Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management

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Exploration and analysis of scope creep within project processes in the South African building industry
(2014-02-17) Wiggins, Vincent John
Project delays and cost overruns are an inherent part of the building industry both globally and in South Africa. This paper is predicated on the principles of the iron triangle in project management. The study assumes that an increase or change in scope, in most cases, is largely to blame for the incumbent time delays and cost overruns. These slippages in both time and cost are therefore established on the belief that scope definition is the primary offending constraint. Continued scope creep suggests that there may be an inherent fault within the core business processes prior to the execution phase of the project life cycle. Further analysis is therefore required to explore the fault within business systems. The exploration and analysis of scope creep within the initial phases of the project life cycle, reveals the current methodologies used by project management firms, which are then assessed against model theories to test any discrepancies. A qualitative, exploratory research methodology was adopted to gather the appropriate data to answer the pertinent research questions. The findings of the study suggest that the level of decomposition, during scope definition, may be inadequately vague for the South African building industry and that the introduction of additional change control measures into the process may add further value.
The impact of Contract Administration on project management success in the South African Mining Industry
(2014-01-20) Kolbé, Richard George
South Africa is estimated to have $2.5-trillion worth of mineral resources. The development of the assets to extract these resources is critical for the economic success of the country. Despite the fact that there have been major improvements in the project process, many projects continue to fail. Contracts are a critical tool for project execution as they are the means by which projects utilise resources to achieve their objectives. Limited research has been conducted into the impact of contract administration on project management success and the contract administration actions required to support project management success. This research aims to assist in filling this gap. A structured interview was conducted on a case study, the AngloAmerican Sishen South project. This project aimed to develop a 9 million ton per annum iron ore mine. A cross section of project members was chosen as participants in the interviews. Contract administration does impact the project schedule, project costs and project scope and thus the project management success. In line with literature, effective contract administration needs to incorporate scope management, performance management, document control and dispute resolution to positively impact project management success. In addition to these, the research highlights effective contract kick-off meetings, training of contract administration staff and continuous improvement as contract administration actions that are also needed to positively impact project management success. Project managers should view contract administration as an important project management tool that contributes towards to project management success. The contract administration team should be expected to contribute towards managing the project’s schedule, costs and scope.
The relative importance of Project Management knowledge areas in the South African Construction Industry
(2012-10-08) Spolidoro, Dino
It is generally accepted that the knowledge and practices described by the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is applicable to most projects most of the time, and there is general consensus about their value and worth. Currently the world is experiencing economic instability. The South African government is therefore looking to improve growth for the country. One of the leading ways to improve growth for South Africa is through large scale investment in infrastructural development. The performance of the South African construction industry on carrying out these complex infrastructure projects will have a direct impact on the outcome of this growth strategy. This research report embarked to determine the relative importance of the nine knowledge areas described by the PMBOK to the South African Construction Industry. The research has been primarily quantitative in nature, using both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques with data gathered from a questionnaire. The key findings of the research reveal that the knowledge areas of cost, time and quality were regarded as relatively most important, with project communication being the knowledge area of least relative importance. It is recommended that a shift in attention is directed away from the narrow focus of these three knowledge areas and a more holistic approach to project management is taken, with particular attention to communication as technology continues to play a more dominant role in the modern work enviroment
Significance of Project Identification and Formulation to Sustainable Capacity Development Interventions
(2011-11-22) Boelen, Martijn G.J.
Capacity Development interventions can lack effectiveness if the intervention is not aligned with the abilities of the receiving organisation. Triggered by the personal experiences of the researcher, this research paper explores which issues must be dealt with in the identification and formulation phase of a Capacity Development project. The purpose of this study is to come up with an overview of these issues to assist all practitioners in this field to formulate potentially effective and sustainable project plans. From the literature review it was concluded that the issues can be grouped in three categories: the vision of the receiving organisation and issues internal and external to this organisation. It appeared that particularly the learning culture and the abilities of management to change the organisation and lead the staff are very important issues that must be properly sorted out before the project can start. From the field research it appeared that weaknesses in the receiving organisation with regards to the issues that came out of the literature review had indeed a negative effect on the results of the researched project. One of the most important conclusions of the research is that the identification and formulation phase should not be underestimated and that the success of the project depends largely on a proper and thorough approach in this stage. The most attention must be paid to all circumstances surrounding the actual technical capacity that will be developed. Main recommendation for the target group of this research is therefore to take enough time to gather information in this phase and adapt the project to the abilities of the receiving organisation which should become clear as a result of this information. It might even be necessary to have a project to strengthen these abilities preceding the actual Capacity Development intervention
A FRAMEWORK FOR GOVERNANCE IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA
(2011-11-03) Maharaj, Kiren
In the context of predicted positive economic growth in South for the next three years, the economic landscape will be characterised by a growth in investment in South Africa. Some of the investment will be underpinned by the infrastructure developments by state owned enterprises such as Eskom and Transnet. These infrastructure investments will comprise the recommissioning and construction of new power plants and investments in harbours and rail infrastructure and will be executed through projects. To access the funding required for these projects South African entities may find themselves competing for investor funding. Investor confidence will be an important criterion to access funding and credible corporate governance arrangements based on internationally accepted principles will improve access to global capital markets. Organisations will have to provide assurance that project activities are carried out on the basis of good governance so that the outcomes of projects contribute to sustainable performance and ultimately economic growth. This report examines the key governance principles that should be incorporated into the project lifecycle based on examining key literature sources in the areas of governance and project management. The outcome of this report is a framework which South African corporations can utilise to determine the governance structure and governance practices that apply to a project environment within the context of broader corporate governance
Purchase Decision Criteria for
(2011-06-08) Rein, Neil
The research was undertaken to determine the critical success factors in the marketing of industrial projects by assessing the rating of these factors by project purchasers and project suppliers in South Africa. Potential critical success factors were identified from literature from the fields of business to business marketing, organisational purchasing, marketing and purchasing of professional services, relationship marketing and project marketing itself. A questionnaire was compiled to assess the rating of the factors by both project purchasers and project suppliers. Responses were received from 38 individuals representing project purchasing companies and 34 individuals representing project supplying companies. Responses to the questionnaires were analysed and compared using a distribution fitting algorithm approach. Twelve of the 15 factors identified from the literature were found to be significantly important critical success factors and a generic project marketing mix consisting of the following factors was proposed: · Product and solution offering · Price · Physical evidence · People · Processes · Productivity and time - related issues · Reputation · Relationships · Previous experience · References and referrals · General capacity · Quality - iii - - Some differences were found in the rating of constructs underlying these factors by project purchasers compared to project suppliers in South Africa
PROJECT MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
(2011-06-06) NXUMALO, CONSTANCE GLERAH
The aspirations of millions of South Africans for a “better life” will remain a dream if government’s intent, contained in a myriad of policies developed since 1994, is not translated into tangible employment and socio-economic development. For years to come, South Africa will continue to operate on the basis of the principles of a welfarist state as well as those of a market economy. Inevitably, cries will go up that government is not delivering on its promises. It is against this backdrop that the policy formulation process will be reviewed with a view to recommending a project management approach as a means of fast-tracking delivery. The study is conducted within the context of a transforming South Africa whose fledgling democracy still needs considerable nurturing. Many challenges are faced by government in terms of policy delivery and nation building. The grave shortage of skills in areas such as project management and management generally to some extent offsets the gains made in the democratisation process. The public service is faced with the challenge of concretising the vision contained in the various policies that seek to ensure “a better life for all”. Since a public organisation’s brief is to add value for the public through strategies and programmes, the various tools and techniques offered by project management will be discussed in a public and development management context. Attention will also be given to the linkages between programme and project management. This research report comprises a theoretical assessment relating to project management, implementation approaches, and programme and project management. Selected theoretical frameworks will be applied to the case of the Mpumalanga Department of Social Services, Population and Development (DSSPD). Finally, key findings and recommendations will be presented
Project leadership challenges in World Vision Lesotho
(2011-05-19) Monethi, Manthethe Moipone
World Vision International (WVI) is an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) that facilitates community development initiatives worldwide. The Lesotho contingent of WVI, World Visio Lesotho (WVLSO) aims to build the capacity of and to empower communities in lesotho through development projects. leadership challenges often hamper these community development initiatives of WVLSO. Community development initiatives are usually a multi-stakeholder responsibility. This makes development projects complex. Both project implementers and beneficiaries i.e. the people, are important. Ultimately, leadership is about people, and hence the importance of leadership in the project environment. The success or failure of development projects depends on leadership. This study investigates leadership challenges that prevent World Vision Lesotho from achieving the gol of empowering the community to own and benefit from development projects in a sustained way.
MANAGING PROJECTS IN A VIRTUAL ORGANISATION
(2011-05-17) Mills, Shaun
Owing to the constraints on traditional organisations, such as limited infrastructure and resources, companies are forming alliances and joint ventures in order to execute large, “fast track” projects, which they would not have been able to execute by themselves. These projects, which are managed as global virtual organisations, bring with them problems that are not found in the traditional project management organisation. The objective of this project was to perform a literature review to identify what problems are encountered by project management in these virtual organisations. A proposition was formulated containing the problematic factors identified. This proposition was than tested in a case study, involving qualitative analysis of interviews conducted, observation, and review of project documentation of an engineering organisation in South Africa that has managed projects on this basis. Analysis of the results confirmed the proposition that the problematic factors of communication, culture, language, technology, organisation structure, commitment, trust and planning manifest themselves during the execution of projects managed as virtual organisations. These results provided a basis for the development of a framework for management to use during the establishment of projects that are to be executed as virtual organisations. This framework can be used in order to reduce the risk of the problematic factors manifesting themselves
Perceptions of Project Success
(2011-05-17) Meyer, Geoffrey Lawrence
This study attempts to investigate some of the difficulties in achieving success in mining projects by exploring success criteria of projects and the role of project managers in mining projects. Anglo Platinum was used as a case study for this research. A structured interviewing method was used to answer three research questions. A cross section of project role players within the company was interviewed; these were: executives/sponsors, project managers, project users and project support. The key findings are: · Success criteria for mining projects in Anglo Platinum are: o Meeting project specifications, project completed within budget, project completed on schedule (time) and owners’ needs satisfied, project completed safely · The most critical success criterion for mining projects in Anglo Platinum is meeting the owners’ needs · The respondents were divided on the question of whether project managers are responsible for project management success or project success The success criteria and critical success criteria for projects in Anglo Platinum is in line with what is suggested in literature but like Anglo Platinum, literature is divided on whether project managers should deliver project management success or the project business case. It is believed that the lack of uniform understanding is partly responsible for sub-optimal project performance

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