly focuses on the causes of construction project delays in Bahrain with its impact on integration issues. Based on the knowledge from the literature, a case study approach was adopted to investigate the causes for three projects of a multi-disciplinary organisation in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Qualitative research approach with interviews were conducted. The study involved face to face interview with two individuals who were fully involved in all the projects. This was followed by data collection from the client, designer (consultant) and main contractor from their own point view to identify the causation of the particular project delay. The study resulted in varied amount of data which was analysed from the case studies. A brief discussion on a hypothesis identified that reflected from the data analysis was summarized and explained. It is found that various causations of project fragmentations create lack of horizontal or vertical integration, which is identified as a major contributor in modern construction industry project delays. Finally, recommendations for the research were discussed at the end.