Investigating the effectiveness of the project management system utilized by the eThekwini Water and Sanitation Unit to implement capital projects.
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Date
2022
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Abstract
Amongst many, water and sanitation services are essential services that municipalities are
mandated to provide for their local communities in South Africa. These services are provided
through infrastructure projects which are drawn from the National Development Plan (NDP) and
Integrated Development Plan (IDP). They form an integral part in driving economic growth within
the municipalities. The project management system (PMS) is one way of minimizing the risks of
project failure during the implementation process. This research seeks to explore the PMS utilized
by eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS) when implementing its capital projects. The study was
aimed at exploring all inefficiencies associated with the PMS that is utilized by EWS when
implementing capital projects. The qualitative research method alongside with the guided
interview questionnaire were used to collect data for this study. The targeted population was
employees who directly participate in project implementation and development of the policies and
frameworks within the EWS, such as engineers, project managers, senior managers, and deputy
heads. The data that was collected by means of interviews (physical and MS Teams) was
thematically analysed using NVivo software. The emerged themes were used to develop findings
and address the research objectives. The dual interview approach enabled efficient data collection
under the COVID-19 conditions by allowing flexibility to have physical and virtual interviews.
The key and significant findings and recommendations were drawn from the research results to
address the research objectives. The research results revealed that females are still less represented
in senior engineering positions at EWS. Most of the staff received a project management (PM)
short course but none of them have a formal PM qualification or accreditation. It was found that
when implementing projects at EWS, the legislative and financial requirements are given the
highest attention while the PM requirements are lacking. The PMS was found to be lacking, no
PM framework in place and the current organisational structure was found to be not ideal for
successful projects implementation. On a brighter side, it was found that Multidisciplinary Project
Team (MDPT) Business Process Map (BPM) led to improved projects delivery performance.
There was a general finding regarding the lack of PM resources such qualified PM staff,
funding/budget, skills, accountability, and leadership. The focus areas of improvement were
recommended and the suitable project management framework for EWS was provided.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.