In general, construction works entail activities such as planning, programming, execution, and delivery of the project for operation. During these activities, numerous factors can originate cost overruns and delays that affect the good performance of the project. This study aims to analyze 630 scientific articles to identify the leading causes that cause cost overruns and delays in construction projects and to show the principal methodologies recommended for mitigating and containing these causes. The results highlight that the main causes of deviations in time and cost are poor planning and scheduling by the consultant or contractor, ineffective communication between the parties, consultants and contractors with little experience, or design errors including ambiguities and inconsistencies in project documents, among others. This research will broaden the understanding of the circumstances described, allowing validation and implementation methods to prevent their occurrence. Keywords: Cost overruns; time overruns; construction works