From Trigger to Action

Abstract

Public construction projects take place in dynamic multi-actor environments in which uncertainty, changing conditions, and interdependencies can put project objectives under pressure. Although risk registers are widely used to document and manage risks, they are not always written consistently, and links between causes and response measures are often not made explicit. This limits their comparability, learning potential, and practical usefulness.

This thesis examines how risk causes are related to response measures in Dutch public construction projects, using pre-construction risk registers as the empirical dataset. The study combines a focused literature review, thematic analysis of the risk registers, and an expert meeting with three project control managers.

The findings show that the literature provides a useful starting point for structuring recurring risk causes, but that additional refinement is needed to reflect practice. The thematic analysis resulted in practice-based categorizations for risk causes, risk events, and response measures, and showed that causes and measures are related through recurring links. Rather than pointing to fixed response rules, these recurring links suggest three broader cause–measure pattern types, namely focused cause–measure patterns, dispersed cause–measure patterns, and broad linking patterns.

Overall, the thesis shows that broad recurring cause–measure patterns can be identified in risk registers through structured analysis, and that clearer categorization and recording practices can strengthen the value of the risk registers for comparison, learning, and improvement in public construction projects.