Abstract:
Low volume roads are defined as those roads carrying up to about 300 vehicles per day and Less
than about 1 million equivalent standard axles. It is believed that meaningful low volume rural
road project success in Bench-Maji Zone requires careful study of the projects planning and
scheduling before the project will be undertaken or implemented. The objective of this study was
assessing the effectiveness of planning and scheduling in low volume project construction in case
of Bench-Maji zone in focus. The study was conducted to examine the problems of planning and
scheduling in low volume road project construction and also their challenges. Descriptive
research designs techniques were used for tabulations and executing the study. The targeted
groups of the study were consultants, contractors and the clients who were related to the
process, function and decision making of scheduling and planning at the project construction of
Bench-Maji zone in low volume road work. And consisting of 19 respondents were participated.
Accordingly, the study technique was purposive sampling. And Primary data was collected using
questionnaires and interview as well as observation. And this research study was focused on the
effectiveness of planning and scheduling of low volume road project construction without
including advanced mechanism of planning and scheduling that was not deserved right now at
this moment. Furthermore the implication of this study was at the limit of studying on the
planning and scheduling of low volume rural road construction projects in Bench-Maji Zone.
Here the five likert scale strongly disagreed (1), disagreed (2) neutral (3), agreed (4) and
strongly agreed (5) were employed in this research study. In this study calculation of the Relative
Importance Index (RII), formula was used.
Finally the findings of this research were using old planning and scheduling tools and
techniques like GANT CHART were used, extension of network and poor communication
between the planner and other parties are under the first objective, lack of effective managing
and controlling system, poor supervision and poor professional management are the high
ranking causes of delay due to poor planning and scheduling. Furthermore, mostly updated tools
and technique in planning and scheduling are Program Evaluation and Review Technique
(PERT), 4D CAD Visualization Techniques and Common Point 4D
