Using multiple linear regression (MLR) to identify the critical success factors (CSF) that impact project success within the Lebanese construction industry

Abstract

The construction industry is facing various impediments such as time overrun, cost overrun and poor quality of the delivered project. These factors are leading to huge losses; thus it became vital to research what factors contributes to the success of a construction project. This study aims to identify those critical success factors influencing project success within the Lebanese construction industry. The critical success factors were deducted from a systematic literature review. Then a model was generated with twelve latent variables and three dependent variables hypothesizing that each latent factors has a positive and direct impact on project success. To validate the model, a quantitative approach was used using a survey. Three hundred ten questionnaires were collected covering the whole Lebanese territories from stakeholders within the Lebanese industry. Statistical Package for Social Science was used to analyze the data and to create the Stepwise Multiple Regression Models. The generated model showed the validity and the coefficient of the main critical success factors that one must focus on in order to reach project success. Within the specific context of Lebanon, the construction project success is directly impacted by factors related to project management, materials, financial resources, and design complexity. This model has a unique contribution to theory since it is pioneer in Lebanon. Additionally, it has a managerial contribution, since it highlights the main factors that management must take into consideration to ensure project success.