Time-thieves and bottlenecks in the Norwegian construction projects

Utilizing time effectively and efficiently is one of the important factors that can determine the success of achieving desired results of projects. Nevertheless, several projects come across delays and unnecessary use of time due to various reasons, and hence suffer from unfavorable consequences. Construction industry is not exceptional. There are elements that "steal" time in construction projects; and, there are bottlenecks that cause delays. This paper will present the first findings from the SpeedUp project survey conducted in seven public and private organizations in autumn 2014 in Norway. The purpose with the study was to establish - what are the most common factors extending project life cycle or making project going slower than planned. We have conducted a broad literature review that aimed to establish - what are the most common delays factors mentioned in the literature and the result from the literature review has been analyzed against our data from the survey. This paper will present the ten most common "time-thieves" and "bottlenecks" revealed in the SpeedUp project survey. It will identify the major "time-thieves" and "bottlenecks" seen from owners, consultants and contractors views. This identification can be seen as a mapping process that will lead to find out possible causes as well as possible efforts, those can be carried out in order to deal with slow pace and delays in construction projects. This study on "time-thieves" and "bottlenecks" in the construction industry will contribute to shade light on important improvements areas for the construction industry. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B. V.