Making the Management of a Project Successful: Case of Construction Projects in Developing Countries

Abstract

Many developing countries (DCs) are currently spending on construction projects due to the high demand resulting from rapid urbanization. However, the results of these projects in terms of time, cost and quality do not tend to meet the expectations of the stakeholders. Despite the relevance and high visibility of this situation in many DCs, this topic has received little research attention. This study examines the combined effect of six factors that are commonly signaled in the project management literature as determinants of successful project management in construction projects. Our ultimate goal is to identify the extent to which traditional factors play a role in project management in DCs, as recent studies have highlighted the uniqueness of project management in these countries, therefore, requiring specific analysis within this context. To empirically address this goal we rely on an ad-hoc survey that collects the responses from 120 project management practitioners in Ghana. First, building upon existing works, we construct and validate a scale that evaluates project management practices in DCs. Next, we use qualitative comparative analysis to scrutinize which combination(s) of the aforementioned six factors lead to successful project management in construction projects. The findings support the initial intuition about the existence of distinct pathways, suggesting that there is no unique formula, but that different situations (i.e., combinations of factors) might require the adoption of diverse project management practices. The primary contribution of this research stems from adding to the project management body of knowledge the understanding of how a combination of factors can assist construction engineers and project managers to plan and implement successful construction projects in DCs.

Methods of Effective Value-oriented Management of Construction Projects: A new Approach

“…This approach also ensures better coordination of work between project participants and helps to achieve more accurate results within the established deadlines and budget. Amoah et al (2021) determined that project content management plays an important role in project success. It allows taking into account the interests of all stakeholders and maximizing their satisfaction with the project results.…”

Success of the tender stage of Ghanaian public labor-based construction projects

“…As a result, project performance (Damoah and Akwei, 2017) is impacted by the state of public administration systems (Asunka, 2016). Project management structure, timely release of funds, effective monitoring, support of management, the competence of the project team, proper planning, the commitment of the team, communication and environmental, health and safety constitute project management factors that have a significant impact on construction projects' success (Arafat and Skaik, 2016;Alsulamy et al, 2014;Barajei et al, 2023;Damoah et al, 2019;Amoah et al, 2021;Asiedu and Adaku, 2019). Thus, it is anticipated that these elements will affect the success of public construction projects.…”

“…External factors are variables that project management teams cannot control but directly affect projects' success(Gudien_ e et al, 2013). According to studies(Akomah and Jackson, 2016;Damoah et al, 2019;Amoah et al, 2021;Osei-Tutu et al, 2010;Belassi and Tukel, 1996;Damoah and Kumi, 2018;Barajei et al, 2023), a variety of factors, including stable economic conditions, minimized corruption, availability of materials, minimized political interference, stable government, availability of equipment, good weather, availability of labor and cultural/social factors are the external factors that impact the success of construction projects. These factors, according toBelassi and Tukel (1996), are extremely potent and may cause projects to be canceled or abandoned.…”

The Conditional Configuration Path for Private Enterprises Participating in PPP: A Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis

“…Then, we determined which combinations of factors result in PEP3P. For this type of research question, QCA is the preferred strategy [57,58]. QCA is a hybrid method that incorporates the benefits of both qualitative (case-based research) and quantitative analysis (variable-oriented research).…”