Evaluating the adoption of project management tools and techniques in private construction companies in Nigeria

Sidney, E E (2019) Evaluating the adoption of project management tools and techniques in private construction companies in Nigeria. PhD thesis, University of Bedfordshire, UK.

Abstract

This research investigates the factors that influence the adoption of Project Management Tools and Techniques (PMTT) in the Nigerian private construction industry. To date, the private construction industry in Nigeria has experienced delays in project delivery, budget overrun, low quality, and project failures in most of its projects as a result of inadequate use of project management tools and techniques. These issues have been a major concern to the stakeholders and clients, considering the huge investments made in the construction projects and the impact they make on the growth of the economy. Several authors have focused on project management practice in public construction organisations with less focus on private construction companies. This research, therefore, seeks to address this gap by deploying the Nigerian private construction industry’s perspective to investigate the factors influencing PMTT practice. This research was conducted using qualitative research methods and data were collected through structured interviews. This research adopted the generic purposive sampling strategy because it was best suitable for the context of this research. In order to meet the objectives, set for the research, a pilot study was conducted using a semi-structured interview with eighteen participants in five geopolitical zones of Nigeria, excluding the North-East zone due to security issues, followed by the main study with forty-three participants. Case studies of two companies were further carried out for the purpose of triangulation, validating the data from both the pilot study and the main study. The data collected from the studies were analysed using thematic analysis to identify the different themes and sub-themes in the research. Based on the research findings and institutional theory, a conceptual framework for investigating the factors influencing the adoption of PMTT was developed for private construction companies in Nigeria in order to improve their practice. This conceptual framework presents the theory underpinning this study, key factors influencing the adoption of PMTT and the ‘Needs Factors’. Also, this study’s conceptual framework was validated.

Item Type: Thesis (Doctoral)
Uncontrolled Keywords: failure; security; institutional theory; construction project; investment; project delivery; project management practice; research methods; client; stakeholders; Nigeria; thematic analysis; case studies; interview; qualitative research
Index terms: thematic analysis, qualitative research, budget overrun, construction project, triangulation, conceptual framework, project management practice, interview, construction company, qualitative research method, strategy, public construction, project delivery, project management, construction industry, purposive sampling, case study, project failure, institutional theory, Nigeria
Subjects: project completion, organization, theoretical framing, research methods, Geography, production management, building construction, data collection methods, research design and methodology, financial and cost management, project delivery, management, methods and analysis, project management theory and practice, sociology, industry analysis
Topics: Research Practice, Cost Management, Business Strategy, Procurement, Engineering Principles, Geographical Context, Project Management
Descriptive scope: 5 PCTEA

N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here