Practices And Challenges Of Project Management In Municipality The Case Of Ambo Town Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

A project is a temporary effort undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result and a unique venture with a beginning and an end, conducted by people to meet established goals within parameters of cost, schedule, and scope. Projects are needed to be completed within the time frame, budgeted cost, and required quality. However, unfortunately, many projects take longer to complete, cost more than necessary, and some projects are cancelled because of inefficient planning, execution, control, and related challenges directly and/or indirectly related to them. The general objective of this study is to assess the practices and challenges of project management in municipalities, as in the case of Ambo Town. This study has made use of a descriptive research design. The total sample size of the people involved in the study was 99, sampled from the selected sectors. To select a representative sample from the total population, the non-probability sampling technique was used. The data collected from the survey questionnaire, interview, and document analysis were analyzed by descriptive statistics. SPSS version 23 was used for the analysis. Then the data was presented quantitatively using descriptive statistics with the help of tables, frequencies, and percentages. There are diverse perspectives among respondents on human resource-related challenges in project management. A substantial portion, 28.0%, disagreed with the notion of poor planning and the absence of credible feasibility studies, while 38.7% remained undecided, indicating a lack of consensus on this issue. The study on Ambo town projects reveals significant challenges in project completion timelines, quality standards, and adherence to budgeted costs. A predominant consensus, with 58.1% strongly agreeing and 21.5% agreeing, suggests that projects are not completed within the scheduled time, impacting the overall effectiveness of project management as reflected in the mean of 3.97 and standard deviation of 1.564. The general perception regarding the meeting of desired quality standards is unfavorable, with 39.8% agreeing, 28.0% undecided, and a mean of 2.95, indicating that most projects in Ambo town do not meet clients' satisfaction regarding quality standards. The study on resource mobilization practices in Ambo town highlights a concerning trend of perceived inadequacy among respondents. A significant 45.1% express disagreement on the town's ability to mobilize technical equipment for construction projects, indicating a lack of consensus on the effectiveness of this practice. This study finding collectively highlights the urgent need for strategic interventions and improved project management practices in Ambo town to address these identified issues and enhance overall project outcomes