Causes of Non‐Value Adding Activities in Construction Projects

Abstract

Construction projects generate considerable waste and inefficiencies, hindering project performance. Efficient management of construction waste involves recognizing diverse waste categories, including non-value adding activities (NVAAs), comprehending their origins, and choosing and executing effective mitigation solutions. Although existing literature discusses the mitigation of construction waste and NVAAs in construction projects, a comprehensive analysis is necessary to consolidate the common NVAAs, their underlying causes, and their significance. This paper investigates prevalent NVAAs and their root causes through a thorough systematic literature review and a two-phase quantitative analysis: an initial pilot study utilizing structured interviews, succeeded by a questionnaire survey administered to experts in construction waste management. The collected data were cleaned, preprocessed, and evaluated to assess the relative significance of the causes of NVAAs. The results indicate that construction contractors continue to possess an inadequate understanding concerning construction waste management. The five principal issues contributing to the significant NVAAs include insufficient funding from project owners, inadequate stakeholder collaboration, ineffective planning and scheduling of construction operations, payment delays, and subpar site management. This research study will aid construction firms in developing effective strategies and choosing suitable solutions to prevent or lessen NVAAs, hence improving the performance of construction projects.