Abstract:
Conflict is defined as a serious disagreement or argument about something important between parties.
When there are differences, incompatibilities in interests among parties involved, it is obvious a
conflict could be exist. Construction industry is a place where the conflicting situations arise very
often and it continues to act as a high explosive character. When a conflict is not managed properly it
will lead to claims and if these claims are not clearly resolved the claims may turn into disputes.
This study explored how to avoid conflicts in construction projects by addressing their types, causes
and effects. Moreover the types and causes of claims were also addressed. The aim of the study was to
develop a framework as a strategy that could reduce effectively the occurrences of conflicts to mitigate
claims in construction projects in Sri Lanka. As a means to achieve the aim of this research, the study
was structured into two main parts; the first part aimed at mapping up the nature of conflicts in
construction projects by establishing types of conflicts, critical symptoms of conflicts, factors causing
them and the strategies used in avoiding the conflicts. Moreover types of claims and causes of claims
were also investigated. This was done through the literature synthesis. Secondly, a collection of data
was done through a questionnaire survey and expert interviews.
Through the analysed data the framework for conflict avoidance to mitigate claims has been created
for the Sri Lankan context. Notwithstanding, it can be recommended to use for the construction
industry as a whole. The study provides field level experiences from which the inexperience
construction site professionals could learn the instances of conflicts and claims and not repeat the
mistakes in their projects