Empherical investigation on professional negligence of construction professionals

Abstract

The construction industry is complex and involves several activities. The construction industry and projects are linked with time, cost, and quality constraints to ensure project performance. Although the application of complexity science to the construction sector has not received much attention for professional negligence, there is evidence that the construction process might be viewed as a complex system in and of itself. Therefore, the complexity and scale of the construction projects often leads to professional negligence. This research aims to investigate the impact of professional negligence on construction project performance while developing a framework to overcome professional negligence in the construction industry. The research utilises a mixed research approach with five expert interviewees and 249 questionnaire survey respondents obtained in the Sri Lankan context. Both the Relative Important Index (RII) and content analysis was used for the quantitative and qualitative data analysis respectively. Findings reveal that poor design with negligent supervision is the highest possible reason, while carelessness and insufficient information on documents are the second highest possible reasons for professional negligence. Furthermore, the findings reveal that four interviewees have accepted that there is a significant impact of professional negligence on project performance, while one interviewee stated that there is no such impact. A model was developed using the findings of the research, including strategical mitigation approaches for the avoidance of professional negligence, and increasing project performance in the Sri Lankan construction industry. The study recommends industry experience, minimising additional claims, zero accidents, avoiding negligence, and quality of deliverables to support the professionals in the construction industry to increase the project performance. Developing connectivity among pre- and post-contract teams, obtaining professionals with relevant educational qualifications, and use of effective communication channels are proposals for the development of project performance while minimising professional negligence. Research into a legal framework to address pre- contract and post- contract dispute resolutions, possible strategies to overcome professional negligence in the Sri Lankan context need more insight. Findings from the study can be used by construction professionals to better understand how professional negligence impacts the construction industry.