The Role of Certified Workers in Increasing the Success of Building Construction Projects Through Risk Management and Knowledge Management

Building construction projects in Badung Regency, Indonesia, frequently encounter delays and operational disruptions that require competent personnel and systematic project management practices. This study examined the mediating roles of risk management and knowledge management in the relationship between certified construction workers and project success. A quantitative research design was employed, using questionnaire data collected from 50 managerial and technical construction personnel selected through purposive sampling across medium- and large-scale building construction projects. Of these, 47 valid responses were included in the final analysis using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. A preliminary pilot study involving 20 respondents was conducted to assess the research instrument. The initial structural model, excluding mediating variables, demonstrated a positive and statistically significant relationship between certified workers and project success (? = 0.405; t = 3.400). However, after incorporating the mediating variables, the direct relationship became statistically nonsignificant (? = ?0.038; p = 0.335). Certified workers demonstrated positive associations with risk management (? = 0.399) and knowledge management (? = 0.465), while risk management (? = 0.605) and knowledge management (? = 0.302) were positively associated with project success. The indirect relationship through risk management was statistically significant (? = 0.241; p = 0.003). Meanwhile, the indirect relationship through knowledge management (? = 0.140; t = 1.739; p = 0.041) required clarification regarding the application and justification of a one-tailed significance test, as the reported t-statistic would not meet the conventional 5% significance threshold for a two-tailed test. Overall, the findings suggested that workforce certification was associated with improved construction project outcomes primarily through the integration of professional competencies into structured risk management and organizational knowledge-sharing practices.