Identifying and Ranking the Root Causes of Schedule Delays in Oil and Gas Pipeline Construction Projects

Delays in completing the construction of oil and gas projects impact the production, sustainability, reliability, and revenues of the company, which result in market share losses in the long term. This research aimed to determine, evaluate, and rank the root causes of schedule delays in oil and gas pipeline projects in Saudi Arabia. Forty-seven different causes were identified firstly from a wide-ranging literature review and then finalized through conducting interviews with two local experts. These causes were ranked by distributing and analyzing questionnaires on the topic. Client-related materials, delays in materials and equipment delivery, permit approval, delays in subcontractor work, and delays in preparing and approving engineering drawings were found to be the top five major causes affecting oil and gas pipeline construction projects. From the initial analyses, it was observed that an adversarial relationship was apparent as the results indicated that the parties tended to blame each other for the delays. The sub-causes of the initial five causes were identified and root cause analysis was performed. A delay in the material and equipment delivery category had the most weighted sub-causes; hence, it is of high importance to mitigate it. Further recommendations were made for different delay causes.