Critical Factors for Improving Reliability of Project Control Metrics throughout Project Life Cycle

A lack of consistent, reliable, and objective metrics and indicators for project controls poses major challenges for effectively measuring project progress and performance in the construction industry. Often, project managers are misled in their perceptions of project performance until the project nears its end. This lack of accurate project progress and performance information is a major issue that causes performance shortcomings and resource shortfalls. This study investigated critical factors for improving the reliability of project control systems throughout the construction project life cycle. Through conducting a survey and 10 in-depth case studies, this research identified 15 critical reliability improvement factors and 85 indicators with specific application timing and milestones. This robust framework for improving the reliability of project controls throughout the life cycle of a project was then validated by a panel of experts. The results of this study address an important gap related to the understanding of the key factors and indicators that contribute to the reliability of project control metrics and methods. Findings of this research may provide construction industry stakeholders with a tool to significantly improve the reliability of project progress and performance assessment practices.