Introduction
The first step to project management philosophy is
planning. The essence of planning is to assist the project team to come up with
a master plan to act a reference and
project guide throughout the construction period. In fact, planning is directly
linked to project success by enabling project performance. Despite the
importance of planning in ensuring the success of the project, the term
planning is among the overused words in The English
language. Even when restricted to the construction industry, the effect is the
same. Different stakeholders define it differently. In most cases, they
describe it as a method of programming the constructions works (Illingworth,
2002). The emphasis placed on programming is wrong. Over-emphasizing on
programming means the planner prepares the construction
program for the benefit of site management (Illingworth, 2002). Such plans are
based on the presumption that all construction methods are efficient, cost effective and are carried out safely. However,
in practice, the assumptions do not work. Although many factors affect the planning process, the human factors have the
greatest effect.
The
performances of a contract are the biggest concern for the clients both in the
public and private sector (Okuwoga, 1998). Many scholars have attempted to
study the indicators of performance in the projects. To understand the concepts
of performance, Karim and Marosszeky (1999) embarked on a study of performance using the Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs). The aim of their study was to uncover the inefficiencies in
the construction industry with the objective of using it for industrial
development. The KPIs include quality, client changes (variations), client satisfaction, business performance,
cost, time, quality and safety. The KPIs listed, assist in the measurement of
organization and project performance in the construction industry. These are
the same factors that are used to deliver value to most construction projects
(Samson & Lema, 2002). The
performance of a project is directly linked to planning and as such the KPIs.
Also, there are other human factors which also affect the planning project
before and during the project period.
Project
Control
The
essence of project control is to ensure the objectives of the project are met
by measuring and monitoring the progress of work. The control should identify
variances from the original plan and apply corrective measures. According to Svejvig and Andersen (2015), project control
is about comparing what the actual events on site with the baseline in the
original plan. Re-planning follows if the plan and the actions do not match.
While the master plan is prepared during
the initial stages of the project, control is mainly done during the execution
stage. Project deviation due to poor project management poses a human factor
that affects the planning process. Planners have to re-adjust their plans to
accommodate the deviations in the
original plan. Various human factors lead
to the deviations from the original plan.
During
the planning process, labor productivity plays the critical role in ensuring
practical the planner arrives at a workable plan. However, forecasting labor
productivity is very difficult, and the
process is subject to many errors. Research by the Mahamid (2013) to identify
the factors that affect labor productivity in West Bank found that labor is vulnerable to factors such as lack of
proper communication and cooperation between parties involved in the
construction process, laborers’ experience and financial status of the owner.
These factors negatively affect their productivity making it difficult for the
allocation of time to construction works (Svejvig & Andersen, 2015). For instance,
lack of cooperation and proper communication results from a large number of
parties involved in the construction project.
The
challenge of developing proper
communication falls directly on the planners. Mahamid (2013) recommends the
development of proper communication channels during the planning stage to avert
misunderstanding. Proper communication
reduces delays in decision making, reworks and frequent changes in design which
have an adverse impact on the
productivity. Lack of sufficient experience and materials have similar effects.
Project
Communication
Experts
appreciate the level of understanding many people have about the need for the
society and organizations to practice good communication. The construction
industry is different because of its characteristics and the number of parties
involved and who act as a barrier to communication directly affecting the
planning process. In response to the imminent danger, Perumal and Abu Bakar
(2011) embarked on carrying out research to
identify the requirements for standardization of the construction communication
process. Standardization fosters improved understanding of
organizational needs concerning cost, time and quality (Perumal & Abu
Bakar, 2011). The aim is to enable documentation that leads to the development
of the standard operating procedures for consistency and accountability in all
operations. It is often difficult to achieve consistency because of the
inter-organizational communication that exists in the construction industry
(Dainty, Moore and Murray, 2006). Construction involves many processes that
start at the inception of the concept through the design and specification up
to the completion of the project. All the processes involved lead to
inter-organizational relationships which make communication an important
factor.
As
Perumal and Abu Baker (2011) suggest, a standardized system is thus inevitable
because any hitch in the communication line will have an effect on the master
plan. Consequently, planning process needs to take into account the effects of
poor communication. The known effects of poor communication include project
delays, increased costs and compromise on the quality of work. Factors that
lead to delays in the construction include ineffective feedback, lack of proper
communication, procurement delays and design variations (Chan, Scott &
Chan, 2005). These factors create uncertainties that are not foreseeable during
the planning period. To prevent these challenges
from occurring, it is necessary to standardize the communication process
through documentation as suggested by Perumal and Abu Bakar (2011).
The
clients being the funders of the projects, their effect on the planning process
cannot be over-emphasized. The nature of the clients does not matter, but their
level of satisfaction has the greatest impact on the planning process of the
project. Often, the clients are unable to describe their needs making it
difficult for the designers and builders to deliver to what they expected.
Because of their inability to communicate their needs, they make many changes
during the progress of the project. The changes have an implication on the cost
and plan by causing delays (Cunningham, 2013). During the planning process, the
planner must consider such factors as the coordination of information between
the client and project parties, the number of disputes that are likely to occur
and the kind of service the clients require. In the research by Abu Shaban
(2008) the level of satisfaction as measured using the Relative Importance
Index (RII) stands at 0.753. RII means that project performance is dependent on
the satisfaction of the employer. But to attain the satisfaction needed, the
number of disputes must be low. Since the
clients are not able to explain their needs well, such disputes are not
completely evitable. The planning process must consider the emergence of
conflicts and plan for their effective resolution. Furthermore, the planning
process must include information coordination. Information coordination helps
in building a strong relationship with the client in order to increase their satisfaction and avoid disputes (Samson
& Lema, 2002).
When
looking at the Clients Satisfaction, it is also imperative to consider the
Satisfaction of the neighbors. Neighbors in this do not mean the people in the
immediate surrounding only but also the regulatory requirements and legal
issues that may arise during the project process. In most regions, neighbors
and problems with the site conditions from sources of delays and disputes (Abu
Shaban, 2008). Iyer and Jha (2005) disagree with Abu Shaban assertion by
claiming that neighbors are not an important issue to clients. Although they
differ on the importance of neighbors with regards to the clients, they agree
that neighbors are important to other parties in the construction
and also to the planning process.
Conclusion
Many human factors and reasons affect the
planning process. These factors pose a great
challenge to project planning process because planners have to overcome them to
make their plans successful and lead to successful delivery of the project.
Provision for the human factors must be allowed during the planning process to
ensure the sound running of the project. Most of these factors present
uncertainties that are difficult to consider during planning. Cultivating
cooperation and effective communication
during the planning and the project execution period is the best way of
addressing the human challenges. Most importantly, the planning process needs
to be holistic in its approaches to ensure its success.
References
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(2006). Causes of delay in large construction
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Cunningham, T. (2013). Factors Affecting
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Dainty, A., Moore, D., & Murray, M.
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