ABSTRACT 

Delay is one of the major problems in Zimbabwe construction industry. Delays lead to many negative effects such as disputes between clients and contractors, increased cost, loss of productivity and revenue and termination of contract. The aim of this research was to investigate the challenges faced in construction project completions and find ways to minimize the project delays. A case study method was adopted for this research through primary data and secondary data. The data collected was analyzed using the relative importance index to determine the most causes and effects of construction delays in construction projects. However the results obtained from the ratings show that change in drawings, lack of effective communication and lack of finance rank high on the causes of delay. Reduced profit, wastages and underutilization of manpower and resources ranked high on the effects of delays. The researcher concluded that delays causes more harm than good in construction project. Therefore action should be taken to avoid such factors of delay in construction project in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the industry