Abstract
M.Comm. (Business Management)
Project failures worldwide are still significantly high, despite the availability of project
management frameworks, standards, techniques and methodologies.
A project’s success is, in part, contingent on effectively managing the constraints of
time, costs and performance, and in order to achieve this, it is essential for the
project manager to possess and display appropriate competencies.
The problem addressed in this study is to gain understanding of the project
management competencies needed for the successful implementation of South
African Built Environment industry projects.
South Africa is faced with the challenge of reducing the huge backlog of
infrastructure delivery. Given the delivery prioritisation by the government, the
construction industry is the preferred vehicle of delivery. However, the industry lacks
the requisite project management expertise and experience to make good on this
objective. This study investigates the project management competencies required to
improve the performance of the industry in delivering the much-needed infrastructure.
The study also identifies those competencies that are instrumental to the effective
implementation of project management techniques and examines the contributory
issues of project management leadership and project success.
Given the aforementioned, a survey was conducted among members of Project
Management South Africa (PMSA). The data were collected using a structured
questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics.
Overall, respondents agreed that project management requires much more than just
knowing how to manage the constraints of time, costs and performance. Of particular
note, respondents indicated that, in addition to the more commonly emphasised
project administration expertise (i.e. setting and managing scope, timelines and
budgets), a project manager must be competent in structuring the project task and
clarifying scope, communicating effectively, developing the project objectives,
showing reliability and planning the project economy.
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This study contributes to research and practice in two ways. Firstly, we identify and
report on core project management competencies. The identified competencies also
contribute to the available literature. Secondly, the study proposes a framework that
would provide an organisation with a system for recruitment, measuring performance,
identifying training and development needs of individual employees and rewarding
effective performance for superior performers.
The study is significant because by gaining a greater understanding of what key
competencies are needed to effectively manage a Built Environment industry project,
more effective education and training methods, as well as procedures, can be
developed to facilitate the instruction of the defined key competencies and improve
the effectiveness of future project managers in the South African Built Environment
industry. It furthermore adds to the existing body of project management competency
research.