الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Delay is one of the challenges that affect the efficiency of the project. It is possible to reduce
delays by assessing their real causes. Delay in the engineering shop drawings
submittal/approval process is one of the common delays in construction projects. Therefore, it
is important to study and analyze the causes of shop drawings delay. This study aims to identify
the causes of delays in the submittal/approval process. In addition to sorting and assessing the
factors leading to such delays. A list of delay causes was retrieved from the literature review
in addition to the feedback of construction experts that was obtained through interviews. Then
a questionnaire survey was prepared and distributed among forty-one companies representing
different types of stakeholders (Clients, Engineers, and Contractors). Among the twenty-four
delay causes discussed, causes related to the engineering submittal/approval process were
identified as the top delay causes such as: rework due to errors, delay in preparing submittals,
poor qualifications of contractor technical staff, and poor communication and coordination.
Delays in the submittal/approval process were split into two major groups: submittal of twentyfive delay causes and approval of eighteen delay causes. Thus, Frequency Index, Severity
Index, and Importance Index were deduced and accordingly the top shop drawings delay causes
of construction projects are determined. The top five causes were: rework due to errors,
suspension of work due to changes, delays in subcontractor’s work, coordination problems in
design drawings, and unrealistic schedules. Statistical analysis was carried out on the results
obtained from the survey. A framework was developed as an effective solution for engineering
shop drawing submittal/approval process delay. The proposed shop drawings framework is
designed and created based on the information gathered from historical data, observations of
professionals, and the identified top factors. The framework consists of three successive
phases: design/coordination review phase, shop drawing preparation /submission phase, and
shop drawing reviewing/approval phase. Each phase is accomplished through sequential
activities. After developing the framework, it was validated by utilizing a case study to see the
effectiveness of the framework on the case study and how it helps in solving the problems of
delaying submittals/approval process, and the progress after implementation of the framework
was assessed.
Keywords: Framework, Shop drawings, Submittal process, and Approval process.