Change orders are common in most construction projects and include indirect costs, such as cumulative disruption costs, as well as direct costs. However, proving and quantifying damages due to changes are difficult task; in particular, estimating the lost productivity is the most difficult task. Although there are several methods to calculate the lost productivity resulting from delay and/or disruption due to changes, they have limitations in proving damages. In this respect, visualisation of impacts is a feasible method of showing and analysing the impact of change orders on productivity. This paper shows a practical process that provides a novel visualisation method to analyse and quantify the impacts of change orders on project performance. Using the proposed approach, the impact of change orders on different activities could be identified and then estimated for the productivity loss. Ultimately, the paper contributes to the body of knowledge by helping construction professionals demonstrate and quantify the impact of change orders on the schedule and productivity concurrently towards a reasonable resolution in construction claims.
Article navigation
21 April 2026
Research Article|
June 18 2025
Visualising the impact of change orders on productivity in construction projects Available to Purchase
Jae-Seob Lee
Professor, Division of Architectural Engineering,
Dongguk University
, Seoul, KoreaCorresponding author Jae-Seob Lee (js1998@dongguk.edu)
Search for other works by this author on:
Corresponding author Jae-Seob Lee (js1998@dongguk.edu)
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Received:
October 01 2024
Accepted:
May 30 2025
Online ISSN: 1751-4312
Print ISSN: 1751-4304
© 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited
2025
Emerald Publishing Limited
Licensed re-use rights only
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Management, Procurement and Law (2026) 179 (2): 134–142.
Article history
Received:
October 01 2024
Accepted:
May 30 2025
Citation
Lee J (2026), "Visualising the impact of change orders on productivity in construction projects". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Management, Procurement and Law, Vol. 179 No. 2 pp. 134–142, doi: https://doi.org/10.1680/jmapl.24.00066
Download citation file:
Suggested Reading
Managing a programme under the NEC3 ECC contract
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Management, Procurement and Law (August,2010)
Briefing: Participation, consensus and adjudication in designing the A3 Hindhead tunnel, UK
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering Sustainability (April,2013)
Simulation of scheduling logic using dynamic functions
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Management, Procurement and Law (June,2013)
Workington: a case study in coordination and communication
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Municipal Engineer (September,2015)
Major sporting events—planning for legacy
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Municipal Engineer (December,2007)
Related Chapters
Performance-Related Pay, Unions, and Productivity in Italy: Evidence from Quantile Regressions
Advances in the Economic Analysis of Participatory and Labor-Managed Firms
Do Product Architectures Affect Innovation Productivity in Complex Product Ecosystems?
Collaboration and Competition in Business Ecosystems
Time Pressure, Performance, and Productivity
Looking Back, Moving Forward: A Review of Group and Team-Based Research
Recommended for you
These recommendations are informed by your reading behaviors and indicated interests.
