Abstract:
The construction industry is perceived as one of the most crucial fields that require risk management studies due to its inherent risks and complexity. Despite the large amount of research presented in this area, experts still prefer relying on their own knowledge and experience to manage project risks. This leads to various disputes among construction stakeholders over the ownership of these risks and their mitigation. Such disputes normally affect the project's goals in terms of budget and schedule. Many researchers have addressed risk factors in the construction field; however, none has tackled the disputed risks among construction parties. This research aims at identifying and analyzing the different disputed risk factors among project stakeholders along with their respective mitigation strategy through a questionnaire sent to construction practitioners with various expertise. Further analysis was done to assess the difference in risk allocation based on the amount of experience experts have and the project complexity they are exposed to. Mitigation strategies were also associated to each phase of a construction project. In brief, this research provides experts with a list of the most disputed risks in construction, along with their mitigation approach. In the end, construction parties will be able to meet the project's goals and steer clear of any delay or cost overrun resulting from the occurrence of disputed risks.
