LAUSR

Abstract Rework is one of the crucial reasons for time and cost overrun in construction projects and involves the consumption of additional resources. Given the environmental and economic impact, the menace of rework in projects must be minimized, which calls for a clear understanding of its causes, especially their quantitative impact. The present study seeks to identify and analyze the various causes of rework in building construction both qualitatively and quantitatively using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). After identifying the different causes of rework from literature, a panel of experts was consulted, and an appropriate questionnaire was designed with 28 attributes. Then, using the questionnaire, personal interviews with stakeholders from across India were conducted to understand the ranking of various causes of rework. Principal Component Analysis was used to group these 28 attributes into eight components – coordination issues, poor execution, supervision issues, consultant issues, aberrant events, worker issues, client issues, and site issues. Further, to understand the criticality of these factors, the structural relationship between the factors and rework was studied using SEM. It was found that inappropriate coordination amongst the various stakeholders of the project is the most critical reason for rework. The study will be helpful to stakeholders of the construction industry to understand better the relative quantitative impact of different causes on rework and prioritize their efforts to control or eliminate rework.