Abstract:
The purpose of the study was to investigate factors affecting completion of water supply project: The case
of Oromia Construction Corporation, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The study was descriptive and explanatory
survey in nature. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were also employed. This study used simple
random sampling technique to select a sample size of 352 respondents. Self-administered questionnaires
were used to collect primary data while content analysis of relevant project implementation documents
from water construction project was used to collect secondary data. Descriptive statistics, correlation and
regression analysis through Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20 were used to analyze
data and present the findings of the study. The findings indicated that the four variables studied were
significant in explaining 76.3% of the variations in the completion of water projects in Oromia
Construction Corporation. Multiple regression analysis of the variables at 5 %level of significance and
95% level of confidence showed that, financing had a 0.000 level of significance; contractual had 0.243,
project planning had 0.001 level of significance while leadership factors had a 0.000 level of significance.
This implies that the most significant factors for completion of water supply project are financial and
leadership factors. The level of financing of a project’s construction activities and its timeliness was found
to be a determinant of its completion time, and that effective leadership depends on adequacy of
management personnel as well as timeliness in decision making and taking of actions to alleviate
significant project target deviations that exist. Contractor’s incompetence that can be attributed to
inadequate equipment and personnel with required skills as well as financial difficulties among others is a
key factor contributing to time overruns in the water projects, while contract variations are common
among the water projects completion.
