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Item Open Access Critical success factors for effective internal construction stakeholder management(University of the Free State, 2021) Ola-awo, Wasiu; Alayande, Aisha; Olarewaju, Ganiyu; Oyewobi, LuqmanIn developing countries such as Nigeria, Stakeholder Management (SM) practice is weak. The weakness of this practice often inhibits project goals in terms of time and cost overruns, disputes and lack of trust among the stakeholders. This article reports the results of a study on critical factors for successful SM in construction projects in Nigeria, in order to suggest ways to enhance project performance. The study employed a quantitative survey research design, using self-administered questionnaires distributed to construction practitioners (quantity surveyors, architects, engineers, builders and project managers) on construction sites in two selected geo-political zones of Nigeria. The collected data was analysed, using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results indicated that seven critical factors are important to successful SM in the research environment. These include engagement of competent project leaders and team members, effective communication, promoting good relationships, formulating a clear project mission statement, management support, and a good SM strategy which are instructive to improve SM. The study recommends the prioritisation of competency in the selection of project teams, effective relationship management and improved information dissemination during construction as the precursors of successful SM and project performance. Stakeholders must be adequately identified and analysed to ensure that they are competent for the contract and appropriate for the job. Construction practitioners, especially project leaders, could use identified critical success factors (CSFs) as a road map in the development of appropriate solutions for successfully managing stakeholders associated in the Nigerian construction industry.Item Open Access Utilisation of order processing technology for logistics process improvement in the Nigerian construction industry(University of the Free State, 2021) Isah, Yahaya; Shakantu, Winston; Ibrahim, SaiduThe logistic technologies for effective and efficient ‘order processing operations’ in the areas of tracking, shipping, replenishment, dispatching and holding of inventory are deficient in the Nigerian construction industry, when compared to manufacturing and retailing sectors. This is confirmed to have a significant effect on the performance of the construction sector. This article assessed how order processing technology utilised by manufacturing and retail industries could improve the order processing logistics operations of the construction industry. Lagos State and the F.C.T. Abuja, Nigeria, were the selected geographical study areas, from which five manufacturing companies, five retailing companies and five construction projects were purposively selected. Mixed methods research strategy was used. The research instruments included an observation guide (quantitative) and semi-structured interviews (qualitative). The collected quantitative data was analysed, using descriptive analytical tools: frequencies and percentiles. The qualitative data was analysed, using the thematic method. The result revealed that 80% and 100% of the manufacturing and retailing industries, respectively, observed, adopted barcoding technology for order processing purposes. Only 40% of the observed construction project adopted barcoding technology for order processing in the following: 2.4% for receiving process; 0.9% for put-away process; 0.9% for shipping process (stock control); 1.2% for dispatching process; 0.6% for replenishment process, and 1.2% for tracking inventory (stock tracking). In addition, 100% and 80% of the manufacturing and retailing industries, respectively, observed, adopted Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for order processing purposes. Only 40% of the observed construction projects adopted RFID technology for order processing. It was also revealed that utilisation of the order processing technology could have the following benefits: managerial control in the construction industry; shorter processing time; easy way of tracking materials on site, and increased speed of work in the construction industries. The research concludes that effective utilisation of order processing technology in the logistics system could lead to full efficiency gains in the order processing aspect of the construction industry. It is recommended that the Federal Government of Nigeria should mandate all major construction project stakeholders to attend workshops on the use of recent technologies in the management of construction operations.Item Open Access Implementation of the value re-engineering concept in the Nigerian construction industry: exploratory study(University of the Free State, 2021) Jibrin, Ibrahim; Shakantu, WinstonValue Re-Engineering (VRE) is considered a critical analysis and radical redesign of existing construction processes to achieve breakthrough improvements in performance measures. The dissatisfaction of customers’ value offered by the Nigerian Construction Industry (NCI) necessitated a rethink of a new approach to the customers’ need. Hence, this article aims to explore the implementation of VRE in the NCI as a possible solution for the industry to resolve the challenges of customers’ dissatisfaction. A qualitative research approach was used to identify incremental adoption for the implementation of VRE in the NCI. Qualitative data was collected, using a structured tick-box questionnaire interview schedule with 34 key stakeholders in the NCI, including seven directors, nine project managers, nine quantity surveyors, and nine engineers. The tick-box interview schedule explored the level of importance of the activities of the implementation process in the eight phases (steps) for VRE take-off in the NCI. Using QSR Nvivo 12 (a qualitative content analysis tool), the tick-box data was given a numerical score, on a 5-point Likert scale, so that the data could be rated and reported quantitatively. This included frequencies and percentages. The exploratory research findings indicate that there is a significant need for the process to be re-engineered and for establishing a VRE organisational structure critical to achieving the successful implementation and adoption of VRE. Other most important activities for the successful implementation of VRE include evaluating the impact of new technologies; monitoring employee attitudes, customer perceptions, and supplier responsiveness, as well as identifying disconnects (anything that prevents the process from achieving the desired results and, in particular, information transfer between organisations or people). Identifying the customers’ needs by the NCI helps create the market value of the product being produced by the industry players. On the other hand, this improves the global competitive market for the industry by adopting the radical redesign process for the industry.Item Open Access Development of a construction quality assessment tool for houses in South Africa(University of the Free State, 2021) Mahachi, JeffreyHousing is a critical socio-economic driver in the vast majority of developing countries, including South Africa. It involves many aspects such as construction quality, affordability, geographic location, long-term financing, and the environment. A key research concern is the quantification of the construction quality of houses and how this may be used to assist in the delivery of better quality houses. This article is based on studies undertaken on housing construction sites in South Africa. A construction assessment tool is developed using principles similar to those used by CONQUAS in Singapore and Malaysia. The tool thus developed is capable of measuring the quality of ‘as-built’ construction elements of a house against national technical standards and specifications, within reasonable time and cost. Studies on the quality of houses were then conducted on 700 houses (two low-income projects and one middle-income project). The results showed that the two low-income projects had average quality scores of 58% and 64%, while the middle-income project scored 80%. Details of the sub-elements of the scores indicated the developmental needs of the contractors involved in the projects. Using the construction quality assessment tool, the government and other authorities can make better informed decisions when awarding contracts. If introduced and implemented correctly, the quality of the houses delivered across the entire housing spectrum can be measured and monitored, and improvement measures put in place. The data collected through this quality assessment tool will be invaluable for national authorities, regulators, and Statistics South Africa to evaluate and report if the housing stock being delivered is consistently improving. Risk assessment studies will assist the regulators in developing proper quality management strategies.Item Open Access Assessment of time management practices of small medium sized contractors in project delivery in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa(University of the Free State, 2021) Sogaxa, Athenkosi; Simpeh, Eric; Ndihokubwayo, RubenThe purpose of this article is to assess the effective time-management practices adopted by construction SMEs to enhance successful construction project delivery. A mixed methods approach, consisting of both quantitative and qualitative research methods was adopted. A questionnaire was distributed to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) management team purposively selected from CIDB Grades 1 to 4 registered contractors under the general building category. The quantitative data were analysed, using descriptive statistics. To validate quantitative findings, semi structured interviews were conducted with randomly selected respondents who were part of the survey study where content analysis was adopted. The findings revealed that the most adopted effective time-management practices to enhance the sustainable success rate of construction SMEs in South Africa included progress meeting with consultants to ensure regular monitoring of the work progress, strategic planning to recover time lost, effective management of subcontractors, and allocation of tasks to workers according to their skills and expertise. It should be noted that the quantitative findings were consistent with the qualitative findings, and revealed that effective project planning, periodic progress meetings and labour production contribute to the sustainable success rate of SMEs. The results obtained from this article could be adopted as SMEs’ effective time-management practices to enhance sustainable construction project delivery.Item Open Access The effect of poor materials management in the construction industry: a case study of Abuja, Nigera(University of the Free State, 2021) Albert, Idowu; Shakantu, Winston; Ibrahim, SaiduEffective materials management on construction sites is handled carelessly by construction practitioners. This may result in several challenges such as materials waste generation, poor quality of work, project delays, and poor materials flow. Construction practitioners in Abuja, Nigeria, do not understand the consequences of these challenges to construction projects. This article investigates the effect of poor materials management on materials waste, quality of work, and project profitability in construction projects in Nigeria. A qualitative research approach was adopted in the study which included collective case study investigations. The population for the study was ongoing building project sites (ten case studies purposefully selected) in Abuja. The research instrument was direct-covert observation by the researchers to observe and record the construction processes, people’s behaviour, actions and interactions relating to materials management. The construction processes observed included materials usage onsite, loading/offloading of materials from procurement, storages, as well as materials handling and movement on site. Recording sheets with checklists were pre-set with statements (Likert items) and responses to observe and document the effect of poor materials management. The statements were rated on an ordinal three-point Likert scale. The observed/collected data were analysed using descriptive methods to determine the modal values. The findings from the study revealed that poor materials management has a considerable effect on material waste generation on any construction project site; moderate effects on quality of building projects, and both considerable and moderate effects on profitability in the construction projects. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that effective management of materials in construction projects would reduce the amount of waste generation, increase the quality of construction work, and offer optimum profitability to construction contractors. It is, therefore, recommended that the construction industry in Nigeria should collaborate with government agencies to develop guidelines for preparing a waste management plan for the construction industry.