scholarly journals Project Management Practices and Performance of Organizations within the Water Sector in Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 74-86
Author(s):  
Beatrice Wambui Muiruri ◽  
Shadrack K Bett
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Project Planning ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Water Sector ◽  
Water Projects ◽  
Company Limited ◽  
And Performance

This project is on project management practices and performance of   water projects of Othaya-Mukurweini Water Services Company Limited. The need to implement successful water projects calls for optimum practices. As a developing country, Kenya is faced with project management challenges. Whilst projects in general have their challenges regarding implementation and consequently success, water projects in particular are plagued by a unique set of problems and challenges. This knowledge will provide important information that can be integrated to project cycle before or towards completion by government, private and non-governmental organizations. Lessons drawn from this study will be utilized by the communities, implementing water projects to address the project performance challenges and plan the better ways of implementing the water projects. The objectives of this study included how planning, stakeholder involvement, monitoring & evaluation affect the performance of Othaya-Mukurweini Water and Sanitation Company Limited. Key theories put into perspective in this study were systems theory, stakeholder theory, agency theory and balance score card theory. The study adopted the descriptive research design to allow the researcher to study phenomena without manipulation of variables. The target population was the clientele and staff of OMWASCO. The findings of this study were generalized to all other water companies in Kenya. The target population was 351 comprising of customers and staff of OMWASCO.This study employed systematic sampling on the beneficiaries of the two projects, whereby 30% of customers and project staff on each project area were interviewed. Primary data was collected using questionnaires. In the course of primary data collection unwilling respondents were encountered especially with revealing information classified as confidential. They were however reassured of utmost confidentiality and relevant authorization documents attached to the questionnaires. Secondary data was obtained from relevant publications and literature review from libraries. Data was tabulated and analyzed for purpose of clarity, using SPSS software. The study concluded that project planning, stakeholders’ involvement and monitoring & evaluation have a positive and significant effect on the performance of water projects of Othaya-Mukurweini Water Services Company Ltd. The study recommends that the organizations within the water sector in Kenya should implement their project planning by first defining the steps involved in project planning so that they can determine what and processes where cost reduction can be done, what can be done to reduce costs. The study recommends that for organizations within the water sector in Kenya to achieve their objectives, they should align the annual goals to their major change initiatives or quality programs and integrate them into the stakeholder involvement. The study further recommends that organizations within the water sector in Kenya should identify monitoring & evaluation ways that can help enhance performance of organizations within the water sector in Kenya. 

scholarly journals Water Sector Reforms, Commercialization and Financial Sustainability of Public Water Utilities in Kenya: The Case of Homa Bay Water and Sewerage Company Limited

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 179
Author(s):  
Agwa Maryline Akinyi ◽  
Paul A. Odundo
Keyword(s):  
Financial Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Relative Weight ◽  
Internal Audit ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
P Value ◽  
Financial Sustainability ◽  
Water Sector ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Company Limited

Reforms in the Kenyan water sector entrenched the aspect of commercialization, which subjected water services to market forces and necessitated establishment of autonomous public utilities, such as Homa Bay Water and Sewerage Company Limited, to improve cost recovery, efficiency and sustainability. This study focused on how commercialization, as an aspect of the reforms, influenced the utility’s financial sustainability. A cross-sectional design, with mixed methods approach, guided the study. Primary data were sourced in mid 2017, from water officers, water users and water committee members. Quantitative techniques included cross-tabulation with Chi square statistic, Relative Importance Index and Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance. The results show that compliance of procurement activities to relevant legislations was the most important aspect influencing the utility’s financial sustainability (relative weight = 0.838); followed by effectiveness of internal audit in enforcing expenditure policies (relative weight = 0.825); and relevance of activities on which water revenues were spent (relative weight = 0.812). The analysis obtained a strong and significant concordance of respondents’ views regarding relationship between financial management practices and the utility’s financial sustainability (Kendall’s W= 0.862, x2= 64.491, df = 4 & p-value = 0.000). Consequently, ensuring that procurement activities are strictly guided by procurement laws is important for preventing irregularities and minimizing loss of financial resources; while strengthening capacity of the internal audit department and enhancing its independence, are crucial antecedents for the utility’s financial sustainability.

CRITICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING IMPLEMENTATION OF ROAD PROJECTS IN KENYA

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Nelly Jebitok ◽  
DR. Joyce Nzulwa
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Coefficient Of Determination ◽  
Critical Factors ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Water Projects ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
The Government ◽  
Resource Support

Purpose: The Purpose of the study was to establish Critical factors influencing implementation of road projects.Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The target population of the study was all the road engineers, middle managers in department of KRB. The sample size was 188 respondents. Data collected was cleaned, pretested, validated, and coded, summarized and analyzed using statistical package of SPSS V23.  The study findings were presented using graphs, histograms, bar charts and pie charts.  Conclusions were derived based on the P.value and the coefficient of determination.  Results: The study found that the key significant determinants of sustainability of water projects in Machakos County were capacity of the project management, government policies, monitoring and resource support. The study concluded that project management capacity had the greatest determinant ofsustainabilityofwater projects in Machakos County, followed by resource support, then monitoring while government policy had the least determinant of sustainability of water projects in Machakos County.Contribution to policy and practice: The study recommends that the government should advocate for proper planning with involvement of the benefiting community and timely implementation with the required results. This can be done through making of a policy by the ministry demanding for the practice of the same by the involved organizations. The project committee should set up financial structures considering both rising of funds and dissemination of the same in relation to operating and maintaining of the project. This can be done through learning and training on the same. The study also recommended that water beneficiaries and management should be sensitized to improve their knowledge on conservation and protection of water facilities.

scholarly journals The use of adaptive project management practices and methodologies in the development of a professional doctoral program

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-62
Author(s):  
Gabriel Barroso De Azevedo ◽  
Emerson Antônio Maccari ◽  
Nader Asgary
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Doctoral Program ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Management Model ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Management Tools

Purpose – Higher education institutions have used more and more project management tools to run development projects to create new professional postgraduate programs. The purpose of this research was to propose an adaptive project management model for creating a professional doctoral course in Business Administration, in order to fulfill the goals established by CAPES.Design/methodology/approach – For such, the qualitative approach was favored with the adoption of the single case study method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with academic coordinators who are experts in the field in addition to the gathering of documents, thus using data triangulation to explore the phenomenon. The analysis of primary data and the analysis of documents from the Coordinating Agency for Advanced Training of Graduate Personnel (CAPES) served as inputs for analyzing and interpreting the results.Findings – As a result, we developed an adaptive project management model with the following characteristics: a) constant planning of activities, occurring in every cycle of interactions; b) iteration using short activities, allowing for more control of the project; c) validations performed continuously to ensure the goals proposed by CAPES are reached; and d) adaptable to change of scope during the execution phase of the project life cycle.Research limitations/implications – Among the limitations of the study is the lack of other studies related to the use of adaptive project management methodologies for developing postgraduate programs. And for future researches, we point out the need for applying the proposed model, to verify its efficacy and adherence to the development of a professional doctoral course.Originality/value – This study contributes to the academy by highlighting the need for project management as a tool and technique for the development of stricto sensu professional graduate programs. In this way, HEIs will be able to use a model of adaptive project management practices to achieve the objectives proposed by the CAPES evaluation process. As a result, HEIs are strengthened in the management, control and monitoring of the progress of their programs.

scholarly journals A Study of Talent Management Practices and Strategies in the Service Sector

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 21-29
Author(s):  
Shweta Bobhate
Keyword(s):  
Service Sector ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Systematic Approach ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Talent Management ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Unexplored Area ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
And Performance

Talent management is a mechanism which involves hiring, assigning, transferring, growth and retaining of employees in the organisation. It is important because it ensures top talent is attracted and effective employee performance, employee’s engagement and retainment of top talent. A thorough review of the work carried out shows that businesses are experiencing a talent shortage in this competitive period, which has placed pressure on them to recruit the best talent and to ensure that workers enter the company and choose to remain in the organization rather than seeking opportunities elsewhere. The importance of the different components of talent management for employees was another unexplored area. Existing research has not been able to resolve the problem of defining the importance of the different talent management elements and the weighting they bear for employees. The problem of employee perception and management perception of the efficacy of talent management activities has also not been discussed, to address this gap the researcher has attempted to study talent management practices in service sector. The author followed a systematic approach to address the research questions, the literature was reviewed, in research methodology, primary data was collected through questionnaire which followed a sampling method accompanied by hypothesis testing which revealed that the effective practices boosts up the efficiency of the employees and performance of the organization too.

scholarly journals Small And Medium Enterprises Training For Survival In A Competitive World

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 181
Author(s):  
Ndiritu Caroline ◽  
Ndiritu Anne ◽  
Kidombo Harriet
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Youth Group ◽  
Youth Groups ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
The Relationship

This study explored the influence of Total Quality Management practices on performance of Small and Medium Enterprises. Youth Projects in Kajiado County, Kenya were used as the target population. One of the key TQM management practices is training of employees. The study sort to determine the influence of training of employees on performance on SMEs. The study was carried out on 168 youth group projects in Kajiado County.Questionnaires and interviews were used as research instruments. For triangulation purpose, the interview schedule was used to confirm the information captured by the questionnaire. Data was collected from both primary and secondary sources. The study used mixed method approach in the collection and analysis, to capture both the qualitative and quantitative data.Spearman’s correlation was used to test the relationship between training and performance of SMEs. The analyses indicated a moderately positive relationship between training and performance of SMEs in Kajiado county which was statistically significant rs=0.400, p=0.600.Based on the findings and conclusions of the study, it is recommended that to improve the performance of the youth groups, they should strive to ensure their product in the market is superior. This can only be ensured by equipping their employees with proper skills, knowledge and values through training.

scholarly journals Managing a Mature Coastal Tourism Destination: The Case of Pattaya, Thailand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Chootima Longjit
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Tourism Destination ◽  
Music Festival ◽  
Broad Concept ◽  
Common Goals ◽  
Levels Of Integration

<p>This thesis develops the concept of destination management with a particular focus on the management of a local destination. It concentrates on seeking to understand what constitutes the general concept of destination management, exploring management practices, and clarifying the overall management of the local destination. In the absence of previous literature, a conceptual framework is developed from the bodies of literature in tourism, management, inter-organizational relationships, and integrated coastal management. This framework illustrates aspects, issues, and dimensions that are relevant to destination management and provides a structure for the analysis of destination management in Pattaya, Thailand. Given the exploratory nature of the study, a multi-phase case study is used. A mix of holistic and embedded cases is used to obtain broad and in-depth data relevant to the concept and practice of destination management. Pattaya, as one of the major coastal resorts in Thailand, is selected as the case study as tourism has been developed there for several decades and its diverse problems provide a range of management challenges. Its major tourism attractions - beaches, nightlife, Pattaya Music Festival - are examined as embedded cases. In addition to secondary data, semi-structured interviews and observation are used to collect primary data. The broad concept of destination management is developed first and then used as a basis to examine the nature and extent of destination management in Pattaya. The conceptual framework provides a structure to analyze the individual embedded cases and to compare commonalities and differences between their management processes and structures and their implications for the practice of destination management. The research reveals that there is a relationship between the practitioners' perspectives on a tourism destination and on destination management, and that there is a relationship between their initial perspectives on destination management and their management practices that occur at the destination. Destination management is defined as "the collaboration of relevant agencies responsible for providing multiple tourism products at the destination in a way to achieve common goals or destination goals." The research also highlights that destination management requires the integration of management agencies, of management purposes, and of management activities at the destination scale. In Pattaya, varying levels of integration occur and relevant agencies are commonly involved with managing aspects of tourism rather than the destination as a whole. The embedded cases reveal that two main forms of management occur in Pattaya: daily operations and project management. Daily management is practised by single agencies to achieve individual organizational goals and is evident in most aspects of beach management and the management of dispersed nightlife activities. Project-based management involves the pursuit of project goals and is carried out by committees, for example, Walking Street Committee and the Pattaya Music Festival Committees. A lack of common goals and low levels of integration are factors which lead to an absence of destination management. The formulation of destination goals and a scaled-up project management structure is suggested as one means of fostering destination management.</p>

DETERMINANTS OF SUSTAINABILITY OF WATER PROJECTS AT MACHAKOS COUNTY IN KENYA

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nganga Lillian ◽  
Dr. Josephine Mutiso
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Water Projects ◽  
Management Capacity ◽  
The Government ◽  
Resource Support

Purpose: The study sought to establish the determinants of sustainability of water projects in Machakos County, Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to establish the effect of project management capacity, government policies, resource support and monitoring on sustainability of water projects in Machakos County Kenya. The study was guided by Project Management Competency Model, Policy Theory, Resource Based View Theory and Program Theory.Methodology:The target population comprised of 244 water projects in the county implemented by the county government, national government community and non-governmental organizations. The unit of observation was water project managers. A descriptive research design was adopted in the study. The study applied Yamane sampling formula to derive a sample of 151 respondents to be involved in the study.  The study used quantitative data that was collected from respondents using 5-point Likert scales questionnaire with closed ended questions. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used. The study findings were presented through tables and figures.Results: The study found that the key significant determinants of sustainability of water projects in Machakos County were capacity of the project management, government policies, monitoring and resource support. The study concluded that project management capacity had the greatest determinant of sustainability of water projects in Machakos County, followed by resource support, then monitoring while government policy had the least determinant of sustainability of water projects in Machakos County.Contribution to policy and practice: The study recommends that the government should advocate for proper planning with involvement of the benefiting community and timely implementation with the required results. This can be done through making of a policy by the ministry demanding for the practice of the same by the involved organizations. The project committee should set up financial structures considering both rising of funds and dissemination of the same in relation to operating and maintaining of the project. This can be done through learning and training on the same. The study also recommended that water beneficiaries and management should be sensitized to improve their knowledge on conservation and protection of water facilities from mismanagement and destructions. Community members should be involved in the determination of the water sale rates. County governments and the general management of the water projects in Kenya should ensure that the local community members are trained to do minor repairs.

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