Purpose This paper discusses the degree to which the project planning practices relate to construction delays, in three fundamental dimensions, namely, the planning quality, efficiency of resource allocation and the mitigation of risks associated with the project planning practices. Design/methodology/approach A total of 360 construction industry stakeholders, including project managers, site engineers, contractors, consultants and senior supervisors, participated in the study. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analysed using SPSS and structural equation modelling (SEM). Findings The results suggest the existence of a strong positive relationship between a high quality of planning, a better alignment of resources and the proactive development of risk mitigation practices and schedule overruns in construction projects. The findings also indicate that planning processes with well-defined scope, integration of the stakeholders and realistic scheduling are associated with predictable schedules. The allocation of resources, especially labour, materials and equipment, seems to facilitate workflow continuity, whereas risk mitigation practices are observed to help in handling the uncertainties which usually knock out the project development. Research limitations/implications Despite its contributions, the study is limited by its cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported data, which may restrict causal inference and generalizability across different project types and geographical contexts. Practical implications The paper has also gone deeper into proper project planning as a method of minimizing delay in construction. Originality/value This study integrates advanced planning tools with empirical analysis to highlight the combined influence of planning quality, resource management and technological moderation on construction project outcomes.
Acharya et al. (Mon,) studied this question.