Abstract:
Planning & scheduling is one of the major project management tools that shall be used
for project management purposes. Studies show that Ethiopian contractors working in
federal road projects do not have enough firm and professional experience, in
producing a detailed project plan that adequately guides the project execution. Most
construction companies who practice planning and scheduling to some level also have
difficulty in achieving the project objective and their company goals as the plan does
not adequately guide the project executions.
With the above as the background, this study aims to assess the construction project
planning practices of the domestic road sector contractors and the challenges they
experience in producing a detailed project plan that can adequately guide the project
executions.
A descriptive case study is used for this research by selecting 12 different cases from
local contractors working in federal road projects to assess the contractors' planning
and scheduling practice and related challenges. In addition to the case study, a
descriptive survey is conducted to address the research objectives.
The study has indicated that the project planning and schedule practice by Ethiopian
contractors is poor and baseline work program has been prepared for contractual
submissions only. Out of several challenges identified in the study, delay in the removal
of obstruction, delivery of design document, absence of project information, poor
knowledge, and attitude of contractors’ top management team are the most ranked
challenging factors.
