Assessment of Project Management practice in Repi Waste-to-Energy Plant Construction Project

Abstract

The main objective of this research was to assess the application of project management practices based on PMBOK in Repi Waste to energy plant construction project. The study used both primary and secondary data. A self-administered close-ended questionnaire was used to gather data from 40 respondents. Purposive sampling technique was employed in selecting the samples. Furthermore, published and unpublished progress reports, contract documents, letters exchanged between parties involved in the project, financial reports, minutes of meetings have been used as secondary data. A descriptive research method with a combination of quantitative and qualitative designs approach was used to assess project management practices. The results of the study indicated lack of effective application of project management knowledge areas. Further, the project had faced both internal and external challenges. The extended delay in time, defects in quality, failure in power generate capacity, and over budget were results of poor project management practices that cause the increase of project cost by more than 27 million dollars despite in decrease of 50 percent power generating capacity to 25 MW and delay for more than two years. The project management team was inattentive to overcome the internal and external challenges of the project by setting specific direction in order to clarify the scope of the project and making plans to take into account what is likely to happen in advance related to time, cost, and quality management. Because it does not meet the performance requirement, cost, time, or scope targets, Repi Waste to Energy plant project is an example of a failure due to poor project management practices. The study asserts that lack of effective application of project management knowledge areas proved to be the cause of failure to the project. The findings show that the performance of project management practices in similar projects can improve by utilizing modern project management technologies and by providing sustainable training for project team to develop knowledge driven decision skills. Conducting further study in similar government projects would be recommended to propose a modified and transformative approach in project implementation mechanisms and practicalities of knowledge areas based on results or effects to satisfy the needs of the nation.