Ontology-based Investigation of Construction Delay Analysis Methodologies in Egypt Mohamed MAGDY AHMED 1 , Maged GEORGY 2 , and Hesham OSMAN 3 1 ORASCOM Construction Industries, Contracts and Claims Department, P.O. Box 11221, Cairo, Egypt; email: m.magdyahmed@gmail.com 2 School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, P.O. Box 2476, Melbourne VIC 3001, Australia; email: maged.georgy@rmit.edu.au 3 Structural Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt; email: hesham.osman@gmail.com ABSTRACT Delays in construction projects are more commonplace than most of us wish. The intensified market competition is driving all to accept tighter schedules, shrinking budgets and slimmer contingency allowances. Such pressures give rise to claims, disputes, and litigation in courts. Understanding how to utilize Critical Path Method (CPM) Delay Analysis Methodologies (DAMs) is inevitable to resolving these problematic project situations. This study was initiated to investigate the level of awareness, frequency of usage, information needs, complexity of application, and success rate of each CPM DAM used in the Egyptian construction market where authors work or had previously worked. Research was conducted through a triangulation approach for data collection that employed a Quantitative Questionnaire and a Qualitative Interview. Distribution of questionnaire followed a thorough analysis of the market structure, size of organizations in the Egyptian construction market, and the required sample size to sufficiently reflect the differences between the targeted groups. Collected data was subsequently analyzed with the aid of SPSS software. An unbiased hypothetical determination of the level of awareness, usage and success rate of each DAM among different groups within the Egyptian construction market shall develop an understanding of the DAMs that should be adopted for a more successful settlement and resolution of disputes. INTRODUCTION Since the introduction of the “iron triangle” by Dr. Martin Barnes in 1969, achieving the objectives of Time, Cost and Quality has long been a driving force behind project endeavors. Respect for the iron triangle concept itself remains intact till this very day. Yet, the intensifying market competition drives project parties to accept tighter schedules, shrinking budgets and slimmer contingency allowances. Meanwhile, construction is nothing but a risky business, and as a result, deviations from these objectives do happen. One classical form of deviations is construction schedule delays. According to Stumpf (2000), a delay is an act or event that extends the time required to perform the tasks under a contract. It usually shows up as additional days of work or as a delayed start of an activity. Even with today’s advanced technology and the understanding of 1428 Construction Research Congress 2014 ©ASCE 2014