IMPACT OF STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT PRACTICE ON CONSTRUCTION PROJECT DELIVERY IN OSUN STATE

Abstract

Projects have always required planning, management and control to deliver the desired outcome, but satisfying the requirements of key stakeholders involved in the project has been central to achieving a successful outcome. This research work examined the management of relationship among stakeholders and evaluated its significant effect on project delivery in Osun State. The specific objectives of this studyareto;assessthelevelofstakeholdermanagementpracticeinOsunState;assess the strategies for managing stakeholders for successful construction projects in Osun State; evaluate the challenges of stakeholder management practice in construction project delivery; and assess the effect of stakeholder management practice on construction project delivery. For this study, the data collection instruments were questionnaires and interview, and the sample size for the research was 156 construction professionals (i.e. Project Managers, Architects, Engineers, Quantity Surveyors and Builders). A reliability test was carried out on the questionnaire using Cronbach’s alpha test and the result ranges from 0.786 to 0.882. Mean Item Score (MIS)wasusedtoassessthelevelofstakeholdermanagementpractice,toevaluatethe challenges of stakeholder management practice and the possible ways of overcoming the challenges. Importance Index (II) was used to assess the strategies for managing stakeholders, and to assess the effects of stakeholder management practice on project delivery. Based on the findings of this study, identification of a clear mission for the project / project objectives was considered the highest activity of stakeholder management. Early introduction of stakeholders was considered the most important strategy. Financial constraint on the project was the most significant challenge of stakeholder management in the construction industry in Osun State, while adequate communication was identified as the most significant way of overcoming the challenges. The findings of this research also showed that effective team communication is very high whenever there is stakeholder management practice in project execution.