An Integrated Assessment of Technical and Managerial Constraints Leading to Delays in Housing Mega-Projects

Delays remain one of the most persistent challenges in large-scale residential construction projects. These schedule overruns disrupt progress, elevate project costs, strain stakeholder relationships, and compromise delivery targets. This study investigates the dominant constraints contributing to delays in mega residential developments in India. A structured questionnaire survey was administered to 24 respondents representing contractors, consultants, project managers, site engineers, and related professionals. The collected data were analyzed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) to prioritize the perceived delay factors. Results show that sudden shortages of labour and materials constitute the most critical causes of delay (RII = 0.800), followed by inadequate front-end planning (RII = 0.788), delays in top-management decision-making (RII = 0.775), poor communication across project stages (RII = 0.766), and economic fluctuations (RII = 0.766). The study highlights how supply-chain instability, weak managerial coordination, and environmental uncertainty significantly influence mega residential project timelines. Recommendations include integrated planning systems, decision-governance frameworks, strengthened supply‑chain mechanisms, and digital communication platforms. These findings offer valuable guidance for stakeholders seeking to reduce time overruns and enhance project performance.