The role of project management practices in avoiding time and cost overruns

The construction sector in Pakistan and the UK

Master's Thesis , 2013 , 93 Pages

Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance

Over the past two decades, the Pakistani construction sector is experiencing many problems particularly housing shortages, cost and time overruns, and construction defects due to lack of adequate project management practices. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of project management practices in Pakistan compared to the UK to avoid time and cost overruns of construction projects.

A blend of primary and secondary data collection methods are used to achieve this aim where primary data is collected through survey method. The findings of the paper suggest that Pakistani construction industry is different from the UK in terms of not adequately practicing most of the project management practices. A majority of construction participants agreed that such practices are inherent to avoid the cost/time overruns but some problematic factors are hindering the implementation of those practices in Pakistan.

Some of the critical factors include changes in the scope of the project, lack of knowledge, skills and experience, fear of change, lack of top management commitment, and excessive bureaucracy. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations to Pakistani construction sector explaining how they can adopt modern PM practices undertaken in developed countries particularly in the UK to avoid the cost/time overruns.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Chapter 1: Introduction
  • 1.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE RESEARCH
  • 1.3 RESEARCH PROBLEM AND RATIONALE
  • 1.4 RESEARCH AIM
  • 1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
• Chapter 2: Literature Review
  • 2.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 2.2 OVERVIEW OF UK AND PAKISTANI CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRIES
    • 2.2.1 Construction Industry in Global Context
    • 2.2.2 Construction Industry of Pakistan
    • 2.2.3 Construction Industry of the United Kingdom
  • 2.3 CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT
    • 2.3.1 The Construction Project Lifecycle
    • 2.3.2 The General Construction Process
  • 2.4 CAUSES OF TIME/COST OVERRUNS IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
    • 2.4.1 Pakistani Perspective
    • 2.4.2 UK Perspective
  • 2.5 PROJECT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
    • 2.5.1 Procurement
    • 2.5.2 Partnering
    • 2.5.3 Risk Management
    • 2.5.4 Value Management
    • 2.5.5 Sustainable Construction
    • 2.5.6 Benchmarking
    • 2.5.7 Supply Chain Management
    • 2.5.8 Lean Construction
  • 2.6 BENEFITS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
  • 2.7 FACTORS HINDER THE ADOPTION OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
  • 2.8 SUMMARY
• Chapter 3: Research Methodology
  • 3.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 3.2 METHODOLOGY OF THE RESEARCH
  • 3.3 PHILOSOPHY OF THE RESEARCH
  • 3.4 RESEARCH DESIGN
  • 3.5 RESEARCH APPROACH
    • 3.5.1 Qualitative vs. Quantitative
    • 3.5.2 Deductive vs. Inductive
  • 3.6 RESEARCH METHODS
    • 3.6.1 Methods used for Data Collection
      • 3.6.1.1 Primary Data Collection Method
      • 3.6.1.2 Secondary Data Collection Method
    • 3.6.3 Limitations of the Research Methods
    • 3.6.3 Reliability and Validity of Data
  • 3.7 DATA ANALYSIS
  • 3.8 SAMPLE AND POPULATION OF THE STUDY
    • 3.8.1 Sample Size Determination
  • 3.9 RESOURCES USED
  • 3.10 RESEARCH ETHICS
  • 3.11 RESEARCH LIMITATIONS
  • 3.12 SUMMARY OF THE CHAPTER
• Chapter 4: Results and Analysis
  • 4.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 4.2 DESCRIPTION OF ACQUIRED DATA
  • 4.3 DATA RELIABILITY TEST
  • 4.4 RESPONDENT'S DESIGNATION
  • 4.5 TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
  • 4.6 NUMBER OF PROJECTS TIME/COST OVERRUN
  • 4.7 CAUSES OF TIME/COST OVERRUN PROJECTS
  • 4.8 IMPORTANCE OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
  • 4.9 USE OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
  • 4.10 BENEFITS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
  • 4.11 ADEQUACY OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
  • 4.12 FACTORS AFFECTING THE ADOPTION OF MODERN PROJECT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
  • 4.13 SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS
• Chapter 5: Discussion
  • 5.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 5.2 CAUSES OF TIME AND COST OVERRUNS
  • 5.2 SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PAKISTANI AND UK PM PRACTICES
  • 5.3 FACTORS THAT HINDER THE ADOPTION OF PM PRACTICES
• Chapter 6: Conclusion and Recommendations
  • 6.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 6.2 CONCLUSION
  • 6.3 SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS
  • 6.4 RESEARCH LIMITATIONS
  • 6.5 FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This dissertation investigates the role of project management practices in the construction industry of Pakistan compared to the UK, with a particular focus on mitigating time and cost overruns. The study aims to identify key project management practices that contribute to successful project delivery and to understand the factors that hinder their adoption in both countries. The research also seeks to analyze the causes of time and cost overruns in the construction industry of both countries and to explore the similarities and differences in project management practices between Pakistan and the UK.

• Project management practices in the construction industry of Pakistan and the UK
• Causes of time and cost overruns in construction projects
• Factors hindering the adoption of project management practices
• Similarities and differences in project management practices between Pakistan and the UK
• Strategies for mitigating time and cost overruns in construction projects

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

Chapter 1 introduces the research topic and provides a background on the construction industry in Pakistan and the UK. It also outlines the research problem, rationale, aim, and research questions. Chapter 2 presents a comprehensive literature review on project management practices in the construction industry, focusing on the causes of time and cost overruns, the benefits of adopting project management practices, and the factors that hinder their implementation.

Chapter 3 describes the research methodology used, including the research design, approach, methods, data analysis techniques, and ethical considerations. Chapter 4 presents the findings of the research, analyzing the collected data from both Pakistani and UK construction professionals. It examines the prevalence of time and cost overruns, the importance of project management practices, the factors affecting their adoption, and the benefits of their implementation.

Chapter 5 discusses the key findings of the research, highlighting the similarities and differences between project management practices in Pakistan and the UK. It explores the causes of time and cost overruns in both countries and examines the factors that hinder the adoption of effective project management practices. Chapter 6 concludes the dissertation by summarizing the key findings, providing recommendations for improving project management practices in both Pakistan and the UK, and highlighting potential areas for future research.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

Construction project management, time and cost overruns, project management practices, Pakistan, UK, construction industry, risk management, procurement, partnering, value management, sustainable construction, benchmarking, supply chain management, lean construction, qualitative research, quantitative research, mixed methods, survey, interview, data analysis.

• College: University of Huddersfield
• Course: Msc. Business Project Management
• Author: Muhammad Sajid Saeed (Author)
• Publication Year: 2013
• Pages: 93
• Catalog Number: V317978
• ISBN (eBook): 9783668186842
• ISBN (Book): 9783668186859
• Language: English
• Tags: project management, time overrun, cost overrun, Pakistan, UK, construction sector