Employee perceptions of project management at the Durban University of Technology

Abstract

Project Management for many years have been conducted using a traditional model with the focus being on time, cost and quality and its overall success on managing the organizations more effectively. Organisations are moving towards the use of a more modernistic approach where the focus is being extended to include cost, time, quality and linked to the strategic objectives, reward and recognition systems and building teams.

The goals of the project must be communicated to all those who are involved in its implementation in order to ensure project success. Project managers who get people to want to do what they want by sharing their purpose, vision, and values also establish emotional and intellectual ties that result in sustained commitment. As the demand for project management increases, so does the use of tools and techniques. Project management offers a very structured approach to managing projects. The success of a project will be determined on the ability of the project manager to plan and develop a project, to implement, monitor and control and evaluate the project progress. DUT is faced with situation where there is an enormous demand by staff to participate in project management training. Many of these staff are directly involved in project management whilst others have requested this training as part of their capacity building drive. This study examines the perception of staff members who have attended the project management training with a view to making recommendations on how to improve project management at DUT. It also demonstrates the evaluation of the facilitator, the course content as well as the project management’s relatedness to the demographic profile of the University sample and presents and presents the perceptions of the respondents to the questionnaire. The method of research was largely quantitative and enabled comparison to be quantified. A self-administered closed-response questionnaire was adapted and used to obtain the information required. The study further investigated the staff members’ perception on project failure in respect of lack of user involvement, long timescales, failure to track the progress of projects, no formal change control, inadequately training project managers, poor leadership, cultural misalignment, poor planning and inadequate tracking and reporting. The dissertation makes recommendations on the project management course programme and the critical role of the project manager and the project team.