STRATEGIES FOR OPTIMISING SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT DELAYS OF RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS IN CHINA: A CASE STUDY OF YUN YUE DONG FANG PROJECT

Abstract

Chinese residential developers face complex challenges during the construction process. In particular, schedule management often becomes uncontrolled, leading to delays that hinder timely fund returns and economic losses, and inevitably reputational damage. Grounded in the theory of project progress management, this study uses the Yun Yue Dong Fang (YYDF) project in China as a case in point to explore and rank optimization strategies for schedule management. As a qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from seven project managers from seven participating developers. Participants included key decision makers, such as contractors and supervisors from the study sample. Interview data were coded and analyzed in NVivo for classification and theme extraction. Six key optimization themes were identified, namely optimization in construction, communication, project planning, design, procurement, and funding. The findings highlight strategies applicable to clients and construction units and emphasize the need to strengthen management and control across units and links in the delivery chain. The study also provides a reference value for the management schedule of project progress in Chinese residential development companies. The six strategies identified possess conditional cross-regional adaptability. Although construction projects commonly suffer from management fragmentation and difficulties in resource coordination, the proposed strategies can inform residential development projects in other developing countries or emerging markets after appropriate localization. Overall, this in-depth case study translates theory into practice, providing an empirically derived, ranked set of strategies for mitigating schedule delays, and offers actionable guidance for stakeholders seeking to stabilize schedules, secure cash-flow cycles, and protect corporate reputation.