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 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 there are
many factors that 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. There are various human
factors that 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 a negative impact on the productivity. Lack of sufficient experience and
materials have similar effects.
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 to carry 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).
Clients’
Satisfaction
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
There
are many human factors and reasons that 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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