Influence of Project Planning Processes on Construction Project Success in Nigeria

Abstract

The success or failure of any construction project begins from the planning stage. Thus, the aim of this study investigates the influence of 19 project planning processes on construction project success measured by project efficiency and project effectiveness and also identify the most critical planning processes which have the highest influence on construction project success in Nigeria. In this study, a structured questionnaire was developed by using Likert scale and applied on 60 respondents. A total of three organizations in the Federal Capital Territory were surveyed. Construction project success acts as independent variable while project planning processes as dependent one. The method used for the research is quantitative and applied survey instrument for data collection. For data analysis purpose, SPSS is used for descriptive statistics. The results have shown that Creation of Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) or Gantt Chart, Project Schedule Network, Determine Budget and Quality Management Plan have the highest awareness and usage by the selected firms and WBS has been found to be the most significant planning process. Additionally, the correlation between total level of planning and project success rho (60) = -.493 with p=.032, and between total level of planning and the efficiency component of project success rho(60) =- .618 with p=.005, were statistically significant , given ɑ = .05 (two tailed) while the correlation between total level of planning and the effectiveness component of project success was not statistically significant. Overall, an increasing awareness of project planning processes was observed and that has also led to the success of construction projects. The findings of this research therefore signify the necessity of frequent use of some other project planning processes like risk management plan, activity resource requirements in other to see better performance of construction projects. Continuous development seminars and trainings in project management should also be organized for all professionals in the sector both in private and government organizations.

Keywords: project planning processes, project success, construction projects.

DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-9-05

Publication date:March 31^st 2020