research proposal for presentation

1. FACTORS AFFECTING ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
PERFORMANCE: A CASE STUDY OF JIMMA ZONE ROAD
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
A Research Proposal Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Jimma
University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Award Master of Art
Degree in Project Management and Finance (MA/MSc)
BY: Abdo Akib kelifa
Under the Supervision of
Main Advisor: - Tesfaye G. ( Ass.prof)
And
Co-Advisor: Mohammed Abdulselam(Msc)
SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES
COLLAGE OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
JIMMA UNIVERSITY
Jan, 2024
Jimma, Ethiopia

2. i
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this thesis entitled ―Factors Affecting Project Performance in Road
Construction in Ethiopia: A Case Study in Road Construction Projects in Jimma zone has been
carried out by me under the guidance and supervision of assistant professor Tesfaye G. and
Mohammed Abdulselam (Msc).
The study is original and has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma to any
university or institutions.
Main Advisor‘s Name Signature Date
_________________________ __________________ ____________
Co-Advisor‘s Name Signature Date
_______________________ __________________ _________________

3. ii
ABSTRACT
Project performance management is the process of keeping track and evaluating the viability
and desirability of continuing projects as well as monitoring their efficiency and congruency to
outlined organizational goals and objectives. Success in construction project is indicated by its
performance in the achievement of project time, cost, quality and stakeholder’s satisfaction. The
main objective of this study is to investigate the factors affecting project management
performance in road construction in Jimma zone. Pearson chi-square statistics will be used to
test the hypothesis. In this study both primary data and secondary data will be used. In this study
both primary data and secondary data will be used and explanatory research design will be
adopted. Multi stage sampling technique will be used to select the sample size and from 620
population a sample of 310 concerned respondents which will be owners/client/, consultants,
contractors, engineers will be taken to undertake the study. The Data analysis will be done with
statistical software package SPSS version23 from data collected from the retrieved
questionnaires in which are converted into numeric data.
Keywords: Performance, project, road construction, Risk, Quality

4. iii
Contents
DECLARATION...........................................................................................................................................i
ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................................................. ii
CHAPTER ONE...............................................................................................................................................1
1. Introduction...............................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Background of the study..............................................................................................................1
1.2 Statement of the Problem.................................................................................................................3
1.3 Basic Research Questions.................................................................................................................4
1.4 Objectives of the study........................................................................................................................4
1.4.1 General objectives of the study..................................................................................................4
1.4.2 Specific objectives of the study ...................................................................................................5
1.5 Significance of the study.....................................................................................................................5
1.6 Scope of the study........................................................................................................................5
CHAPTER TWO ..........................................................................................................................................6
2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURES.............................................................................................6
Introduction.............................................................................................................................................6
2.1 Theoretical Review.............................................................................................................................6
2.2 CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT ............................................................................7
2.3 THE ROLES OF THE PROJECT MANAGERS (PM)...................................................................8
2.4 Empirical Literature Review...........................................................................................................9
2.5 Conceptual Framework of the Study ............................................................................................13
CHAPTER THREE ....................................................................................................................................15
3. RESEARCH METHODS AND METHODOLOGY..............................................................................15
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................15
3.1 Description of the Study Area...........................................................................................................15
3.2 Research Design..............................................................................................................................15
3.3 Research Approach........................................................................................................................16
3.4 Target Population..............................................................................................................................17
3.5 Data Type and Source.....................................................................................................................17
3.6 Sampling Techniques and Sample Size .........................................................................................17
3.7 Methods of Data Collection............................................................................................................18
3.8 Method of Data Analysis and presentation.......................................................................................19
3.9 Model Specification and Variable Measurement..............................................................................19
3.9.1 Model Specification...................................................................................................................19
3.9.2 Variable Measurements..............................................................................................................20

5. iv
CHAPTER FOUR.......................................................................................................................................22
4. TIME SCHEDULE AND COST BREAK DOWN BUDGET...............................................................22
4.1 Time Schedule to Complete the Project............................................................................................22
4.2 Budgeted Cost Breakdown for Study..............................................................................................23
Reference ....................................................................................................................................................24

6. v
Abbreviation
BPM - Building Project Management
CID - construction industry development
CTP - Construction Time Performance
FY - Financial Year
KPIs - Key Performance Indicators
MFEDE - Annual Government Capital Budget
MOFED - Ministry of Finance and Economic Development
PMBOK - Project Management Body of Knowledge
PMI - Project Management Institute
SPI - Schedule Performance Index
SPSS - Statistical package for social science

7. 1

8. 1
CHAPTER ONE
1. Introduction
This chapter presents the research area is briefly discussed, followed by the problem background
in what previous studies have been focusing on. The subject choice follows naturally, which
includes the research gap and what will be studied. The chapter is ends by presenting the
research question; the purpose with this study and objectives of the study, significance of the
study, the scope of the study and organization of the study.
1.1 Background of the study
According to (PMB, 2008) the term "project performance" refers to how well a project is
achieving its intended objectives and goals. It is a measure of the overall success, effectiveness
and efficiency of a project over time. Globally, national and county governments fund and
implement various projects across different sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, health care
and education among others with the object of improving service delivery and enhancing
economic development. Project management integrates the project management process of
initiation, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling and closing, progressively through the
project life cycle with the aim of satisfying the stakeholders and constituents according to the
project‘s established requirements (Cross Ogohi Daniel, 2019) and (Mohamed et al., 2017). The
success of these projects is largely attached on a number of factors rather than a single factor. It
is not clear on project specific factors that determine the performance of development projects.
Construction project management is a complex process that requires meticulous planning,
efficient coordination, and effective communication among various stakeholders (Choge &
Muturi, 2014). His finding was one of the biggest challenges in construction project management
is ensuring that projects are completed within the designated timeline.
In this study, factors that affect project management performance in road construction project in
Ethiopia will be identified. Project management performance indicators are used to measure
overall performance in construction projects. According to study done by Ashenafi Reta and
Ashebir Alyew (2021) examine factors affecting the performance of construction projects which
the outcome of the study outlines Availability of personnel with high experience and
qualification, Availability of resources as planned through project duration, Average delay

9. 2
because of closures and materials shortage, Conformance to specification and Leadership skills
for project manager as the top ranked key factors that affect performance of construction project.
Project management and project performance go hand in hand and it is ideally difficult to
achieve the needed performance without a proper management plan, in today‘s industry the
projects are getting more and more complex with more technical tools, cross country
collaboration among resources, faster delivery to market, high quality standards, proper resource
management etc. and in order to manage all these we need a proper plan or else the project is
doomed to fail, hence project management is needed(Business Bliss Consultants FZE, 2018).
Project management is an essential process in the construction industry, as it helps to ensure that
projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards, without a
proper project management system, a major construction project could easily fall into chaos,
even if the participants themselves are individually competent and well-organized. Therefore, it
is important for construction companies to invest in project management to achieve successful
outcomes (Business Bliss Consultants FZE, 2018).
Proper planning and management of construction projects have long been regarded as a
necessity. The ability to make sound decisions and solve problems using appropriate
performance reports related to the project implementation process are the two most key factors in
controlling the performance of construction project management. Even though these factors
considerably contribute to controlling precise project performance, previous research has failed
to investigate them to their fullest potential. Therefore, this research seeks to fill the existing gap
by determining the influential factors on construction project management performance. In this
line, a comprehensive literature analysis was undertaken to extract the influential factors on
construction project management performance. This research study therefore looks at the project
management practices that will affect performance of construction projects that the stakeholders
will need to address. It is hoped that in addressing these practices, the success in performance of
construction projects will greatly be enhanced

10. 3
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Project managers play the lead role in planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing
out projects (Project Management, 2010). They are accountable for the entire project scope, the
project team and resources, the project budget, and the success or failure of the project.
According to studies done by E. Ramesh, al et. 2018) defining project success poses another
challenge in understanding project management and consequently assessing its performance. It is
generally accepted, however, that the success or otherwise of a project can be defined through
the convergence of the ability of the process to meet the technical goals of the project while not
deviating from the three constraints of scope, time, and cost; the usefulness of the project as
perceived by beneficiaries and sponsors as well as the project team; and the performance of the
project. By such a definition, project success or failure can only be effectively measured at the
completion of the project. This is concurred with the study by definition of project success which
measures success or failure by the elements of the project log-frame, and thus, the effective
utilization of the project output. Projects generally fail as a result of poor planning, constant
changes in the scope, and consequently, deadline and budget, as well as the lack of monitoring
and control.
Globally numerous researches have been carried out all pointing to the fact that the construction
industry has project management performance problems in both developing and the developed
countries. According to study done by (Gichunge, 2000) Project risks are also not adequately
examined prior to the award of contracts in the projects and therefore, the major causes of cost
and time risks in building projects in Kenya during the construction period is the variations that
occurs in 73.50% of the building projects. In developing countries, 80% of the unsuccessful
projects fail as a result of poor scope management (Nganga, 2013). Developing countries are
faced with the problem of scarce financial resources such as poor staffing and management
competencies at all levels of the construction firm, access to finance and poor planning of Money
and resource, absence of a unified legal and regulatory framework for all the contractors, poor or
non-maintenance of structures, inadequate supervision within the technical and managerial level,
improper project design by consultants, poor engagement with regulatory and legal stakeholders
but to mention a few cited by Florence W., & Samson Ny., 2018). As per study done by Tesfyae,
& Samson, 2023) they found that the four main factors that influenced success of road

11. 4
construction projects in Addis Ababa included capital availability, management skills,
organizational culture and technical skills.
Numerous studies on project management performance have been conducted worldwide such as
(H Gichunge, 2000), (Wanyona 2005), (Florence W., & Samson Ny., 2018), (Al-Nabae, M., &
Sammani, D., 2021). However, the most of the previous research done in Ethiopia focuses on
factors affecting the performance of road construction projects. But, as best knowledge of
researcher‘s factors affecting project management on the project performance in construction
projects has a little has been done in Ethiopia to relate project management performance and
project delivery in terms of accomplishing each of the important project goals. Where research
has been carried out in Ethiopia particularly in Jimma zone it has not attempted to establish the
effect of project management on the project performance in construction projects. Therefore, this
study is important to identify and examine the influential factors on the performance
improvement of construction project management for the successful evaluation of project
performance. Therefore, this research identified the influential factors on the improvement of
construction project management performance. So, this research aims to answer the four research
questions below and to investigate the factors affecting project performance in road construction
in Jimma zone
1.3 Basic Research Questions
1. How does the project planning activities on performance of projects of construction
projects in Jimma Zone
2. To what extent the project size and project risk influence on the performance of
construction projects in Jimma Zone
3. How project team does affect project performance of construction projects in Jimma
Zone
4. What is the effect of monitoring and evaluation system on project performance in Jimma
Zone?
1.4 Objectives of the study
1.4.1 General objectives of the study
The main objective of this study is factors affecting project performance in road construction in
Jimma zone.

12. 5
1.4.2 Specific objectives of the study
In Addition to these objectives specifically these studies are addressing the following aims:
1. To investigate how project team affect project performance of construction projects in
Jimma Zone
2. To find out the effect of project size, project quality management and project risk on
performance of construction projects in Jimma Zone
3. To establish effect of project planning activities on performance of projects of
construction projects in Jimma Zone
4. To Gives Suggestion and Recommendation to improve the project Performance of the
Constructions Industries in Jimma Zone
1.5 Significance of the study
In this study, the researcher seeks to identify project management factors on project performance
of road construction projects in Jimma zone. The project manager is responsible for direction-
finding and controlling the activities of the implementation team and ensures that the project
realizes its goals. Since management is part of every project, the overall objective of this study
will to establish the influence that certain project management factors have on the performance
of construction projects. This study will be of great value to project managers and other
professionals in the construction industry by providing information on the influence management
factors on project performance in road construction. The findings of this research will inform
decision making for the management in future construction projects. The policy makers in the
construction industry will gain from the study since it will highlight the aspects of management
factors which if incorporated in the regulations of construction projects performance can be
achieved.
1.6 Scope of the study
The Scope of the Study is conducted in Jimma zone found in south west Oromia regional state.
Even though the issue of construction sector is currently hot and interesting throughout the
country and there are possibilities of using various tools, designs, wide geographical areas with
many variables and large sample size, this study will be delimited according to the variables
mentioned in research objectives and assessed accordingly throughout the study.

13. 6
CHAPTER TWO
2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURES
Introduction
This section is the main body of the study and presents a review of relevant books, journals,
abstracts, and case studies regarding the performance of pavement construction projects. The
critical factors affecting project management performance have previously been investigated
among construction project actors and owners of the companies with different answers. It also
presented various concepts in regard to factors affecting project performance. Theories about
Project management and project performance have been developed in this chapter. In addition
the researcher has discuss various empirical studies, thoughts and ideas from different sources
has been linked together to formulate a meaningful and magnificent material.
2.1 Theoretical Review
Construction is a vital sector contributing significantly to the economics of all countries. The
construction industry must be dynamic to be able to respond to the changes that the world is
constantly facing, as well as the social, economic, and technological challenges affecting all
industries. The opportunities and problems in construction are different from those of the last
century. The demands of clients, companies and employees differ from time to time, and thus the
vision of the construction industry is always developing; to keep up, management must change
too. This research will address the growing need to develop project management in Ethiopia,
which in turn will help in shaping the goals of the future (George Ofori, 2015)
Any construction organization must have a strategic plan and vision that lead the way to
achieving its goals. The key to achieving that lays in successful management, by identifying
needs and goals the company wants to achieve. To do that, project management must be planned
on many levels, such as implementing, organizing, delegating, decision making and performing.
The survival and the progress of any company depend upon how well project management is
implemented and how experienced the company is in this field.

14. 7
Management is the act of balancing between different firm activities, i.e., reducing or increasing
activities, simultaneously eliminating unnecessary activities and establishing regular ones, and
doing more work in new fields with fewer resources. Project management is the process of
planning, scheduling, and controlling project activities to achieve the time, cost, and performance
(qualitative) goals of the project within the defined scope of work and the efficient and effective
use of resources.
The discipline of project management in the construction industry is still in its infancy according
to Raz , (2002). Several theories applicable to project risk management and project success have
been outlined. These include the agency theory, the utility theory and the uncertainty theory.
According to study done by (Florence W., & Samson Ny., 2018) Project management practices
especially Project risk, project team, project budget and project technology and innovation are
known to affect the performance of a construction project. Success in construction project is
indicated by its performance in the achievement of project time, cost, quality and stakeholder‘s
satisfaction.
2.2 CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT
The construction industry is constantly evolving and getting increasingly complex. It needs
precision every step of the way to ensure that each project is completed perfectly and in sync
with all the different teams. a project manager is the one who ensures every process is conducted
efficiently, thanks to their vast knowledge of both the industry and their management skills.
They are responsible for the day-to-day and overall success of the projects undertaken — it is a
pivotal role with a lot of scope. They bring together multi-disciplinary teams, resources, and
clients in a systematic manner to create an organized and well-planned project.
One of the most important jobs in the construction industry, the construction project
manager handles a variety of roles, such as: Ensuring the project is completed in the given time
and within budget while adhering to the industry‘s safety standards. Planning the different stages
of construction in a project and following up with each team involved.
 Constantly liaising with the many stakeholders and multi-disciplinary teams involved in
the project.

15. 8
 Negotiating with vendors for procurement of resources and raw materials.
 Managing all the resources — but not just the machines and tools, as project managers
are also expected to lead people.
 A construction project manager‘s expertise is often called upon, and thus, it is expected
that they are well-versed in such techniques and processes.
A good construction project manager understands all aspects of construction — from design to
planning and execution to delivery. They understand design processes and contract management
and law; and have a good grasp on all construction processes, skills, and techniques.
A project manager must have excellent delegation, people management, and leadership skills.
They must liaise with senior management and clients, and they are heavily involved in the
reporting process and must be able to follow company procedures. All in all, the combination of
exceptional technical and personal skills makes for an outstanding construction project manager.
2.3 THE ROLES OF THE PROJECT MANAGERS (PM)
The role of the project manager on the construction process can be different from
company to company, that is it depends upon many issues such as the size of the company and
the size of the construction project. The project manager is accountable to the sponsor for
the day to day management of the project work from the outset through to closure Young, T. L.
(2000).The key role of the project manager is to motivate, manage, co-ordinate and maintain the
moral of the whole project team (Chartered Institute of Building , 2002).To manage the
project management processes, a person should be well organized, have great follow-up
skills, be process oriented, be able to multi-task, have a logical thought process, be able to
determine root causes, have good analytical ability, be a good estimator and budget manager, and
have good self-discipline. The project manager normally is responsible for defining and planning
the project. This results in the completion of a Project Definition and a project work plan. Once
the project starts, the PM must successfully manage and control the work, including:
 Identifying, tracking managing and resolving project issues.
 Proactively disseminating project information to all stakeholders.
 Identifying, managing and mitigating project risk.
 Ensuring that the solution is of acceptable quality.

16. 9
 Proactively managing scope to ensure that only what was agreed to is delivered, unless
changes are approved through scope management.
 Defining and collecting metrics to give a sense for how the project is progressing and
whether the deliverables produced are acceptable.
2.4 Empirical Literature Review
Several articles have studied the factors affecting project management performance in road
construction in a number of ways. Some of the studies identified the most important factors in
several countries and in various types project, while other studies discussed the influence of
these factors affecting project management performance in construction projects in different
countries in different types of projects, and proposed ways to improve and to minimize their
influence on construction projects. Ethiopia suffers from many problems and complex issues.
However, few studies have been conducted to identify the factors affecting project management
performance in road construction in Ethiopia particularly in Jimma zone. The aim of this study
was to identify the factors affecting project management performance in road construction in
Ethiopia particularly in Jimma zone. Some related studies reviewed below.
Zwikael (2009) conducted a study on 555 projects managers across four industries spanning
three countries. He found that relative to other industrial sectors, organizations belonging to the
construction sector obtained high quality of project planning and the highest success rate. He
also identified that the processes that have the greatest impact on project success are ―Activity
Definition‖ and ―Project Plan Development‖.
Youcef and Nils (2017) defines project efficiency as the production of an output in a qualified
and competent way in terms of the agreed scope, cost, time and quality, where quality is not a
constraint per se but is often a by-product of the other three factors (scope, time and cost).
Efficiency is more about comparing the outputs of the project to its inputs. In this study, project
efficiency is measured in the development of construction projects by project cost and project
schedule.
According to Menches, Hanna, Nordheim & Russel (2008), performance of any construction
project involves numerous processes, with various permutations of stakeholders, typically
including procurement, design, planning, execution and management of diverse tasks, control,

17. 10
site management and project closeout. Thus, the success of any project is measured by its end
time, within the budget cost and meets the planned performance based on the initial plan. Hence,
planning has an important role on the project success. Project management has a long history in
the construction industry and there have been a number of studies in the construction project
management field on the relationship between planning and project success: this is a well-studied
area in comparison to other industries or other areas in project management. Gibson, Wang, Cho
and Pappas (2006) noted that research results show that effective pre-project planning leads to
improved performance in terms of cost, schedule, and operational characteristics.
Ameh and Odusami (2010) stated that construction industry in Nigeria comprises a group of
heterogeneous and fragmented firms and, within firms, there is often a great diversity of
activities. In addition, they added that a large construction company may be engaged in activities
ranging from general building and civil engineering to material manufacturing, property
development, and trade specialization.
As per study done by Assaf and Al Hejji (2006) conducted a time performance survey of
different types of construction projects in Saudi Arabia to determine the causes of delay and their
importance according to each project participant (owner, consultant, and contractor). They
identified seventy three (73) causes of delay during the research. The common causes of delay
identified by all parties were ‘‘change order.‘‘ Similarly other study done Abd El-Razek et al.
(2008) in a similar study in Egypt found that the most important causes of delay are financing by
contractor during construction, delays in contractor‘s payment by owner, design changes by
owner of his agent during construction, and non- utilization of professional
construction/contractual management.
In an earlier study (Alinaitwe et al., 2007) a number of factors that are influenced by the clients
and can affect the progress of work were found to include; design changes, stoppages due to
disputes between contractors with owners, stoppages because of insolvency, lack of adherence to
regulatory requirements, and inspection delays. According to Cho (2009), most past studies done
on project performance and the characteristics that affect such performance consist of simple
presentations of the relationship between project performance and a few characteristics.
Cho(2009) asserts that important characteristics like the effects of relevant political, legal and
economic systems, market conditions, importance for the project to be completed on time, form

18. 11
of and the division of responsibilities and liabilities, specific location, weather and environmental
concerns, level of technological advancement, project life span, value of a project, and quality of
a project are all left out.
A study by Tindiwensi (2006) identifies parameters to measure construction industry
performance which include: the economic performance indicators, quality performance
indicators; environmental and informal sector performance indicators. This study cannot be done
in isolation of the construction industry because of the direct impact it has on projects. Secondly
construction projects form one of the most important constituents of the industry. The
construction industry has an important role of transforming the various resources into
constructed: physical, economic and social infrastructure necessary for socio-economic
development. The factors affecting construction project performance thus directly impacts on the
performance of the construction industry and hence national and global developments.
According to studies done by M. Oluwajana, al.et., 2022) assesses factors affecting the timely
completion and cost performance of road construction projects in Nigeria, The result of the study
revealed that inadequate equipment, inadequate managerial skills, project construction
complexity, failure of equipment and shortage of materials were the important factors affecting
the timely completion/performance of road construction projects in Nigeria. The research also
revealed that inflation, inaccurate estimate, fraudulent practices, contractors‘ project
inexperience, inadequate planning and overdesign were the important factors aligned with the
cost performance of road construction projects.
As per studies done by (Surbhi Rithe1 and Shrishti Pachekar, 2021) The study aimed to identify
and define the role of project management in successful completion of projects in large
construction projects. Although project success is the most discussed topic of project
management, little is known about the influence of project management success on the success
of projects. The results of the paper Project success is influenced by many different factors,
outside the control of project management. This research concludes that project management
success represents one of two essential ingredients for achieving project success, therefore,
positively influencing project success.

19. 12
Study done by Chan and Kumaraswamy (2008) conducted a survey to determine and evaluate
the relative importance of the significance factors causing delays in Hong Kong construction
projects. They analyzed and ranked main reasons for delays and classified them in to two groups,
these are the role of the parties in the local construction industry (i.e. whether client, consultant
or contractors) and the type of the project. Results indicated that five major causes of delay were
poor site management and supervision, unforeseen ground condition, low speed of decision
making involving in all project team, client initiated variation of work.
As per study done by Marzouk and Rasas, (2012) stated that the causes of construction delays in
Egypt project by questionnaire survey and was distributed to owners, consultants, and
contractors of the organizations. Based on response the following Frequency Index, Severity
Index, Importance Index and top ten delay causes of construction projects in Egypt are
determined. A case study was analyzed and the test results reveal that the most important delay
causes are grouped into seven groups such as owner, consultant, contractor, material, labour,
equipment, project, external and it is prioritized according to very high, high, medium, low and
very low. And finally some recommendations have been made to minimize the delay.
As per study done by Helen et.al (2015) identified the major factors influencing the performance
of construction Projects in Akure, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire survey approach was used
to study the impact of various attributes and factors affecting construction projects performance
in Akure, and the attitude of project clients, consultants and contractors in the Nigerian
construction industry and used Average index method to identify the most important factors that
affect the construction project in the study area. As a result the study identified ten important
factors that affect the construction project such as Escalation of material prices, Insufficient
supply of materials, Motivating skills of the project team leader, Quality control of materials,
Consultants commitment to ensure construction work is done according to specification, Delay
of progress payment, Project team leaders experience, Technical skill of the project team leader,
Overall management actions and Economic environment. The authors used multiple linear
regressions and calibrated model to determine the contributing factors to the improvement of
construction projects & the reliability of the model respectively.
Another study done by Michael Chala (2017) investigates the causes of delay in the construction
of condominium houses at Bole Arabsa site in Addis Ababa. Based on the major findings the

20. 13
research recommended AAHCPO should improve the supply and delivery of construction
materials, improve the design documents approval system, improve the procurement system and
the contractors also improve the skill of labors on construction site by provide appropriate
training. In other hand, Tigist (2018) studied on was to identify the causes and effects of the
delay in the construction of condominium house Project 17.Delay in Project 17 was significantly
influenced by client related causes, materiel related causes, corruption, time overrun, and cost
overrun at 1% level of significance and contractor related causes and mistrust at 5% level of
significance. However, labor related causes affected delay in Project 17 at 10% level of
significance.
In generally in any project at organizational levels where the private sector is outperforming the
public and government sectors, this research will be helpful. Their performance would meet the
requirements and they would follow the project management factors, which would have a good
influence on lowering risk. As a result, public sector organizations have started to look for new
techniques to improve their performance in construction industry. Moreover, this continuing
issue needs to be understood and addressed by the academia and practitioners. Therefore, this
study is carried out with the aim of finding out the perceptions of clients, contractors, engineers,
team leaders and supervisors regarding the factors affecting project management and their impact
on project performance in road construction. In the following sections conceptual framework is
developed based on literature review.
2.5 Conceptual Framework of the Study
The conceptual frame work is identified based on for this reason, many construction projects in
different parts of the world are suffering by proper management which subsequently increases
the project cost and reduces profit in business sectors and similarly public sectors. The study
focuses the factors affecting project management performance in road construction in Jimma
zone in Ethiopia. Based on a literature review of the factors affecting project management
performance in road construction, they can be grouped as project team related factors, project
budget related factors, Project planning related factors, project scope related factors, Project
quality management, project monitoring & evaluation and project risk management related
factors, as independent variable. Project management performance in road construction projects
considered as dependent variable. These categories form the basis by which research model

21. 14
developed to measure factors affecting project management performance in road construction in
this study. It is graphically presented as shown below.
Source: Derived from different literature by Researcher
Figure 2.1 Conceptual framework of the study.
Independent
variable
Dependent variable

22. 15
CHAPTER THREE
3. RESEARCH METHODS AND METHODOLOGY
Introduction
Previous chapters discussed about the background of the study, statement of the problem,
objectives, and literature review assessment of a detailed literature overview factors affecting
project management performance and related studies. This chapter intends to discuss about how
exactly this research is going to achieve the stated objectives. In order to answer the research
questions and also to identify the solution to the proposed problem researchers collects
information using several techniques and methods. This chapter discusses in detail about the
methodologies used by researchers to complete this research objectives. These researches make
use of several techniques and methods such as research design, research approach, methods for
sampling, sampling unit, target population, methods for data collection, data analysis and
interpretation techniques and statistical tools which are important for data analysis.
3.1 Description of the Study Area
Jimma is one of the zones of the Ethiopian Region states of Oromia. Jimma is named for the
former Kingdom of Jimma, which was absorbed into the former province of keffa in 1932.
Jimma is bordered on the south by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, the
northwest by Illuababor, the north by East welega, and the northeast by West Shewa; part of the
boundary with East Shewa is defined by the Gibe River. This zone has subdivided into 20
woredas and 2 cities Administration. It is far 352.3km away from Addis Ababa the capital city of
Ethiopia. Its astronomical location is 7º 4‘ North Latitude and 36º 5‘ East Longitude.
3.2 Research Design
Research design is the arrangement of condition for collection and analysis of data in a manner
that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose with economy in procedure (Selltiz C.,
1962). The aim of this research work is to identify factors affecting project management
performance in road construction in Jimma zone. To do this, the descriptive and explanatory
research designs will be implemented. The primary data used for the research is collected
through survey & the secondary data is collected from the contract documents, progress reports,

23. 16
designs, site books & payment certificates of the project. The survey is conducted using means
of self-administered questionnaire which is distributed to directly involved, professional and
relevant bodies with in the project parties.
Kothari (2005) identified three types of business research design; Exploratory, Descriptive and
Causal research design. In order to answer objectives of this study this is the factors affecting
project management performance in road construction the mix of descriptive and explanatory
research design are selected. The rationale for the choice of the descriptive survey method for
this study is to collect factual information that are explain existing situations; make comparisons
and evaluations; identify special problems or justify existing conditions or practices; and to
determine what other people are doing about similar problems and to make suggestions for future
courses of action. Explanatory research is a method developed to investigate a phenomenon that
had not been studied before or had not been well explained previously in a proper way. Its main
intention is to provide us with details about where a small amount of information can be found.
Explanatory research is responsible for finding the why of the events through the establishment
of cause-effect relationships. In this sense, explanatory studies can deal with both the
determination of causes (post-facto research) and effects (experimental research) through
hypothesis testing.
3.3 Research Approach
The main objective of this study is to identify the major Project Management factors acting
project performance in road construction; therefore, the study is considered a quantitative
research by supported qualitative approaches. In this study a two research approaches that is
quantitative as well as qualitative approaches will be analyzed on their suitability to respond to
the research topic adopted. A quantitative approach according to Herbst and Coldwell (2004) is
an objective likewise a systematic application of previous empirical analysis of the research
problem using statistical techniques. This approach also seeks to establish cause-effect
relationships among research variables, using theories as well as hypothesis linked to the
research subject. Quantitative is predominantly used as a synonym for any data collection
technique (such as a questionnaire) or data analysis procedure (such as graphs or statistics) that
generates or uses numerical data from selected participants. In contrast, qualitative is used
predominantly as a synonym for any data collection technique (such as an interview), or data

24. 17
analysis procedure (such as categorizing data) that generates or use non-numerical data,
(Saunders et al 2009). Thus, since this study uses questionnaires and interview to collect data and
this data is to be analyzed using statistical tools, the research design employed is both
quantitative and qualitative research design (mixed). While using mixed approach researchers are
given permission to use all of the tools of data collection available rather than being restricted to
the types of data collection typically associated with qualitative research or quantitative research.
3.4 Target Population
The population under study will be comprise office and site engineers, project managers, project
coordinators and site supervisors from the three involved parties; Client, Consultant and
Contractor, who directly involved in road construction process of the project work, will be
selected as sample population for better accuracy.
3.5 Data Type and Source
In the very beginning, the study entails both primary and secondary sources of data. As a primary
data, structured questionnaires with both close ended and open ended questions prepared which
are given to respondents to give their views about the study topic and distributed to involved
parties‘ respondents.
3.6 Sampling Techniques and Sample Size
A sample is a finite part of a statistical population whose properties are studied to gain
information about the whole (Webster, 1985). When dealing with people, it can be defined as a
set of respondents (people) selected from a larger population for the purpose of a survey. The
main purpose of this study is to investigate the major Project factors affecting the project
performance in road construction. Accordingly for this research project study; the sample unit
will be Jimma zone construction department, and the population will be the employee of
construction department, contractors and client who are found in Jimma zone. In this study the
researcher uses multi-stage sampling techniques. First, the Jimma district is selected purposively
from south West Ethiopia, Jimma Zone; there are 21 districts in the zone, from which the authors
have selected five woredas and Two City administration namely; Botor Tolay woreda, Omo
woreda, Kersa woreda, Seka chekorsa woreda Mana woreda and Agaro & Jimma cities

25. 18
administration. The authors have focused on the sample respondents are selected by using census
sampling techniques from each Woreda office building employees, such as clients, contractors
and consultants.
Table-1: Sample Frame of Study
S.No Sample District Total
Population
Sample
Taken
Types sampling
techniques
1 Gomma Woreda 80 40 purposive sampling
method
2 Manna woreda 70 35 purposive sampling
method
3 Dedo woreda 100 50 purposive sampling
method
4 Agaro city 120 60 purposive sampling
method
5 Jimma city 250 125 purposive sampling
method
Total 620 310
Sources: Authors Compilation
The researcher sampled 50% of total population of each woredas/districts/. A sample size from
the total population is 310 by using purposive sampling method in Road construction members
will be used for this Study. In addition to research questionnaires‘‘, adding ten (10) for interview
with project managers and project coordinators from each districts.
3.7 Methods of Data Collection
A structured questionnaire is developed in order to collect the perceptions of the involved
parties‘ respondents in the selected districts in road construction project in Jimma zone. As a
secondary data, local and international literatures will be reviewed and site notes and other
documents of the stakeholders. Since the premise of the study in this paper is a resource
sufficiency condition, to identify factors affecting project management performance due to the
constraint of resource limitation must be excluded. Therefore, the influencing factors must be
further screened and identified. The content of the questionnaire is divided into three parts. The
first part is the basic information background of the respondents. Because the respondents‘
working years, education level and work unit directly affect their understanding of the factors

26. 19
affecting project management performance in road construction, it is necessary to clarify the
basic information of the respondents. The second part is the questionnaire of factors affecting
project management performance, which requires it to confirm and identify the factors, in the
form of the Likert level five scales. The respondents are required to score according to their
Significant, 1= Strong Disagree, 2= Disagree, 3= Neutral, 4= Agree, 5= Strong Agree. The third
part will be an open ended question which is used to collect the respondents‘ other opinions on
the factors affecting project management performance in road construction in Jimma zone.
3.8 Method of Data Analysis and presentation
The study will be descriptive data analysis which combines both quantitative and qualitative data
methods of analysis. Computer packages like statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS)
and Microsoft Excel will be used to generate charts, tables and figures. Since the study is
descriptive in nature, the collected data will be analyzed using descriptive statistical tools such as
mean, frequency, standard deviation and percentages through SPSSVersion23). Descriptive and
inferential statistical tools are the methods of data analysis that are suitable for this study. For the
quantitative data, descriptive statistics including frequencies, percentages, means and standard
deviations will be computed. Based on that, questionnaires will be designed so as to collect the
opinions of clients, design engineers, consultants, and contractors‘ representatives. The data
collected will be analyzed by using the Pearson correlation analysis and regression analysis will
be examined. And also the data analysis will be used by the aid of statistical software.
3.9 Model Specification and Variable Measurement
3.9.1 Model Specification
The following model is formulated for this research in order to investigate the factors affecting
project management performance in road construction in Jimma zone. After determining the degree
of agreement between the respondents and the correlations amongst the independent variables and
dependent variables, regression analysis will be conducted. Furthermore, the regression model for
each group of factors will be developed to determine and predict the probability of their effects of
project planning on the project success so as to determine sub factors that matter the most, which
factors can be ignored and how these factors effects each other using a general regression equation.
Multiple linear regression analysis is essentially similar to the simple linear model, with the exception

27. 20
that multiple independent variables are used in the model. The mathematical representation of
multiple linear regressions is:
Y = a0 + β1X1 + β2X2 + β 3X3 + β 4X4 + β 5X5+ β 6X6+ β 7X7+ϵ
Where; Y = the dependent variable – project management performance in road construction,
β0 = the constant,
X1…. XK = independent variables (explanatory Variables)
β1…... βK = the estimates of the independent variables i.e. the coefficients of the
independent variables. project team related factors, project budget related factors, Project
planning related factors, project scope related factors, Project quality management, project
monitoring & evaluation and project risk management related factors
X1 = Project team related factors
X2 = project budget estimation
X3 = Project Risk management
X4 = project scope
X5 = project planning factors
X6 = Project quality management and
X7 = project monitoring & evaluation
Statistical tools for cause and effect such as multiple regression and correlation will be used to
see the degree of relationship between variables. For both analysis of difference and association,
conclusion is reached at significance level of 5%.
3.9.2 Variable Measurements
The extent of agreement of the various identified the factors affecting project performance in
road construction in will be categorized as low or high Agreement, using a Likert scale/ordinal
scale/, where integers ascending or descending from 1 to 5 will be used for rating. The likert
scale/ ordinal scale/ is a psychometric response scale in which respondents specified their level
of agreement to a statement typically in five points, 1= Strong Disagree, 2= Disagree, 3=
Neutral, 4= Agree, 5= Strong Agree. Since, the researcher wants to find relationships between
project management factors and project management performance in road construction, the best
choice is to do regression analysis. Therefore, the researcher divides the variables into two
groups, which are dependent and independent of the variable.

28. 21
S/N Independent Variable Measurement of variable Expected Sign
1 Project team related factors Likert scale +
2 project budget related factors Likert scale +
3 Project Risk management Likert scale +
4 project scope Likert scale +
5 Project planning Likert scale +
6 Project quality management Likert scale
7 project monitoring & evaluation Likert scale
Dependent Variable
Project management performance in road
construction projects
Likert scale
Table 3.2 Summary of variable and measurements

29. 22
CHAPTER FOUR
4. TIME SCHEDULE AND COST BREAK DOWN BUDGET
4.1 Time Schedule to Complete the Project
The research thesis is planned to be completed within seven months starting from September
2022 to June 2023. The time schedule to complete each activities of the research project is
scheduled as follows. The numbers from 1 to 10 represent each months starting from September
2022 to June 2023.
Activities 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Pre - Field Work
 Proposal Development
 Designing Questionnaire
 Defending Proposal
 Training of Enumerators
Field Work
 Data Collection
 Data Cleaning
Post - Field Work
 1st
Phase Progress Report
 Data Processing
 Data Analysis
 First Draft
 Final Draft
 Submission

30. 23
4.2 Budgeted Cost Breakdown for Study
The cost budget to achieve objective of study is prepared based on the following assumptions
Activity Quantity
Cost per
unit (birr)
Sub Total
(birr)
1 Supplies
 Writing pad 2 100 200
 White paper (A4) for observation
checklist 1 pack 500 500
 Pen 1 pack 200 200
 Binder 1 500 500
 Binding - - 1000
 Voice Recording machine 1 3000 3000
 Flash disk 1 1000 1000
2 Transportation Cost
 For the Researcher/ and enumerator 50 days 200/day 10,000
3 Per Diems
 For the Researcher/ and enumerator 50 days 200 /day 10,000
4 Secretarial Works
 Editing the whole paper
200-300
pages 3000
 Duplication and photocopy of books,
journals, articles final research paper
2000
pages 3 per page 6000
Sub total 34,400
Contingency
(15% of the sub total) 5,160
Grand Total 39,560

31. 24
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