Identification and classification of risks in construction projects: clusters, trend studies and risk breakdown structure

Purpose: Construction projects are subject to multiple risks from the tender stage to the final acceptance. Therefore, this topic has always been noteworthy among researchers and professionals in the construction industry. This study presents a bibliometric and content analysis of the existing literature on construction risks. Design/methodology/approach: Systematic literature review was conducted to identify research clusters and trending research topics. Moreover, content analysis was performed to ascertain the risk breakdown structure. These results were validated with focus group interviews. Findings: A total of 137 publications indexed in Scopus were selected, four primary clusters of construction risk research areas were identified, and key influential studies were determined and summarized. In the content analysis, 37 risks were identified from the literature and categorized into five groups. Focus group interviews were also conducted among 12 construction professionals for getting perceptions and expectations of the industry. Experts evaluated and enhanced the risk breakdown structure, and they recommended that the researchers should focus on cyber-attacks, along with environmental and sustainability issues in construction projects for future studies. Originality/value: This research offers significant findings for researchers and professionals who deal with risk management by summarizing research clusters, identifying trending themes, and proposing a practically applicable risk breakdown structure, despite potential variations in cluster formation based on article selection criteria and expert recommendations influenced by different focus groups.