PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

An inclusive development has a long history of contribution of infrastructure that provide the basis for smooth economic activities. This is the motivation for goal 11 of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Thus, it becomes inevitable for such projects to be implemented using the best practices to achieve the intended objective. This study was undertaken to analyse the influence of project management practices on the implementation of public building projects in Ondo State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive research design and was conducted among project staff of the Ondo State Ministry of Works, employees of the contractors, and the consultants hired by the Government. They accounted for 2500, 20 and 100 respectively, which summed up to 2620. A sample of 350 respondents, which comprises the proportions of the identified stakeholders served as sources of primary data which was through questionnaire administration. The highest ranked strategic planning practices were: determination and allocation of resources (4.374), involvement of all the stakeholders (4.354), and using plan as reference for project implementation (4.351). Important monitoring and evaluation practices as found in the study included: provision of feedbacks to beneficiaries (4.430), evaluation of achievement or outcomes by comparing indicators before and after intervention (s) (4.326), and catalyzing commitment to taking corrective actions where necessary during project implementation (4.326). The dominant technological practices include ensuring that project is within budget (4.415), using cost management function on software to keep project within budget (4.328) and using software for project monitoring and control (4.307) at different stage. Furthermore, the use of technology made the most significant positive contribution to the implementation of the project (β = 0.504, p< .05), followed by strategic planning (β = 0.272, p < .05) and monitoring and evaluation (β = 0.124, p < .05) respectively. Conclusively, the study established that the model showing the dependency relationship among the developmental project implementation and project management practices (F (3, 338) = 178.18; p (.000) < .001) is statistically significant in predicting how strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation and technology affect the implementation of development projects in the study area. The study suggested that project stakeholders should put appropriate modalities in place to promote the identified strategic planning, monitoring, evaluation and technological practices to improve the implementation of project to deliver the intended values to beneficiaries as and when due.