Factor analysis of construction practices for infrastructure projects in Korea

Although extensive research has been undertaken on practices influencing the success of construction projects, very little of this research contains information relevant to the critical success factors of Korean infrastructure projects. The object of this paper is to gain an understanding of the practices influencing infrastructure construction in Korea. This was achieved through a study conducted by 136 Korean construction professionals. A questionnaire survey was conducted to gather opinions from experts in the construction industry. The initial analysis of the 28 practices considered in this study proposed 22 best practices based upon the mean value of each practice. Analysis of variance revealed that the opinions of the experts are not significantly different regardless of their organization, designation, and experience. Further analysis, based on a factor analysis, shows that the practices could be grouped into six critical success factors-selection of a competitive contractor, pre-project planning, contract strategy, engineering enforcement, contract guarantee, and lessons learned feedback. The critical success factors presented in this paper can be used as a check list to prepare and implement public infrastructure projects in Korea. Furthermore, it will also provide information on general concepts involved in the preparations of international construction projects.