Analysis of the Reasons for Delay in Completion of Irrigation and Drainage Network Projects Using Problem Tree Tool: The Case of Kheyrabad

Utilizing irrigation and drainage networks are some of the main developmental projects in Iran for which a lot of monetary budgets are annually invested. In spite of different benefits of these projects, delay in operation of them has led to the failure in accomplishing the presupposed objectives. Analysis of the causes of delayed operation of Kheyrabad irrigation network was taken into account as the aim of present study and qualitative research method was used. Furthermore, in order to gather data, research techniques such as deep observation, structured interview and questionnaire were applied. Research clients were three different groups i.e. farmers, consulting company and taskmaster's organization. Based on the problem tree structure, causes of delayed operation and exploitation of the supposed irrigation and drainage system were arranged in a structure consisted of Roots (causes), Stem (main problem) and Branches (consequences). Research findings were organized and analyzed using the problem tree framework. Then, the objective tree was designed based on the problem tree. Results showed that "lack of proper management of contractor", "environmental factors" and "factors related to employer and consultant" were the main reasons of delay respectively. Based on the results of this study, it can be recommended that giving priority to technical and financial resources is more important than the proposed price. Moreover, scheduled and step by step time table and identification of critical stages of project implementation can be really useful in reaching the best quality in such projects.