Investigation and analysis of the rework leading indicators in construction projects: State-of-the-art review

During the design and construction phases, many large-scale construction projects suffer from the issuance of rework that ultimately lead to substantial cost overruns and major schedule delays. It is estimated that more than half of the construction projects encounter significant rework and subsequent cost overruns and schedule delays. Scholars and practitioners worldwide are assessing the impact of these rework and the critical causes behind them, primarily focusing on identifying the entity-based rework indicators, as it is crucial to identify the key project, human, and organizational factors that lead to the rework. This study investigated, identified, and prioritized the human, organization, and project-based indicators of rework. Numerous research documents were reviewed to identify the leading rework indicators and prioritize them, based on their frequency of occurrence in the literature. Poor design, a vague scope definition, and site location issues are the project-based indicators most frequently found in literature; ineffective coordination and communication are the organization-based rework indicators most often found in literature; and lack of knowledge, skills, and experience are the most critical and frequently referenced indicators for human-based rework. The findings of this study will help practitioners identify the causes of rework at the right time in order to allocate resources properly for mitigating the number and cost of rework.