Abstract
Infrastructural projects presents opportunities of economic growth and social development. These type of projects are normally undertaken by governments and include projects like building major roads, dams, power stations, railway lines, ports and airports. These projects, when completed supports varied economic activities including much needed employment creation. The life cycle of infrastructural projects is characterized by the involvement of various stakeholders who participate at different stages of the project. Projects of this magnitude are associated with diverse risks that include under management, under-financing, cost-overruns, delays, failed procurement, poor scheduling, inadequate designs, human risks, organizational risks and technological risks. The purpose of this research paper is to assess risks that were faced by Company A that is involved with power generation infrastructural projects. In this paper we report on the findings of risks that impacted negatively on the timeously delivery of an infrastructural project.
This paper focusses on assessing risks that are found in infrastructural projects. A case study was carried out on Company A. The case study involved a survey, were 35 valid responses were received and six senior project managers were interviewed.
The research found that planning, execution and delivery of infrastructural projects is very complex. Some of the risks that were noticed in Company A were poor designs, lack of skilled manpower and poorly defined roles between contractors and operators. Undercapitalization was found to be the major risk. To enhance the successful offering of projects companies must have a proactive approach.
This paper builds up on the body of knowledge of risks found in infrastructural projects. To project practitioners the paper highlights the importance of project budgeting, scope creep, and soft issues on human factors such as cohesion among team members.