Influence of management strategies on project success, the case of projects undertaken by construction companies in Mombasa county, Kenya

Abstract

Kenya has seen a significant rise in infrastructure developments in the recent past, especially in the fields of real estate development with several construction projects having failed to achieve project success. This is due to increase in risk, complexity and uncertainty. The general purpose of the study was to establish the influence of management strategies on success of projects undertaken by construction companies in Mombasa, Kenya. The research objectives included; to determine the extent to which top management support influences success of, to establish the extent to which the training of employees influences the success of construction projects Mombasa County, Kenya and to establish the extent to which project risk planning influences the success of construction projects in Mombasa County, Kenya. To achieve the objectives, descriptive survey design was adopted. This research design involves gathering data that describes events and then organizes, tabulates, depicts, and describes the data. The population of the study included the employees of Bamusa construction Ltd. The primary data for this study was collected using both closed and open ended structured questionnaires. The data was summarized, coded and tabulated. Descriptive statistics like means, standard deviation and frequency distribution was used to analyze the data. Data presentation was done by frequency tables for ease of understanding and interpretations. Inferential statistics such as correlation analysis were used to determine the relationship between management strategies and project success in the construction industry. The study established level of top management support including holding of regular meetings, support in risk identification and involvement in solving conflicts and mediating between groups were the greatest roles of the top level management. It also established that 40% of project officials understand the project requirements to a very little extent. Therefore training of the employees is very important for project success. A majority of the employees reported that lack of planning affects project success. The study recommends that a project risk manager should be appointed for the construction projects and that training programs be put in place for both new and existing employees.