Project Management and Maintenance in
Local Government Areas
Abstract
The research examined factors of
effective maintenance management in the public sector. Data gathering and
analysis involved personal interview and questionnaire. The research hypothesis was subjected to test
and analysis using chi-square (x2). The tested hypothesis disclosed
that funds were the key to project success and sustainability. A number of constraints as well as economic
benefits of the study were highlighted. Recommendations from the study
indicated that projects and facility maintenance should be tailored to the size
of revenue realizable, maintenance implications should be considered along with
project conception and the need for government sound policies in this
regard. Deductions from the study clearly
show that when the required wherewithal for managing and maintaining
projects/facilities are provided and properly carried out by competent
managers, an outcome of satisfaction and drastic reduction in environmental
accidents in our society could be assured.
CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Project management is an outgrowth of
the need to develop and produce projects in the shortest possible time. Project management is necessary in complex
projects in order to provide a unity of purpose and to establish a focal point
for pulling together the cooperative efforts of literally dozens of relatively
autonomous organizations or bodies. It
is particularly useful wherever considerable coordination is required between
several parties. On the other hand, facility maintenance is not only valuable for
the sake of longevity of the life of machines or other productive facilities
but also it serves as a safety valve for the operators of the equipment. According to Priel (1994), the maintenance of
plant and equipment in working order is essential to achieve total quality,
reliability and efficient working. The
best project or equipment will not work satisfactorily unless it is cared for,
and cost of a breakdown in the system can be very high, not only in financial
terms but also in poor staff morale and bad relations with customers. The people and materials must also be
maintained, through training, motivation, healthcare and even entertainment for
the people, and proper storage and handling of materials. Kerzner (2000)
defines project management as the planning, scheduling, and controlling of
series of integrated tasks such that the objectives of the project are achieved
successfully and in the best interest of the project’s stakeholders. Therefore, project management is an important
factor for determining project success.
Where management is poor, there is failure. There is no project that can provide the
expected results without proper and sufficient management. Sound project management is indeed a key
factor in achieving the desired goals and objectives of a project. There are
many factors that affect sustainability and continuous derivation of services
from projects long after their completion, perhaps the most important is the
maintenance of projects or the facilities therein. Maintenance in this context refers to the act
of keeping the productive facilities in good condition, so that the optimal
expected performance or output of the facilities remains about the same as when
the facilities were initially put to use.
Maintenance of productive facilities is
so important for any kind of organization because the alternative – the
replacement of equipment may be very costly financially and in terms of other
requirements. In view of the limited
resources of organizations and especially, Local Government Areas, the desire
to acquire new facilities from time to time may be strong, but the capacity may
be low.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS
Recently, there have been a series of
environmental accidents such as air disasters, collapsed buildings, bridges etc.
in our cities in the various Local Government Areas. These structures and infrastructures were
designed to have a life span of over 30 years but they are neglected to
decompose rapidly beyond repair because of sub-standard materials used or due
to poor/lack of maintenance. The main problem of this study is centered around
inefficiency of project management and facility maintenance. This work seeks to find solution to the
problem.
(1) How the Local Government Area
recognizes the need for project Management and facility maintenance.
(2) How projects are to be properly
implemented and supervised.
(3) How the administrators and
politicians appreciate the essential elements of project management and
facility maintenance.
(4) How inadequate funds affect the
project management and facility maintenance in the Local Government.
(5) How project execution is to be
approved and monitored by Government.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The major objective of this study is to
know how project management and facility maintenance are carried out in Local
Government Areas. This is necessary
because there is the view that efficient project management and sustainable
facility maintenance is a key indicator of project success and future prospect
of the project.
Other objectives of the study are:
(1) To evaluate the performance of
project management and facility maintenance in the Third Tier of Government.
(2) To identify the major problems
affecting project management and facility maintenance in the public sector.
(3)
To determine whether both project management and facility maintenance can lead
to effective utilization of resources.
(4) To enable Local Government
Administrators and politicians appreciate and become conversant with the
essential elements of both project management and facility maintenance
programmes.
(5) To enable readers have a better
understanding of project management and maintenance management programmes in
the public sector.
NB: The Complete Masters Project Topics in Business Administration Thesis is well written and ready to use.