Abstract
There are many project management methodologies that are applied to manage various projects. They include the traditional, agile and hybrid project management approaches. However, project success has consistently been elusive in project management. This is despite relentless efforts by organizations, both small and large to consider and adopting innovative ways to improve project performance. The reality is, aberrations still continue, and have negative impact on organisations’ profitability and sustainability. Turnaround maintenance projects are not an exception to this phenomenon.
Consequently, there is a need to explore how aberrations could be avoided in projects especially the TAMprojects which have a huge impact on service delivery. In this study the researcher argues that a gap exists in literature on effective management of projects. The researcher argues that it is not adequate to only apply PM Methodologies in managing projects, but that consideration of project constraints is crucial. For this reason, the researcher applied the Theory of Constraints as a lens to understand TAM project management in a utility company like as a way of minimizing aberrations.
The study employed a mixed method to gather and analyse data in achieving the predefined objectives of this research study. For qualitative test method, the existing TAM project reports were reviewed. For the quantitative test method, online survey was conducted using a questionnaire which comprised of three sections with a total of 33 closed questions. Of the thirty-three (33) questions, twenty-nine (29) used a five-point Likert scale ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”. 150 questionnaires were disseminated to TAMproject practitioners and 100 responses were received.
The study was conducted in a national power utility company Eskom, which supplies approximately 90% of electricity to the republic of South Africa and the focus was on the existing TAM project reports and TAM project practitioners. Data analysis was conducted utilizing two distinct software tools: Atlas.ti 23 for qualitative analysis and SPSS Descriptive Data Analysis tool for quantitative analysis. The choice of software
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was based on the nature of the data and the specific analytical techniques required for each method.
For the qualitative analysis, a thematic data analysis approach was employed. This method involved systematically identifying, analyzing, and interpreting patterns or themes within the data. Atlas.ti 23 windows software was used to assist in organizing and coding qualitative data, allowing for a comprehensive exploration of themes and patterns within the dataset.
On the other hand, the quantitative analysis utilized SPSS Descriptive Data Analysis tool. Before conducting any statistical analysis, the reliability of the data was assessed. This step was crucial in ensuring the accuracy and consistency of the dataset. Once the data reliability was confirmed, descriptive statistical techniques were employed to summarize the data. Specifically, measures such as standard deviation and mean values were calculated for the gathered Likert scale dataset. These descriptive statistics provide valuable insights into the central tendency and variability of the quantitative data.
Findings from the study include lack of constraint management by TAM project teams, introduction of numerous changes during TAM execution, application of rigid step-by-step process which does not have the capability to accommodate the ongoing changes and lack of provision for unknown elements when the equipment gets opened. Additionally, the amount of rework introduced suggested poor workmanship this is informed by the low levels of experience in TAM teams.
The TAM project management framework developed in this study was developed with insight from literature and empirical data using the constraint theory. However, generalisation of the model maybe limited because data was collected from one utility organisation. Notwithstanding this limitation, the organisation in which the studies were conducted is largest power utility company in South Africa with footprint in all parts of the country. The methods used in the study also give confidence in the output.
KEY WORDS: Project Management, Turnaround Maintenance, TAM, Aberrations