Identifying the Threats and Enablers for Implementing Integration Management of Construction Projects Focusing on Integrated Project Delivery Approach

The expansion and complexity of construction projects has led to fragmentation of their participants. Each of them is a stakeholder with different goals. One of the requirements for achieving the right goal and output, is to integrate them. “Integration Management”, is the first area of Project Management Knowledge that “PMBOK” also refers to it. According to literature, in traditional and conventional delivery methods, the stakeholders’ expectations have not properly met and lack of integration is evident in them. The new approach that facilitates the implementation of integration management is the IPD approach, which emphasizes integration more than traditional delivery methods. IPD supports a cooperative process by forming a team of key stakeholders at the beginning of the project. The main ideas of IPD are the efficient presence of all practitioners at the beginning of the process, optimizing the results, and reducing the waste of resources. Given the novelty of the IPD issues and their difference from traditional delivery methods, there are various threats to implement these principles. On the other hand, some factors can be useful for enabling IPD. Therefore, in this study, while stating the significance and reasons for the necessity of applying project integration management and IPD approach, as the main goal we identify the factors that threaten and enable the implementation of IPD principles. The method of collecting data is through reviewing articles and documents in this field, and with the aim of prioritizing threats and enablers, a questionnaire was distributed among a number of construction experts, which the results of it will be reviewed. Enhancing the enablers and reducing the role of threats, can create an appropriate context that facilitate the implementation of integration management. Moreover, the output of this study can provide specialized studies on the applicability of the IPD approach in the construction industry.