ASSESSMENT OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN EKITI STATE ELECTRICITY BOARD, ADO EKITI, EKITI STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The public sector like every other sectors face similar challenges in project delivery, mainly as a result of lack of effective project management practices in the implementation of public sector projects. Therefore, this study assessed project management practices in Ekiti State Electricity Board, Ado Ekiti. The study examined the extent of project management tools and techniques in use in the organization and evaluated the effect of project management practices on project delivery in Ekiti State Electricity Board. The study used survey questionnaire to collect primary data from 99 respondents which were stratified into different strata and randomly selected. Descriptive analysis such as frequency distribution and mean ranking were employed to examine the extent of project management practices and of project management tools and techniques used in Ekiti State Electricity Board. Regression analysis was conducted to investigate the effect of project management practices on project delivery in the study area. The findings of the study revealed that there are very high extent of competent personnel engagement (mean value = 4.22), comprehensive planning prior to performance project activities (mean value = 3.78), and utilization of project management software (mean value = 3,71). The result also shows that progress report as a technique of project management is mostly used with highest mean score of (3.81) and cost benefit analysis with mean score of (3.72). The result of the test of hypothesis indicates that project management practices have a significant effect on project delivery. Thus, the study concludes that the high usage of project management practices in Ekiti State Board of Electricity stems largely from the level of awareness and importance placed on each of the practices by the management. Therefore, full integration of project management practices in the process of project execution is recommended to ensure that project execution is done within the framework of standardized project practices. The study also recommended that sensitization programs should be organized at intervals to re-establish the importance of adoption of project management practices by staff and management in the process of project execution.