Influence of Project Planning Practices on Performance of Kerra Road Construction Projects in Meru County, Kenya

Abstract

The success of road construction projects is essential to the expansion and development of any economy. In terms of generating cash and jobs, road construction projects are significant for the economy. The goal of the study was to evaluate how project planning procedures affected the effectiveness of road construction projects in Meru County. The study's goals were to determine the effects of project communication planning on the performance of road construction projects in Meru County, to establish the effects of schedule planning on the performance of road construction projects in Meru County, and to determine the effects of project scope planning on the performance of road construction projects. The resource-based perspective theory, the theory of limits, and the communication accommodation theory served as the study's guiding principles. The study employed descriptive research design and target 203 road construction officials in Meru County. A sample1size of 133 respondents was used through proportionate simple random sampling. The tools of data collection for this study were a questionnaire and interview schedule where primary data was collected. The researcher1 conducted a pilot1study to test for validity1and reliability of the research instruments. Descriptive statistics and inferential analysis were used in the analysis with the help of the statistical1package for social1sciences (SPSS). The the1package generated both descriptive1and inferential1statistics. The study may be of significance to the policy makers including the Ministry of transport, Kenya1National Highways1Authority and Kenya Urban1Roads Authority and the county government of Meru. The study may also be of importance1to the road construction projects contractors as it reveals how project planning practices of resource, schedule, communication and scope planning influence road construction projects performance. The study may as well be of1importance to scholars and academicians. The study found that there is a significant effect of project resource, schedule, communication and scope planning on the1performance of KeRRA road construction1projects in Meru County. The contractors create a cost-management strategy in each project, which explains how cost variances are handled for the project to succeed. The activities in the projects are arranged in order of what needs to be undertaken first for a smooth project undertaking and the specific activities are all defined. Project communication helps in keeping up a shared understanding of what is happening and thus effective communication is crucial in project success. The project scope helps identification of the project’s boundaries and tasks allocations where roles and responsibilities of the project teams are identified and listed. The scope planning enables project managers to assign resources so that the project. Materials management should be a priority for successful road construction project planning to ensure that projects are completed on time and on budget. The study recommends that time schedules be created using the previously generated work breakdown structure. The most convenient and effective mode of commination should be matched between the two environments and within each of the environments. The project scope should be utilized to estimate the project's cost, and the work breakdown structure should be linked to the project plan.