Best practice project management for the sustainable regeneration of Holy Karbala Province in Iraq

Many Regional Development Projects (Reconstruction Program in the Provinces) in Iraq, especially in Holy Karbala Province, suffer from mismanagement despite being 11 years since the launch of the program, the ready availability of funds from Iraq's oil revenues and the urgent need for infrastructure and essential public services. Reconstruction projects experience a high failure rate due to immature and unprofessional development plans, a lack of properly qualified people and ongoing training, and problematic routine procedures. In recent decades, there has been a boom in management science in developed countries, specifically regarding the application of project management. Sadly, this is not the case in Iraq where project management practices remained unchanged and therefore outdated. A lack of implementation of standard project management methods in the construction industry in Holy Karbala Province has resulted in reconstruction projects that suffer from poor performance, delays, cost overrun, quality failures, disputes and claims. In order to improve this situation, there is the need for in-depth research of the project management environment to establish a foundation for the design of a new framework for the development of best practice in this area. In consequence, this study aimed to examine current organizational structures and processes and to carry out an analysis of the key issues and causal relationships in Regional Development Project Management in Holy Karbala Province. The factors affecting the outcomes of projects were identified and assessed from the point of view of the key stakeholders group: residents, clients, consultants and contractors. This research adopted a mixed-method (qualitative and quantitative) approach, making use of questionnaires and interviews designed to examine the main aims of this study. The research started with qualitative interviews whereby thirty managers were interviewed to evaluate organisational structure and process, key problems and obstacles that they faced. This was followed by the distribution of quantitative questionnaires to a representative sample of 541 citizens, 126 employees (consultants and clients) and 78 contractors, to identify the main issues affecting project management practice and project outcome in Holy Karbala Province. Finally, focus-group interviews (qualitative approach) were carried out with 50 experts to assess the negative impact of 61 key factors affecting the timing, cost and quality of projects in Karbala. Several types of internal and external secondary data were also collected and included. Statistical analysis was conducted using Microsoft Excel and Social Science Software Package (SPSS). Descriptions are used for frequencies, means, relative importance and other statistical calculations, presented in tables and graphs. The results have revealed that political change, unqualified project leaders, financial and administrative corruption, regulatory changes, inappropriate organisational structure, lack of government legislation, lack of motivation and encouragement, and slow decision-making make the greatest negative impact on projects in Karbala. There is no significant difference in any of the participant groups' perceptions of these factors and their consequent negative impact on the work carried out. Following on from this, a conceptual framework for best practice project management for the sustainable regeneration of Holy Karbala Province in Iraq was proposed. It has adopted several strategies, based on the results from the research, which address the roots of problems identified including a lack of legislation, the limited capabilities of leaders, project teams and contractors, and organizational weaknesses.