Change Management and Change Process Model for the Iranian Construction Industry

Abstract

Changes are inevitable in construction projects. They could lead to disruptive impacts on the quality, schedule and budget of projects. Identifying changes and anticipating their consequences can help project teams mitigate these negative impacts. As a result, a change process model has been defined to improve this procedure. At first the present paper the defines some of the key terms in this process and aims at depicting a clear image of these definitions as they are fundamental and can lead to vague assumptions. The causes and effects of change have been described in a precise and brief manner. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were utilized in this research, which includes 8 open-ended and 16 close-ended questions. The results clearly showed that there is <em>not</em> a change management procedure available in the Iranian construction industry; therefore, the existence of such procedure is vital in order to achieve the contractual obligations of time, cost and quality. Finally, a change process model tailored to the requirements of Iranian construction industry has been defined in some details. Several aspects of proposed change management process for developing a proactive and improving procedure have also been presented in the final section. This paper aims at providing a platform for employing change management practices in large organizations in Iran with a concise review of the available studies carried out in the past few years.