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EVALUATION OF PLANNED RESOURCES CONTROL AS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR PROJECT DELIVERY IN BUILDING INDUSTRY MECHANICAL PLANT AS A CASE STUDY
ABSTRACT
Building/construction projects relies, all things considered, upon how best the resources are overseen. Inability to deal with the resources accessible through planning is probably going to bring about expanded project costs, time overwhelms and low quality. The reason for this exploration was to evaluate effective planned resource control as an effective tool in project delivery in building industry: Mechanical Plant as a Case Study. The examination for the most part embraced a review inquire about plan where polls were utilized to gather information from contractors. Both subjective and quantitative ideal models were embraced right now. The examination site was in Abuja and the objective populace was totally enlisted construction/building contractors of Abacus Building Service, Abuja. Random sampling was utilized to recognize the 106 respondents. Information acquired was investigated utilizing distinct insights, relative significance record analysis, spearman‟s correlation analysis, multiple regression and thematic analysis. The study presumed that: however there is a significant level (76%) of use of Resource Planning in the Nigerian construction industry quite a bit of which is nonstructured, construction projects‟ progress keep on being influenced by postponed materials, absence of work and absence of gear at the purposes of need. A high level of Resource Planning was seen as related with diminished negative effect of construction project progress. The three best Resource planning strategies as experienced by contractors are optimizing, Microsoft Project and subbing resources. The analyst likewise inferred that contractors are not just mindful of the different Resource planning procedures existing in principle yet additionally comprehend their consequences for the project execution
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background To Study
Constructions projects are one of the most common activities we encounter in our lives, yet it is also known as one of the most difficult humankind endeavours. As a matter of fact each project consist of sophisticated and complex processes which need to be carried out by different individuals of different professionals, who have special set of skills and knowledge. All the talent and skills have to be channelled towards a common goal to producing the project. To accomplish this goal, time and money are required. At the end these construction projects, provide us with facilities that are useful, functional, visually pleasing and enjoyable to occupy. This journey is called the project delivery process (Construction Specification Institute, 2011). Effective delivery is all about the control and management of uncertainty. Therefore one needs to identify the uncertainty related to the project and sculpt the best strategy to deliver the project so that the chances of success are increased.
Hence steering the way for accomplishing successful project is all about knowing all the tactics to tackle our way through the impending obstacles. So identifying these obstacles are crucial in order to confront them. Thereby a lot of researchers have immersed themselves in various studies to identify the causes of delay and cost overrun happening in various projects. The analyses on these factors have been carried on different contexts over a long period of time. This continuous effort on finding the causes or the factors for delay and cost overrun are more or less generated similar results and only the ranking have been swapped between the different context and time. Although the repetitiveness in this approach is observed, a change in perspective can provide an interesting insight in a common pattern in these factors. For instance, issues regarding construction materials have been highly ranked in both delay and cost overrun factors and also it is a common factor that is mentioned in almost all the research done on this area. Hence this ignites the curiosity to unfold the relationship between construction material and construction project.
. 1.2 Plant Resource Control In Construction Projects
The main reason for construction material to be so influential in a construction project is because the cost for material handling may range from 30 – 80 % of total construction cost (Proverb, et al., 1999).Therefore ineffective Plant resource control can cause inevitable loss for a construction project. Plant resource control can be considered as a prime uncertainty in a construction project. As Plant resource control is interrelated to other processes and stages of the construction project and is dependent over various other factors it has high uncertainty. Especially the nature of construction project being fragment basis with unstructured communication and no clear responsibility between the parties, increase the challenge of implementing effective Plant resource control. Although Plant resource control problems highly impact the construction professionals all over the world, they are more critical for Maldivian construction professionals. Being a small island nation with a small domestic market; shortage of skilled manpower; difficult inter-island transport and communication and heavy dependence on imported construction material amplified this problem (The World Bank Group, 2016).
1.3 Statement of the Problem
The construction industry in Nigeria lacks a framework which can serve as guidance in the process of resource planning. Currently in the country, the process of resource planning is not based on a scientific approach which takes cognizance of all the prevailing conditions surrounding projects. This assertion is attributed to lack of literature locally explaining and correlating these prevailing conditions in the industry in a way that can guide contractors in the process of resource planning .
The successful completion and performance of a construction process is pegged on three basic performance parameters which have evolved to be regarded as the three pillars of any successful construction project: these include finishing the project within budget and schedule without compromising on the desired quality. Poor resource planning contributes to poor project performance. Mendoza (1995) agrees with this assertion by pointing out that majority of projects suffer from avoidable delays resulting from inadequate resource planning and control. Hegazy (2010) observes that proper resource planning helps resolve resource conflicts, which cause numerous challenges to the organization, such as: delay in completion of certain tasks, challenges in assigning a different resource to a certain task, inability to alter task dependencies, addition or removal of certain tasks and overall time and cost overruns of projects. He further argues that the aim of resource Planning is to increase efficiency when undertaking projects by maximizing on the resources available at hand.
Why is a study needed in the local industry? A number of studies have been undertaken in the field of resource planning . Researchers such as Bandelloni et al. (1994);; Fathi and Afshar (2008); and Garmsiri and Abassi (2012) among others have developed resource planning models from these studies for use in the construction industries. However, it is important to note that all these models have been formulated based on studies done in developed countries. None of these studies have been carried out in developing countries and Nigeria for that matter. The prevailing conditions in the Nigerian construction industry are unique and definitely different from those in the countries where these studies have been done. This assertion is supported by Yimam (2011) who points out a number of differences between the construction industry in developed and developing economies; in developing countries, there is extreme scarcity of resources and underdeveloped private sector while the opposite is true in developed countries. It would therefore be wrong to apply such models in the Nigerian construction industry. There is therefore the need to undertake a study which would take into consideration the nature and characteristics of the Nigerian construction industry and formulate a strategy applicable to it.
Who stands to benefit from proper resource planning ? Resources benefit the most because they get to avoid problems such as over allocation and becoming overwhelmed. The contractor can also avoid delays which are as a result of poor allocations. They can also identify and utilize unused times. Clients also get value for their money in the sense that they get good quality of work at a desired cost and at reasonable time period.
The findings of this study would therefore not only be of great benefit for the contractor but also to the client. Proper resource management will result to reduced cost of delivering the project which translates to increased gain for the contractor in a traditional Design-Bid-Build (DBB) building contract.
Furthermore the unexpected weather conditions escalate the transportation difficulties. The rigorous procedure to deliver the materials to the construction site also has its own uncertainties and ambiguities. The material orders need to be quantified properly to fulfil only the present phase. Because the country is mostly described to have more sea than land therefore lack of storage space is a common problem. Without proper storage of materials it can lead to unexpected condition, which can affect the project. Therefore in this research more in depth study will be conducted to understand how materials management process practice can have an impact on the construction delivery time.
Bringing imported construction materials made-to-order for a construction project is time consuming and requires high expenditure. On the other hand those projects depending on the limited local supplier shops face the difficulty to find the right quantity and quality of materials needed for the projects. Ultimately putting the project at stake and accelerating the cost of the project. Therefore in this research a study will be carried out to explore the relationship between different Plant resource control processes practice and project delivery in terms of cost overrun and delay.
Multiple times the researchers in the field of construction highlighted the challenges that they are facing due to the imported materials, but an in-depth study has never been conducted (Rashfa, 2014). Even though fundamental discussions have been conducted to raise concern regarding construction material, no solid solution has been reached.
1.4 Research questions
- What are the current Plant resource control practices in construction projects?
- Is there any influencing factors determining Plant resource control process type?
- What are the root causes of ineffective Plant resource control in construction projects?
- Is there any relation between the root causes and the current Plant resource control practices?
- How project delivery in terms of cost overrun and delay is related to the Plant resource control practices?
1.5. Aims and Objectives of the Study
The main aim of this research paper is to explore the current Plant resource control practice and its impact on the delivery of building construction projects in Abacus Building Service in Abuja.
The specific objectives of this study are:
- Examine the existing Plant resource control processes in construction projects.
- Identify the root causes of ineffective Plant resource control in construction plant.
- Explore the relationship between Plant resource control process types and project delivery in terms of cost overrun and delay.
- Determine whether any relation between the root causes and the current Plant resource control practices.
- Determine how project delivery in terms of cost overrun and delay is related to the Plant resource control practices.
1.6 Scope of work
This research paper focuses only on the construction industry. Moreover it concentrates specifically on building projects such as; residential and non-residential hotels, restaurants. Even though projects with various project value and size are explored in this research, a special attention to building projects in the Abuja metropolis .
1.7 Significance of Research
The findings from this research will serve as a guideline to the construction industry stakeholders. As a matter of fact construction Plant resource control practices in the construction industry have rarely been identified or recorded previously. Therefore this study will reveal the existing Plant resource control practices and the comparison between the different approaches will give the field professions a deeper insight into these practices.
Moreover this study will generate a list of root causes for ineffective Plant resource control that can be used as a benchmark to control the existing and future projects. In addition to this how these root causes are related to the current Plant resource control practices will aware the stakeholders to be more cautious.
Furthermore the most concerning issues like cost overrun and delay in terms of project delivery and its relation with the current Plant resource control practice will reveal the weakness in the current Plant resource control practices to the stakeholders.
Apart from this research being useful to the field professionals, this study will be valuable for the academicians too. As this study will serve as a support of what the past researchers have written about Plant resource control in construction projects. Furthermore it will also provide information for further researchers who are willing to investigate on this particular or similar case.
1.8 Justification of the Study
Ibrahim (2004) described construction Project planning as the heart of proper project management, this is because it provides the central communication tool for the work of all parties, planning establishes the benchmark for the project control system to track quality and cost (Oberlender,1993). Planning is also the first step to project scheduling, Project Scheduling deals with the time table preparation and the establishment of dates during which various resources, such as equipment and personnel required to perform the activities for completing the project.
Considering the identified benefits of construction project planning, there is need for construction companies to continually study and improve on how they plan execution of construction projects. Hence, this study seek to undertake assessment of contractors planning of construction projects, as a way to provide recommendation capable of improving efficiency in construction project delivery.
Oladimeji and Ojo (2012) highlighted that the total annual volumes of work done by foreign contractors are more likely to be more than that of the indigenous contractors, If this trend continues to occur, Wong and Ng (2010) opined that the survival of indigenous firms may be threatened. Hence it is important to undertake regular evaluation of indigenous contractor’s performance to ensure their viability.
There is also an argument which maintains that the multi-nationals are hesitant to joint venture and train indigenous firms for fear they will provide competition. While this may be true in the long run, in the short run, multi-national and local construction companies are really in two separate markets, and neither will be likely to deprive the other of work.
Project management problems of Nigerian indigenous construction companies can be addressed by training, pre- construction planning, and the application of modern management techniques according to Aniekwu and Audu (2010),). If uncertainties are not considered at the planning stage, cost and time overruns will be experienced during the project implementation stage (David, 2002).
Achuenu, and Bustani (2000) indicated that there is also need to give attention to the development of Nigerian indigenous construction companies to enable them successfully handle any construction work and compete favourably in the future with foreign companies in Nigeria and beyond Nigeria’s shores. Hence, the planning issues facing the development of the construction industry in developing countries which include the availability of indigenous planning capabilities and the nature of the information base necessary for sound planning analysis can substantially be increased by the use of computer planning techniques.
As a justification to this study, there is need to evaluate current construction project planning of indigenous contractors, this will help in identifying causes of construction project planning problems and how to mitigate the problems. This assessment need to take broader evaluation of construction planning taking into account all necessary components of construction project planning.
