Surreal illustration of a construction site with glowing obstacles, symbolizing the challenges in modern construction projects.

Construction Challenges: Unveiling Hidden Obstacles in Modern Projects

Rhea Morgan in Tech & Innovation August 2025 • 3 min read.

"Navigating the complexities of constructability in today's construction landscape: An exploratory look at key challenges and strategies for success."

Constructability, the ease with which a building's design facilitates construction, is crucial for optimizing resources like workforce, time, and budget. Yet, the increasing complexity of modern projects often leads to failed or abandoned builds, highlighting the necessity of implementing constructability practices.

While the construction industry recognizes the importance of constructability, a lack of clear, quantitative methods for analyzing and addressing obstacles has hindered progress. Traditional approaches often fall short, resulting in poor coordination and project inefficiencies.

This article explores the key obstacles that prevent contractors from effectively contributing during the early planning and design phases. By categorizing these challenges, project managers and owners can develop targeted solutions to improve project outcomes.

Decoding the Constructability Puzzle: Identifying Key Obstacles

Surreal illustration of a construction site with glowing obstacles, symbolizing the challenges in modern construction projects.

A comprehensive list of obstacles to constructability was compiled into a questionnaire and presented to construction experts. The questionnaire was designed to capture a broad range of challenges, from logistical issues to communication breakdowns.

Using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), 63 distinct obstacles were identified and then categorized into five macro-factors that define the biggest roadblocks standing in the way of efficient constructability implementation. These are:

Organizational Obstacles: Resistance to change, lack of innovation, traditional views, knowledge gaps, and ineffective organizational structures.
Managerial Obstacles: Weak support programs, poor reporting, lack of documented experiences, inappropriate labor recruitment methods, and conflicting objectives.
Technical Obstacles: Deficiencies in engineering and construction quality, lack of experience in design teams, knowledge gaps regarding construction technologies, and underutilization of development tools.
Contractual Obstacles: Traditional contracts, inappropriate strategies, inflexibility, and flawed contractor selection processes.
Environmental Obstacles: Lack of awareness regarding constructability benefits and a reluctance from contractors to cooperate during the design phase.

The key to successful construction is understanding these obstacles. These key factors will help in implementing effective strategies, and promote better collaboration. In turn, this will support project success.

Moving Forward: Addressing Constructability Challenges for Project Success

By understanding and addressing these obstacles, project managers and owners can unlock significant improvements in project efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance overall quality. It's time to embrace a more proactive and collaborative approach to constructability, ensuring that projects are set up for success from the very beginning.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

Everything You Need To Know

What are the main types of obstacles that commonly hinder constructability in construction projects?

There are five primary macro-factors that commonly hinder constructability. These include: "Organizational Obstacles", which involve resistance to change and knowledge gaps; "Managerial Obstacles", such as weak support programs and conflicting objectives; "Technical Obstacles", including deficiencies in engineering quality and underutilization of development tools; "Contractual Obstacles", like traditional contracts and flawed contractor selection; and "Environmental Obstacles", such as a lack of awareness regarding constructability benefits.

How do "Organizational Obstacles" specifically impact the constructability of a construction project?

"Organizational Obstacles" significantly impede constructability by creating a resistant environment to new ideas and efficient processes. Resistance to change prevents the adoption of innovative technologies and methods. Knowledge gaps within the organization lead to mistakes and rework due to a lack of expertise. Traditional views can stifle progress by clinging to outdated practices that aren't suited for modern construction complexities, while ineffective organizational structures can lead to poor communication and coordination, further exacerbating these issues.

What role do "Contractual Obstacles" play in contributing to constructability challenges, and how can they be mitigated?

"Contractual Obstacles" often contribute to constructability issues through the use of traditional contracts that lack the flexibility needed for complex projects. Inappropriate strategies and flawed contractor selection processes can also lead to mismatches between project requirements and contractor capabilities. To mitigate these obstacles, it's essential to adopt more flexible and collaborative contract types, implement rigorous contractor selection processes, and ensure that contractual terms incentivize cooperation and innovation rather than adversarial relationships.

How can addressing "Environmental Obstacles" improve collaboration between contractors and designers during the early design phase?

Addressing "Environmental Obstacles" is crucial for fostering collaboration, particularly by increasing awareness of constructability benefits and encouraging contractor involvement early in the design phase. When contractors are engaged early, their practical insights can inform design decisions, leading to more efficient and cost-effective construction processes. Overcoming the reluctance of contractors to cooperate requires establishing clear communication channels, demonstrating the value of their input, and creating a collaborative environment where their expertise is valued and integrated into the project planning process.

Beyond the five main categories, what are some specific, individual obstacles that can negatively impact constructability, and how do they relate to the larger macro-factors?

Within the five macro-factors of constructability, there exist 63 distinct obstacles, showing the complex nature of constructability. Specific examples include logistical issues and communication breakdowns. Logistical issues can fall under both "Managerial" and "Technical Obstacles", reflecting planning and execution failures. Communication breakdowns often stem from "Organizational Obstacles", highlighting ineffective structures that impede information flow and collaboration. Addressing these individual obstacles requires a comprehensive approach that tackles the root causes within each macro-factor, ensuring that projects are well-coordinated, efficiently managed, and technically sound.