Ismail Darwish

FACTORS AFFECTING DESIGN AND

DOCUMENTATION QUALITY IN

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

BY

MOSTAFA ISMAIL DARWISH

A Thesis Presented to

THE DEANSHIP OF GRADUATE STUDIES

KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM amp

MINERALS

DHAHRAN SAUDI ARABIA

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree of

MASTER OF SCIENCE

In

CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING

amp MANAGEMENT

May 2005

KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM amp MINERALS

DHAHRAN 31261 SAUDI ARABIA

DEANSHIP OF GRADUATES STUDIES

This thesis written by


Under the direction of his Thesis Advisor and approved by all Thesis Committee

has been presented to and accepted by the Dean of Graduate Studies in partial

fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN

CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING amp MANAGEMENT

THESIS COMMITTEE

_________________________

Prof Abdulaziz A Bubshait

Chairman

______________________

Prof Sadi A Assaf

Member

______________________

Prof Osama A Jannadi

Member

_______________________________


CEM Department Chairman

Date_____________________

_______________________________

Prof Mohammad A AL-Ohali

Dean of Graduates Studies

Date______________________

DEDICATION

To the soul of my Father the first to teach me

To my beloved Mother for her prayers to me

To my Wife for care and support all the time

And to my Childrens Salma Omar and Ismail with hope for bright future

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I wish to express my deep appreciation to Professor Abdulaziz A Bubshait who served

as my advisor for all the support and guidance I also appreciate his positive comments

and advices throughout my research

Thanks are due also to other members of the thesis committee Professor Sadi A Assaf

and Professor Osama A Jannadi

Acknowledgement is due to King Fahd University of Petroleum amp Minerals Specially

for the Department of Construction Engineering amp Management for supporting this

research

My thanks and gratitude is due also to my wife for her encouragement and patience

without which this work would not have been possible

TABLE OF CONTENTS PageDedication iiiAcknowledgment ivTable of contentsvList of tables iiiList of figures ixAbstract xiiArabic Abstract xiii

CH I INTRODUCTION PageI1 BackgroundI2 Introduction 2I3 Statement of the Problem 5I4 Objectives of the Study 7I5 Scope and Limitations7I6 Significance of the Study8I7 Thesis Organization 10

CH II LITERATURE REVIEW Page

II1 Introduction11II2 Terminology11II3 Construction Defects Categories16 II4 Design and Documentation Attributes16 II5 Design and Documentation Quality21 II6 Design Deficiency in Construction Industry25 II7 Responsibility for Design Document Deficiency helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 32II8 Impacts of Design Deficiency 34II9 Influence of Fees on Quality 36 II10 Methods of Design Quality Measurement41II11 Improving of Design and Documentation Quality 414II12 Development of List of Factors from Previous Studies 45 II13 Comparing the Factors used with Similar Previous Studies hellip56 II14 Summary 59

CH III RESEARCH METHODOLOGYIII1 Introduction 60III2 Methodology 60III3 Questionnaire Design

63III4 Sample Size 65III5 Data Gathering

68III6 Scoring 69

CH IV FINDINGS AND RESULTS Page

IV1 Introduction 72IV2 General Information and Industry Characteristics helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip73IV3 Statistical Techniques 90IV4 Ranking of the Factors helliphellip95IV5 Construction Process Efficiencyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip helliphellip108IV6 Correlation 118IV7 Comments from Respondents helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip helliphellip131

CHV SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS amp RECOMMENDATIONS PageV1 Introduction 133V2 Summary of The Study 133V3 Conclusions 138V4 Recommendations 146V5 Recommendations for Further Studies 149V6 References150

APPENDIX I Questionnaire Forms AIA - Arabic FormB - English FormAPPENDIX II Statistical Results for all Professional ResponsesAIIAPPENDIX III Rank Agreement Calculations on current Research and Previous StudieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipAIIIVITA

LIST OF TABLES PageTable 21 Design Quality Attributes 17Table 22 Documentation Quality Attributes helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip18Table 23 Most Important Risk Categories helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 29Table 24 Responsibilities for Construction Defects helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip30Table 25 Average proportion of Non-Desirable Const Elements helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip36Table 26 Problems issues affecting design and documentation quality in Austhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 46Table 27 Factors Influencing Design Documents Quality in Japan helliphelliphelliphelliphellip helliphelliphelliphellip48Table 28 Comparison of the Factors used with other Previous Researches helliphellip helliphelliphelliphellip56Table 31 Scale (interval) value assigned for each response of questionnaire 70Table 41 Statistical Results for Combined Responses helliphellip 93Table 42 Consultantsrsquo Ranking helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip100Table 43 Contractorsrsquo Ranking 102Table 44 Ownersrsquo Ranking helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 104Table 45 Combined Ranking helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 106Table 46 Undesirable Construction Elements for Consultantrsquos Responses helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 116Table 47 Undesirable Construction Elements for Contractorrsquos Responses helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 116Table 48 Undesirable Construction Elements for Ownerrsquos Responses helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 117Table 49 Undesirable Construction Elements for Combined Responses hellip helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 117

LIST OF TABLES (Cont) PageTable 410 Rank Agreement and Spearman Correlation Calculations helliphelliphelliphellip helliphelliphelliphellip121Table 411 Determination of Max Rank Agreement Factor helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip helliphelliphelliphellip124Table 412 Test the Ranking Order (Kendallrsquos Coefficient Calculations) helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip128

LIST OF FIGURES PageFigure 31 Methodology Chart helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip62Figure 32 Scoring Scale helliphelliphellip helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip70Figure 41 Experience of Owners helliphellip helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip75Figure 42 Experience of Consultants75Figure 43 Experience of Contractors 76Figure 44 Experience of Total Respondents 76Figure 45 Respondents Role in Construction 77Figure 46 Classification of Contractor Organization 78Figure 47 Types of Projects done by Total respondentshellip79Figure 48 Types of Projects done by Consultants helliphellip 80Figure 49 Types of Projects done by Contractors helliphelliphelliphellip 80Figure 410 Type of Ownerrsquos Organization hellip 81Figure 411 Size of Owners Organizations helliphelliphellip 82Figure 412 Size of Consultants Organizations83Figure 413 Size of Contractors Organizations helliphelliphellip helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip83Figure 414 Size of Total respondents 84

LIST OF FIGURES (Cont) PageFigure 415 Percentage of Design Income for Consultants 85Figure 416 Level of QA Accreditation of Owners 86

Figure 417 Level of QA Accreditation of Consultants helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip87Figure 418 Level of QA Accreditation of Contractors helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip88Figure 419 Level of QA Accreditation of Total respondents 89Figure 420 Influence of Design and Documentation Quality on Pricehellip helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip109Figure 421 Change in Tender Price due Design Deficiency110Figure 422 Influence of Design and Documentation Quality on Time helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip111Figure 423 Change in Tender Time due Design Deficiency helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip112Figure 424 Undesirable Construction Elements By Total Respondents 114

THESIS ABSTRACT

Student Name Mostafa Ismail Darwish al-Far

Title Of Study Factors Affecting Design Documentation Quality in Construction Industry

Major Field Construction Engineering amp Management

Date of Degree May 2005

This thesis discusses the main factors affecting Design and Documentation Quality in

Construction Industry in Saudi Arabia A survey of 21 contractors 19 consultants and 14

owners from the Eastern Province was performed The survey included 39 different

factors affecting Design and Documentation Quality and their level of importance The

severity of those factors were measured by the level of importance and were ranked

according to the importance index for consultants contractors owners and a combination

of all respondents

A test for Correlation Agreement on the ranking of the factors between different project

participants ldquoconsultants contractors and ownersrdquo was also calculated using Spearmans

and Kendalls techniques It was found that the overall construction parties have moderate

agreement on the ranking of important factors

It was concluded that Last minute changes by client Insufficient overall design time

Unstable clientrsquos requirements Waiting for client decision and that Consultants tend to

copy and modify from their previous work to minimize time and cost were the most

important factors Finally some recommendations were made in order to improve the

design and documentation quality in the construction industry

MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE



CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

I 1 Background

The construction sector is one of the major parts of the contracting business in Saudi

Arabia and it constitutes a major portion of the Kingdoms domestic economy even

though the share of construction sector GDP in the total national output has fallen since

the early 1990s The construction sector alone provided employment to more than one

million workers in 2002 and accounted for nearly 144 of the Kingdoms total 73

million-labor force (Alahli 2004)

The construction sector GDP grew by 31 in 2001 and again increased by 50 to

(SR43 billion) in 2002 and grown by around 28 in 2003 but with increased

expenditure in 2004 the construction sector is expected to grow faster at 50 in the

current year However the share of the construction sector GDP in the total national

output has declined from an average of 12 for the most of the 1980s to a more

sustainable average of around 8 in the 1990s mostly due to the completion of various

infrastructure projects However the share of construction sector GDP within the non-oil

output averaged around 105 in the 1990s and amounted to around 102 in 2002

suggesting continued investment activities in the construction sector (Alahli 2004)

I 2 Introduction

Designers provide the graphic and written representations that allow construction and

trade contractors to transform concepts and ideas into physical reality How effectively

and efficiently this transformation occurs depends largely on the quality of the design

and documentation provided And while good design needs to be effective and ensure

fitness for purpose it also needs to be communicated effectively through the

documentation (ie drawings specifications etc) Unfortunately a perceived decline in

project documentation quality over the past few years is considered to be causing

increased delays disruption and costs to all parties involved in the construction process

(Tilley et al 1999)

In an ideal world the design and documentation provided for construction projects would

be complete precise and unambiguous Unfortunately contractors are often supplied

with project documentation that is considered to be substandard or deficient due to

incomplete conflicting or erroneous information Design and documentation quality is

greatly determined by the level of professional services provided with the quality of

these services generally being determined by how the services are selected and how the

fees are negotiated (Defraites 1989)

Findings of design deficiencies are being reported with greater frequency in professional

publications and local newspapers When these design deficiencies make headlines it is

usually because of catastrophic failure or death The design deficiencies that do not make

headlines usually end up in contract claims accompanied by delays and significantly

higher costs (Vlatas 1986)

However while the design itself needs to be effective it also needs to be

communicated effectively through the documentation (ie drawings specifications Bills

of Quantities) When documentation quality is considered a number of attributes - such

as timeliness accuracy completeness coordination and conformance - are looked at to

determine the level of quality achieved Tilley et al (1997) reported that the quality of

design and documentation achieved could be determined by measuring the extent to

which attributes of design and documentation quality are incorporated

Abolnour (1994) discussed the problem of the absence of a system that organizes and

unifies project documents in order to simplify the process of understanding and reviewing

these documents He stated that in Saudi Arabia each design office selects an

international system that is compatible with his employees the nature of the project and

his clients This inconsistency leads to a higher probability of making mistakes more

wasted time and effort and a lower rate of experience acquisition

As the quality of the design and documentation provided has a major influence on the

overall performance and efficiency of construction projects (Burati et al 1992Lutz et al

1990 Kirby et al 1988) any improvements in design and documentation quality can

only lead to corresponding improvements in the efficiency of the construction process

(Tilley et al 1999)

Where designers are selected based on low design fees then the level and quality of the

service provided is likely to be limited and generally translates into additional project

costs to the owner (Abolnour 1994)

But what is design and documentation quality The assessment of design and

documentation quality can be highly subjective and open to a wide variety of

interpretations When considering the issue of quality Burati and Farrington (1987)

indicated that quality can be defined as conformance to established requirements

which by avoiding the issues of degree of goodness and satisfaction - seen as being too

subjective - allows for a basis of measurement However by investigating the type and

extent of quality deviations - defined as departures from established requirements -

a way of determining the root causes of quality deviations as well as method of

measuring design and construction quality costs is provided (Burati and

Farrington1987 Burati et al1992 Davis et al1989)

Based on these definitions of quality and quality deviations it can be deduced that

reductions in the quality of the end product can be more easily avoided by ensuring all

project requirements are properly considered during the early design stages Allowing

any unresolved or unworkable design issues to remain in the documentation will only

necessitate changes further on in the process and add to the extent of quality deviations

As insufficient documentation and detailing leads to similar problems the factors causes

these problems must be considered when determining design and documentation quality

Based on the above the quality of the design and documentation process can be simply

defined as The ability to provide the contractor with all the information needed to enable

construction to be carried out as required efficiently and without hindrance

(Tilley1998)

While this definition does not insist that all project information is required up front at the

start of construction it does imply that the contractor is supplied with sufficient

information to ensure that the construction process can be planned and carried out in the

most efficient manner available

I 3 Statement of the Problem

The quality of design and documentation has a major influence on the overall

performance and efficiency of construction projects As designers provide the graphic

and written representations which allow contractors and subcontractors to transform

concepts and ideas into physical reality it is the efficiency with which this transformation

occurs that determines the level of project performance and efficiency achieved

Researchers and practitioners have acknowledged defective design is a major cause of

contract claims and change orders during construction (Vlatas1986 Al-Dubaisi2000)

One study shows that design error is the single most common cause for a contract claim

(Diekmann and Nelson1985) It is also found that more than 50 of change orders are

attributable to defective design (Kirby et al 1988 and Lutz et al 1989)

Design deficiencies are occurring more frequently because of the complexity of the work

new and different relationships among the professionals in design and construction and

haste to get the projects completed and in operation as soon as possible These

deficiencies are a major cause of contract disputes (Vlatas 1986)

Poor design and documentation quality is a major cause of construction process

inefficiency leading directly to delays rework and variations and contributing to

increases in project time and cost for both owner and contractors alike (Tilley et

al1999)

This study aims to assist all construction parties to plan effectively before starting a

project beginning with the design phase This can be done by creating awareness and

paying enough attention to this important phase to minimize the problems and eliminate

extra costs incurred to make corrective actions to complete the defective design and

documentation

I 4 Objectives of the Study

1048707To identify main factors affecting design and documentation quality in the Saudi

Arabian construction industry

1048707To investigate the nature and extent of the impacts (effects) of design and

documentation deficiencies on project cost and time (duration)

1048707To calculate the percentage agreement between different project participants on the

ranking of the factors

I 5 Scope and Limitations

1- Experts from each group (consultantDesigner contractor and owner owner

representative ) with more than 10 years experience in construction projects greater than

10 million Saudi Riyals were interviewed

2- All building Projects built in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia

3- The focus of this study is on traditional procurement projects in the Public

sector

I 6 Significance of the Study

As the quality of the design and documentation produced has a major influence on the

overall performance and efficiency of construction projects it is vitally important and

useful that issues affecting design and documentation quality be identified and discussed

There is no study that has dealt with the subject of the relationship between design

document quality and construction deficiencies in the local construction industry in Saudi

Arabia Although this study is limited to the Eastern province area the results could be

use as guidelines in the context of Saudi Arabia The results of the research shall benefit

the following parties Owners Designers Contractors Consultants and Public Agencies

Improvements in construction process efficiency will result from creating an awareness

of the value of quality design and documentation and the introduction of selection criteria

that includes consideration of the designers skills and experience Once developers fully

understand the value of quality design and documentation they would then ensure that

sufficient time and fees are available to allow designers to provide the level of service

needed to carry out the design function completely (Tilleyet al 1999)

httpsidealsillinoisedubitstreamhandle214215450Thesis-Ch_1-3pdfsequence=8

The benefits would be more projects being completed on time within budget and with a

reduced likelihood of legal action due to contractual disputes In addition with less

variation rework and disputes then contractors would be able to minimize the

management time and cost spent on non-value added activities

These benefits would be reflected in reduced project and contractual risk and a higher

level of profitability for both developers and contractors More reasonable fee levels

would also enable designers to restore staff training programs -to develop a higher

standard of designer- and encourage innovation (Tilley et al 1999)

Consequently it is to the benefit of construction parties to recognize the situation and

identify the causes of design deficiencies in the early stages of the project (Design

Phase) This will help to take the necessary precautions to control these causes before

they be aware when they occur during construction phase

I 7 Thesis Organization

This thesis is divided into five chapters The first chapter gives general background

information on construction process in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia It also presents a

statement of the problem the objectives of the study its scope and its limitations and

significance of the study

Chapter two summarizes the literature related to the construction process efficiency the

factors affecting design and documentation quality in the construction industry and the

identification of its impacts on the construction process efficiency

Chapter three addresses questionnaire design the sample size the selection of the experts

interviewed and a method of collecting data from construction professionals (experts)

related to the problem discussed

Chapter four discusses the statistical methods used tables and information deduced from

statistical analysis the statistical results and interpretation of these tables and

information It also contains the ranking by importance index of the factors affecting

design documentation quality by consultants contractors owners and for combined

response

Finally the last chapter contains summary of the study conclusions suggested

recommendations and recommendations for further study


DHAHRAN 31261 SAUDI ARABIA

DEANSHIP OF GRADUATES STUDIES

This thesis written by


Under the direction of his Thesis Advisor and approved by all Thesis Committee

has been presented to and accepted by the Dean of Graduate Studies in partial

fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN

CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING amp MANAGEMENT

THESIS COMMITTEE

_________________________


Chairman

______________________

Prof Sadi A Assaf

Member

______________________

Prof Osama A Jannadi

Member

_______________________________


CEM Department Chairman

Date_____________________

_______________________________

Prof Mohammad A AL-Ohali

Dean of Graduates Studies

Date______________________

DEDICATION





ACKNOWLEDGEMENT








research









68III6 Scoring 69










THESIS ABSTRACT











of all respondents













CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

I 1 Background
















I 2 Introduction









(Tilley et al 1999)






























(Tilley et al 1999)
























(Tilley1998)























al1999)





documentation














sector












































response



DEDICATION





ACKNOWLEDGEMENT








research









68III6 Scoring 69










THESIS ABSTRACT











of all respondents













CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

I 1 Background
















I 2 Introduction









(Tilley et al 1999)






























(Tilley et al 1999)
























(Tilley1998)























al1999)





documentation














sector












































response



ACKNOWLEDGEMENT








research









68III6 Scoring 69










THESIS ABSTRACT











of all respondents













CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

I 1 Background
















I 2 Introduction









(Tilley et al 1999)






























(Tilley et al 1999)
























(Tilley1998)























al1999)





documentation














sector












































response









68III6 Scoring 69










THESIS ABSTRACT











of all respondents













CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

I 1 Background
















I 2 Introduction









(Tilley et al 1999)






























(Tilley et al 1999)
























(Tilley1998)























al1999)





documentation














sector












































response






68III6 Scoring 69










THESIS ABSTRACT











of all respondents













CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

I 1 Background
















I 2 Introduction









(Tilley et al 1999)






























(Tilley et al 1999)
























(Tilley1998)























al1999)





documentation














sector












































response











THESIS ABSTRACT











of all respondents













CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

I 1 Background
















I 2 Introduction









(Tilley et al 1999)






























(Tilley et al 1999)
























(Tilley1998)























al1999)





documentation














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response








THESIS ABSTRACT











of all respondents













CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

I 1 Background
















I 2 Introduction









(Tilley et al 1999)






























(Tilley et al 1999)
























(Tilley1998)























al1999)





documentation














sector












































response




THESIS ABSTRACT











of all respondents













CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

I 1 Background
















I 2 Introduction









(Tilley et al 1999)






























(Tilley et al 1999)
























(Tilley1998)























al1999)





documentation














sector












































response



THESIS ABSTRACT











of all respondents













CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

I 1 Background
















I 2 Introduction









(Tilley et al 1999)






























(Tilley et al 1999)
























(Tilley1998)























al1999)





documentation














sector












































response



CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

I 1 Background
















I 2 Introduction









(Tilley et al 1999)






























(Tilley et al 1999)
























(Tilley1998)























al1999)





documentation














sector












































response




(Tilley et al 1999)






























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al1999)





documentation














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(Tilley et al 1999)
























(Tilley1998)























al1999)





documentation














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response






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al1999)





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al1999)





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response

