Variation causes include construction performance organizations, capital, environmental context, and contractual matters. Hence, the project’s function is seriously affected when variation orders occur in a project. The current study explores the causes and effects of variation orders in three states of the Southern Region of Malaysia via a structured questionnaire survey approach. By using the Statistical Package of Social Sciences software, 66.8% of duly answered questionnaires were analysed with contractors (48.78%), designers (21.95%), and clients (29.27%). The findings reveal that the primary sources of variation are Unsatisfactory design and planning, Change in design by the designer, and Unsatisfactory drawing information during the planning and design phase, with mean values (MV) of 3.74, 3.69, and 3.62, respectively. While throughout the construction phase, the top three causes are Change in economic condition (MV = 3.64), Replacement of materials and standard procedures (MV = 3.57), and Replacement of project activity (MV = 3.57). The out-turns of variation orders are ranked by severity of Late completion (MV = 3.93), Increase in project price (MV = 3.88), Decline in workers’ efficiency (MV = 3.38), and Discrediting on workers’ safety and health (MV = 3.17) according to the project performance of time overrun, cost overrun, degradation of work quality and professional relation, and degradation of safety and health, respectively. This study recommends that the best way to overcome variation orders is to refrain from as many of them as possible. Appropriate pre-construction planning and project management is a pre-emptive strategy against the unexpected. By finalising due diligence, pre-construction parties may encounter factors such as local authority requirements and site conditions that could impact the construction plan.
