Ranking the Causes of Conflicts from Managers’ Perspectives in Industrial Projects Using a Project Management Approach

Abstract

The construction industry and industrial projects, due to their structural, financial, and operational complexities, are consistently exposed to conflicts and contractual disputes. Such conflicts may lead to project delays, cost overruns, and quality deterioration. The objective of this study is to identify and rank the factors that give rise to conflicts and disputes in industrial projects from a project management perspective. This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive–survey in terms of methodology. Data were collected through a questionnaire, and a sample of 55 industrial project managers from various industries, including cement, steel, and construction, was selected. The questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS software, and their reliability was confirmed. The Friedman test was employed to rank and prioritize the factors causing conflicts. The results indicate that the most significant factors contributing to conflicts in industrial projects, in order of importance, are financial and economic factors, employer-related factors, contractor-related factors, and materials and supplies factors. Among these, delayed payment of contractors’ claims and changes in project scope and duration have the greatest impact on the occurrence of disputes. In addition, poor coordination among stakeholders and problems in the procurement of materials and supplies are among the factors that further complicate project management processes. The present study emphasizes that, in order to prevent conflicts, contracts must be drafted precisely and transparently, and project management should make use of modern approaches such as value engineering and risk management. Furthermore, strengthening communication among stakeholders and continuous monitoring of project implementation processes can contribute to reducing conflicts and disputes.