Machine Learning for Construction Delay Prediction in Saudi Arabian Mega-Projects: A Structured Review and Research Agenda Aligned with Vision 2030

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@article{1725104,
      author = {Ahmed Babu Shahas V P},
      title = {Machine Learning for Construction Delay Prediction in Saudi Arabian Mega-Projects: A Structured Review and Research Agenda Aligned with Vision 2030},
      journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
      year = {2026},
      volume = {10},
      number = {5},
      pages = {2530-2539},
      issn = {2456-8880},
      url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1725104.pdf},
      abstract = {Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 has created one of the largest construction programmes in the world, and delivering it on time is a national priority. Schedule delay has nevertheless been a persistent feature of the Kingdom's construction sector for four decades. Machine learning (ML) offers a way to move from explaining delays after they occur to predicting them while there is still time to act. This paper presents a structured review of published work on ML-based construction delay prediction and of the evidence on delay causes in Saudi Arabia, and derives a research agenda for Saudi mega-projects. The review finds that the causes of delay in the Kingdom are well documented and stable over time, with payment, change-order, planning and workforce factors recurring across studies. ML studies report classification accuracies above 90%, but most are trained on small, questionnaire-derived datasets, are validated internally only, and predict a single static outcome for conventional projects. Only a small number use Saudi project records, and none of the reviewed studies addresses giga-project scale. Seven research priorities are proposed, covering shared project-outcome data, time-dependent prediction from progress records, external validation, explainable models, programme-level interdependence, text-based data sources and the link from prediction to mitigation. Each priority is mapped to the objectives of Vision 2030.},
      keywords = {construction delay, machine learning, mega-projects, Saudi Arabia, Vision 2030},
      month = {November},
  }