Level of risk management knowledge among construction project managers in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Risk management often becomes a significant concern among the construction professionals especially due to the complex nature of the industry. Though it is a popular subject in project management discipline, it was observed that authentic application of the principles of risk management at times is arguable in practice. As a Project Manager who is a key role player in a project, it is vital to have a solid knowledge on risk management and its related arena. Evidence was found of limited risk management knowledge among construction professionals. Therefore, a study was conducted to find the status of risk management knowledge among the construction Project Managers in Sri Lanka. A mixed method approach was followed by a comprehensive literature review on elements of body of knowledge of risk management and later a questionnaire survey to contextualise the status of the knowledge gap of Project Managers in real. According to the findings of the study, it could be concluded that Sri Lankan Project Managers are not fully confident on their risk management knowledge. It was primarily likely to be due to the limited learning in the subject area when pursuing higher studies. The study also identifies the options to device appropriate strategies to improve risk management knowledge among the Construction Project Managers in Sri Lanka.