An-Najah National University 
Faculty of Graduate Studies         

Analysis of Project Management 
Practices in Public Sector in West Bank 
"Ministry of Public Works & Housing"        

By 
Sajeda Rashed Mustafa Janem     

Supervisor 
Dr. Riyad Abdel Kareem Awad       

This Thesis is Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for 
the Degree of Master of Engineering Management, Faculty of 
Graduate Studies, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine. 

2011 



 
ii

            

Analysis of Project Management 
Practices in Public Sector in West Bank 
"Ministry of Public Works & Housing"     

By 
Sajeda Rashed Janem    

This thesis was defended successfully on 13/11/2011 and approved by:    

Defense Committee Members                                          Signature

   

1.   Dr. Riyad Abdel Kareem Awad / Supervisor    ..……………..   

2.   Dr. Iyad Rammal / External examiner      ………………    

3.   Dr. Husam Arman / Enternal examiner     ........................ 



 
iii

 
DEDICATION  

I would like to dedicate my thesis to all of those who supported 

me in any respect during the completion of the thesis.           



 
iv

ACKNOWLEDGMENT 

In the beginning I thank God and praise Him in a manner that befits 

the (infinite) number of His creation, and as it pleases Him, for supporting 

me in the completion of this work.        

I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Riyad Abdel-Kareem 

Awad for his advice on the research and guidance during the preparation of 

this dissertation. I am deeply indebted to my committee members Dr. 

Husam Arman and Dr. Iyad Rammal for their time and effort in reviewing 

this work. 

My deep appreciation to Deputy Minister of Ministry of Public 

Works & Housing for his kind support and encouragement. 

My sincere thanks and gratitude to Eng. Yassin Abou Sa'oud for his 

inspiring valuable insights as this dissertation progressed. His constant 

encouragement, support, patience, and invaluable suggestions made this 

work possible.  

I would like to express my warmest love and forever appreciation to 

my family for their continuous support and encouragement to complete   

my thesis. 

Special appreciation is also extended to all those who positively 

participated in the survey, for their co-operation and contribution.   

Finally, I would like to thank everybody who contributed to the 

successful realization of this work , meanwhile expressing my apologies for 

being unable to mention their names. 



 
v

Analysis of Project Management Practices in Public 
Sector in West Bank ''Ministry of Public Works & 

Housing" 

)(

.

Declaration 

The work provided in this thesis, unless otherwise referenced, is the 

researcher’s own work, and has not been submitted elsewhere for any other 

degree or qualification.  

:

 

Student's name: 

:

  

Signature:

:

    

Date:

 



 
vi

Table of Contents 
No. Contents  Page  

 
Dedication iii 

 
Acknowledgment iv 

 
Declaration v 

 

Table of Contents vi 

 

List of Tables  ix 

 

List of Figures   xi 

 

List of Appendixes xii 

 

Abstract  xiii 

 

Chapter 1: Introduction 1 
1.1 Overview 1 
1.2 Research Problem 3 
1.3 Research Importance  4 
1.4 Research Objectives 6 
1.5 Research Questions 7 
1.6 Research Hypotheses 7 
1.7 Thesis Methodology  8 
1.8 Research Limitations  8 
1.9 Research Outlines 9 

 

Chapter 2: Literature Review 11 
2.1   Introduction 11 
2.2 Development of Project Management 11 
2.3 What is a Project? 17 
2.4 What is Project Management? 19 
2.5 Project Failure and Success  21 
2.5.1 Project Success 21 
2.5.2   Project Success and Failure Factors 22 

2.6 
Project Cycle Management (PCM) and Logical 
Framework Approach (LFA) 

25 

2.6.1 Project Cycle Management 25 
2.6.2 Logical Framework Approach 26 
2.7 Project Life Cycle 28 
2.7.1 Project Initiation 29 
2.7.2 Project Planning 35 
2.7.3 Project Execution 40 
2.7.4 Project Closure 45 
2.8 Ministry of Public Works and Housing 47 
2.8.1 Role of Ministry of Public Works and Housing 48 

2.8.2 
Project Management at Ministry of Public Works and 
Housing 

49 



 
vii

 
No. Contents  Page  

2.9 Summary 49 

 
Chapter 3: Research Methodology 51 

3.1   Introduction  51 
3.2    Research Background 51 
3.2.1   Research Hypotheses 51 
3.2.2   Research Objectives  52 
3.2.3   Research Questions 52 
3.3    Research Design and Methodology 53 
3.3.1 The Deductive versus the Inductive Approach 54 
3.3.2 The Qualitative versus the Quantitative Approach 55 
3.4 Research Purpose 56 
3.4.1 Exploratory 56 
3.4.2 Descriptive 56 
3.4.3 Explanatory 57 
3.5 Data Collection Methods 58 
3.5.1 Literature Review 58 
3.5.2 Questionnaire 58 
3.5.3 Direct Interviews 61 
3.5.4 Cases Studies of Some Projects                62 
3.6   Population of the study 62 
3.7 Survey Sample 62 
3.8    Methods of Analysis 65 
3.9 Research Methodology Description  66 
3.10   Summary 67 

 

Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Discussion 69 
4.1 Introduction 69 
4.2 Discussion of Results 69 
4.2.1 Results Related to the Research Questions 70 
4.2.1.1

 

Results Related to the First and Second Questions 70 
4.2.1.2

 

Results Related to the Third Question 77 
4.2.2 Results Related to the Study Hypothesis 81 
4.2.2.1

 

Results related to the first hypothesis (H1) 81 
4.2.2.2  Results related to the second hypothesis (H2) 81 
4.2.2.3

 

Results related to the third hypothesis (H3) 82 
4.2.2.4

 

Results related to the fourth hypothesis (H4) 86 
4.2.2.5

 

Results related to the fifth hypothesis (H5) 89 
4.3 Conclusion 92 

 

Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations 93 
5.1 Introduction 93 
5.2 Summary 93 
5.3 Major Findings 93 



 
viii

 
No. Contents  Page  

5.3.1 Reality of project cycle management in public sector 
in West Bank 94 

5.3.2 Main factors that hinder achievement of project goals 95 
5.4    Contributions to knowledge and practice 95 
5.5 Recommendations  96 
5.6   Recommendations for Future Studies 97 

 

References 99 

 

Appendix 105 

   



 
ix

List of Tables  
No. Table Page 

Table (3.1) 
Differences between quantitative and qualitative 
methods 

55 

Table (3.2) Distribution of sample according to Qualification 63 
Table (3.3) Distribution of sample according to Job title 63 

Table (3.4) 
Distribution of Sample According to Years of 
Experience 

64 

Table (3.5) Distribution of Sample According to Age 65 

Table (4.1) 
Means, standard deviation, percentages and levels 
of the items of Project Identification 

70 

Table (4.2) 
Means, standard deviation, percentages and levels 
of the items of Project Formulation phase 

71 

Table (4.3) 
Means, standard deviation, percentages and levels 
of the items of the Planning phase 

72 

Table (4.4) 
Means, standard deviation, percentages and levels 
of the items of the Execution phase 

73 

Table: (4.5) 
Means, standard deviation, percentages and levels 
of the items of the Project Closure 

75 

Table (4.6) 
Means, standard deviation, percentages and levels 
of the Project Cycle Management domains 

76 

Table (4.7) 
Means, standard deviation, percentages and levels 
of the items of the main factors that hinder to 
achieve project goals 

78 

Table (4.8) 
One Sample T-Test to test the first hypothesis 
(H1) 

81 

Table (4.9) 

T-Test for independent samples of analysis of 
Project Management Practices in public sector 
“Ministry of Public Works & Housing" due to 
qualification 

82 

Table (4.10)

 

Frequencies, means, and standard deviations of 
the degree of analysis of Project Management 
Practices in public sector “Ministry of Public 
Works & Housing" due to job title 

83 

Table (4.11)

 

One Way ANOVA to test the differences of the 
degree of analysis of Project Management 
Practices in public sector “Ministry of Public 
Works & Housing" due to job title 

85 

Table (4.12)

 

Frequencies, means, and standard deviations of 
the degree of analysis of Project Management 
Practices in public sector “Ministry of Public 
Works & Housing" due to years of experience 

87 



 
x

No. Table Page 

Table (4.13)

 
One Way ANOVA to test the differences of the 
degree of analysis of Project Management 
Practices in public sector “Ministry of Public 
Works & Housing" due to years of experience 

88 

Table (4.14)

 
Frequencies, means, and standard deviations of 
the degree of analysis of Project Management 
Practices in public sector “Ministry of Public 
Works & Housing" due to age 

90 

Table (4.15)

 

One Way ANOVA to test the differences of the 
degree of analysis of Project Management 
Practices in public “Ministry of Public Works & 
Housing" due to age 

91 



 
xi

List of Figures   
No. Figure Page 

Figure (2.1)

 
Project Management Components 21 

Figure (2.3)

 
Project Life Cycle 29 

Figure (2.3)

 
Major Questions to Be Answered During the 
Initiation Phase 

29 

Figure (3.1)

 

Distribution of sample according to qualification 63 
Figure (3.2)

 

Distribution of sample according to job title 64 

Figure (3.3)

 

Distribution of sample according to years of 
experience 

64 

Figure (3.4)

 

Distribution of sample according to age 65 
Figure (3.5)

 

Research Methodology diagram  67 



 
xii

 
List of Appendices 

No. Appendix  Page 

Appendix A  
Questionnaire Form (English Format) 
Questionnaire Form (Arabic Format) 

105 

Appendix B 
Hierarchy of Ministry of Public Works 
&Housing 

120 

Appendix C Survey Raw Data 121 

 



 
xiii

 
Analysis of Project Management Practices in Public Sector in West  

Bank "Ministry of Public Works & Housing" 
By 

Sajeda Rashed Janem 
Supervisor 

Dr. Riyad Abdel Kareem Awad 

Abstract  

This study aims at assessing the different  project management 

practices and tools followed by the different departments in public sector in 

West Bank, in particular, in Ministry of Public Works and Housing  as well 

as to explore effective techniques and tools in project management within 

public sector, and to understand the main factors that hinder achieving 

project goals. 

In order to achieve the objectives of this study; a survey based on a 

questionnaire was carried out among General Directors, Directors, Head of 

Divisions, and Project Managers of related different departments in 

Ministry of Public Works and Housing in West Bank.  

Based upon the analysis of responses and studying case study of 

projects,  the results of the study proved that there is an inefficiency of 

project management practices followed within Ministry of Public Works 

and Housing, and these practices could be graded as moderate with respect 

to best practices.  

The results revealed  that officials believe that using a simple and 

well defined framework with a staged approach ensures project success. 



 
xiv

They also had the conviction that post evaluation of projects is 

essential to project success; to deduce and file continuous 

recommendations so as to overcome possible shortcoming in new projects. 

Nevertheless, miscommunication among project team, absence of thorough 

planning  and non-adopting of clear methodologies revealed as the main 

factors that lead for hindrance of achieving project goals. 

Keywords: Public Sector, Ministry of Public Works & Housing, Project 

Management.  



 
1

CHAPTER 1 

INTRODUCTION 

1.1 Overview 

Palestine, a state under formation and has limited resources, faces 

challenges towards achieving its future visions and national strategic plans.  

(National Development Plan, 2011-2013).  

Palestine faces a tremendous challenge within its institutions to 

manage the implementation of various planned projects in an efficient  way 

by using abiding methodologies. These projects, (mostly  infrastructure 

projects) are desperately needed to establish a strong foundation base for    

a future prosperous state. National responsibilities of public & private 

institutions towards sustainable development are highly expected.  

  Infrastructure has a significant position in the economic sector 

development. The studies done by the World Bank shows a close reciprocal 

relationship between infrastructure availability – Gross Domestic Product 

(GDP) growth. Empirically and intuitively, the investment of infrastructure 

has a significant influence against national economic growth. In the era of 

globalization, the national economy is not released from global economy, 

while the national economy is the resultant of the local economies. There is 

a close relationship between economy and the infrastructure availability 

and also between global economies, nationally and locally. To ensure the 

growth of national economic, the infrastructure development should be 

selected, reliable planning and to meet the feasibility conditions in order to 



 
2

establish economic network locally, nationally and globally in sustainable 

manner. (Salvatore, 1977) 

So,  practitioners are increasingly using project management tactics 

to plan and organize resources to achieve a specified outcome within a 

given timeframe and a constrained budget. They also try to manage and  

anticipate risks in a structured manner. 

Organizations using project management have shown better 

utilization of resources, shorter development times, reduced costs, inter-

departmental cooperation that builds synergies across the organization, and 

a better focus on results and quality. (Morris, 2007). 

Each project proceeds through a life cycle (almost typical) from 

preplanning to post evaluation. During implementation changes and 

differences are encountered and decisions are bound to be taken so that  the 

project can proceed to completion. Management teams are usually   

grouped from various disciplines and backgrounds reflecting different   

attitudes and beliefs imposing distant views and solutions that lead to 

severe conflicts. 

Palestine is greatly dependant on foreign aid and interventions from 

donors often require certain procedures to be followed which may differ 

from general practices carried out by the concerned national parties. 

Different Implementing Agencies follow different procedures for the 

different stages of the project life cycle depending on its legal entity and 



 
3

source of funding. Financing requirements are always imposed following 

the Donors’ home countries laws and regulations for external aid. 

Nevertheless, the Palestinian law and regulations do exist and usually the 

agreements signed between the Palestinian Authority and Donors do allow 

deviations of Palestinian regulations. 

Performance during implementation is not up to  expectations. This 

is due to different reasons. The absence of clear internal co-ordination 

mechanisms and regulations within public institutions, inefficient personnel 

and absence of motivation are among these causes. Institutions react to 

performance inefficiency in many ways. Possible solutions may be oriented 

towards purchasing consultancy services, training of personnel, change of 

regulations, and adoption of new methods and tools. 

There is no evidence that the above measures are definitely 

successful in improving project performance. However, the question that is 

constantly imposed and practitioners strive to answer is: 

"What can be done to develop project management practices in 

public sector in Palestine and enhance project performance?" 

1.2 Research Problem  

         Ministry of Public Works and Housing, the formal governmental 

implementing agency of public sector projects, is considered the first 

executive arm and responsible of implementation of government programs. 

The Ministry of Public Works and Housing undertakes the construction and 



 
4

development of the network of roads as well as the construction of 

buildings and government constructions, and the development and 

construction of housing sector, in addition to the development of work in 

the construction sector. 

One of the main challenges that face this government agency to 

realize their vision and strategic plans, is how to apply the project 

management principles effectively in its activities. 

So, in this study, an attempt has been made to provide some aspects 

of the answers to the management dilemma embodied in the question: 

"What can be done to develop project management practices in public 

sector in Palestine and enhance project performance?"  

1.3 Research Importance 

Nowadays, on one side the development of infrastructure projects of 

all countries in the world is demanded to implement fast, reliable, efficient 

and effective, useful and having high capacity for competition in the global 

era. On the other side, the development of infrastructure projects is 

expected to support the national economic growth, to increase the 

prosperity of the people and make the quality of the local environment 

better. Therefore, the government of the countries should take a policy to 

develop the infrastructure projects in accordance with the current era, while 

the private sector and the community are expected to participate in the 

construction services. In this regard, the development of infrastructure 



 
5

projects should fulfill the feasibility of technical, economical, financial, 

social and environmental, to support the development of economic network 

locally, nationally, and globally in sustainable manner. 

To fulfill the demand, project management development should be 

an important issue in the public and private sectors. The development of 

project management practices in public sector is the most important field in 

developed and developing countries, since it identifies the methodologies 

and actions needed to achieve government strategic goals. 

So, the successful processes of identification, planning, 

implementation, and completion of projects present an urgent need that has 

attracted considerable interest and activity on the part of organizational 

developers. 

The benefits of  assessing of the project management practices  and 

exploring the effective  practices in Ministry of Public Works and Housing 

will strengthen these practices within its various  departments and be the 

leading institution for enforcing effective project management practices in 

West Bank through: 

1- Building awareness among employees to apply project management 

effectively,  

2- Facilitating the work flow. 

3- Improving the performance, productivity, quality and efficiency of 

projects.  



 
6

4- Developing management skills, tools and techniques.  

5- Encouraging team work rather than individual work.  

6- Avoiding problems which hinder of achieving project's goals. 

1.4  Research Objectives 

To obtain a high level of efficiency of implementation of the public 

projects, a clear and well defined system should be institutionalized. This 

study is an attempt to highlight and examine project management  practices 

in public sector in West Bank. So, this study aims:   

 

To assess the different  project management practices and tools 

followed by the different departments in public sector in West Bank, in 

particular, in Ministry of Public Works and Housing. 

 

To explore the effective techniques and tools in project management 

practices within public sector. 

 

To add a contribution of understanding the main factors that hinder 

achievement of  projects goals. 

 

To provide recommendations to improve project management  

practices in the Palestinian public sector as well as enhance the success 

of projects.  



 
7

1.5  Research Questions 

Based on the above objectives, this study should result in answers to  

the following questions: 

 

Q1. What is the reality of project management in public sector in West 

Bank? 

 

Q2. What are the effective techniques and tools in project management 

practices within public sector? 

 

Q3. What are the main factors that hinder achievement of projects 

goals?  

1.6 Research Hypotheses 

 

H1. There is a deficiency in project management practices applied by    

the Public Sector in West Bank with the best practices. 

 

H2. Participants in the survey should not differ in their responses to the 

questionnaire due to the qualification.  

 

H3. Participants in the survey should not differ in their responses to the 

questionnaire due to job title. 

 

H4. Participants in the survey should not differ in their responses to the 

questionnaire due to years of experience. 

 

H5. Participants in the survey should not differ in their responses to the 

questionnaire due to age. 



 
8

1.7 Thesis Methodology:  

The methodology of this study is based on: 

1. Review of available literature concerning project management culture 

and practices.  

2. Depicting a typical project cycle and exploring management tools and 

procedures applied with respect to every stage within the public sector. 

3. Field visits to concerned parties to conduct interviews with officials 

concerning management practices. 

4. Conducting a survey to evaluate the usage and efficiency of followed 

management practices. 

5.Collection of data related to general problems that hinder progress, 

affect performance and study of causes. 

6. Case studies of some projects. 

7. Conducting analysis of the data collected. 

8. Developing conclusions and recommendations. 

1.8 Research Limitations  

The research will be limited to the following: 

 

Only one ministry. 

 

Construction projects only; projects of other types will not be discussed. 



 
9

 
Projects built by public sector. 

1.9 Research Outlines 

This thesis is divided into five chapters, as follows:  

Chapter (1): Introduction 

This chapter contains an introduction which is intended to give an 

overview of the importance of project management, followed by the 

statement of the problem, the objectives of the research and research 

questions. 

Chapter (2): Literature Review  

This chapter displays brief  history of project management, reviews 

many definitions and concepts of project management and outlines its 

importance. It attempts to emphasize  the importance of the adoption of a 

formal project management methodology and well-defined framework. 

Finally, it presents the different phases of project life cycle. 

Chapter (3): Research Methodology 

This chapter presents the research methodology, which explains how 

the investigation was through, and the methods of data collection. 

Chapter (4): Data Analysis and Discussion 

This chapter presents a comprehensive analysis and discussion of the 

questionnaire results and summarizes the inferences concerning  the    

study questions that were stated in chapter one. 



 
10

Chapter (5): Conclusions and Recommendations 

This chapter concludes the study through an articulation of the 

research findings, puts recommendations  and suggestions for future works. 



 
11

CHAPTER 2 

LITERATURE REVIEW 

2.1  Introduction 

As previously mentioned in Chapter 1, the aim of this research is to 

assess project management practices in public sector in West Bank,  as well 

as to explore effective techniques and tools in project management within 

public sector, and to understand the main factors that hinder achievement 

of project goals.  

The main concern of this chapter is to provide needed background 

and information to overshadow the research subjects and objectives. 

This chapter displays development of project management, reviews 

many definitions and concepts of project management, outlines the 

importance of project management and presents the different phases of 

project life cycle. 

2.2 Development of Project Management 

Projects from ancient times have left impressive legacies on our 

architectural and industrial culture. One wonders how some of those early 

masters managed without the technology that is cheaply available today. 

However, with the exception of a few notable philanthropic employers, 

concern for the welfare and safety of workers was generally lacking and 

many early project workers actually lost their lives through  injuries, 

disease and unbearable physical exhaustion. People were often regarded as 

a cheap and expendable resource (Morris, 1994). 



 
12

Formal management organizational structures have existed from 

early times, but these flourished in military, church and civil 

administrations rather than in industry. Industrial organization came much 

later.  

Rapid industrialization and the demands of munitions production in 

World War One saw the emergence of management scientists and 

industrial engineers such as Elton Mayo and Frederick Winslow Taylor, 

who studied people and productivity in factories (Kanigel, 1997). Henry 

Ford made production-line manufacture famous with his Model T 

automobile and Henry Gantt (1861-1919) developed his famous charts 

which are still popular and universally used up till now with an especial 

importance for project managers. 

By the end of the 1930s, modern project management had begun to 

emerge most conspicuously in the military and process engineering 

industries. The Manhattan project, which involved  the development of the 

first atomic bomb, is commonly presented as the first evidence of modern 

project management, although it did not use abundantly available project 

management tools such as network planning or work breakdown structures. 

It is not generally appreciated that early examples of critical path 

networks were developed before 1950's as their value was not widely 

appreciated at the time. Without the existence of computers, these  

networks were inflexible to change, tedious to translate into working 

schedules and thus impracticable and difficult to use. Gantt’s bar charts 



 
13

were generally preferred as often set up on proprietary charts that allowed 

rescheduling using movable magnetic or plug-in strips or cards. Everything 

from the allocation of labor and machinery to holiday schedules, was 

controlled by charts and were usually displayed prominently on office 

walls. 

The early 1950s showed little progress in the formalization of  

project management, but by the end of the decade, this situation had been 

significantly changed by two major developments: the development of the 

network project planning  and monitoring techniques of PERT (Project 

Evaluation Review Technique), CPM1 (Critical Path Method), and PDM 

(Precedence Diagramming Method) ; and systems engineering. (Morris, 

1994) 

The 1960s witnessed an intellectual push to apply general 

management theories to project management, particularly in terms of the 

"system approach" and organizational factors such as differentiation, 

integration, and interdependence. The late years of 1960s witnessed a shift 

form focus upon organizational and scheduling aspects to more 

comprehensive texts on project management (Morris, 1994).  

The 1960s also witnessed  the establishment of the two major 

professional project management bodies independently in Europe and 

North America.  

                                                           

 

1 Critical Path Method (CPM), and Project Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) were 
developed in the USA independently in the late 1950s. (Kelley & Walker, 1989). On the other 
hand, the networking method which later came to be called PDM was initiated with the award 
of a research contract by the US bureau of Yard and Docks of Stanford University, Civil 
Engineering Department (Fondahl, 1987). 



 
14

 
IPMA (International Project Management  Association)  

      IPMA was formed in 1965 originally as a forum for European network 

planning practitioners to exchange knowledge and experience. IPMA's 

focus is in the development and promotion of the project management 

profession and provides standards and establishes guidelines for the work 

of project management professionals through the IPMA Competence 

Baseline. 

 

PMI (Project Management Institute) 

North America's PMI was formed in 1969, PMI is a professional 

organization for the project management profession with the purpose of 

advancing project management. 

Due to the  rapid growth in information technology or IT, industrial 

project management continued as before but with more project 

management software available and wider recognition of the role.  

Furthermore, project management was spreading to many diverse  

industries such as banking, law, pharmaceuticals and advertising. 

Snyder (1987) noted that in the 1970's, the writings on project 

management took two significant new directions; applications and 

professional recognition. 

Many of the distinctive project management techniques which were 

developed or refined during the1970s appear to owe much to the rational  



 
15

problem-solving approaches which were characteristic of the systems 

concepts of the time. These include WBS (Work Breakdown Structure), 

OBS (Organization Breakdown Structure), responsibility assignment 

matrices (e.g. Linear Responsibility Charts) and earned value methods 

(Stretton, 2007) 

Development of the professional project management associations 

grew during this period, which also witnessed the development of 

legislation to protect workers’ health and safety.  

Although project management software became more widely 

available, processing continued to be carried out on big expensive 

mainframe computers in batch mode. Graphics were primitive compared 

with modern equipment. Data input was still accomplished by copying  

data from network diagrams on to coding sheets from which cards had to 

be punched and verified, sometimes needing two cards for every network 

activity. After sorting, these punched cards had to be taken to trained 

computer operators, who worked in clean air-conditioned rooms where 

entry was usually forbidden to project managers. The first process results 

always seemed to produce a large pile of print-out listing a crop of errors 

that needed considerable detective work before the faults could be 

identified, and then corrected by punching several new cards before the 

computer could produce its practical working schedules (Morris, 1994). 

During 1980s, project management began to become a mature 

management discipline "The eighties was a period of integration of the 



 
16

many different areas of emerging experience into accepted principles and 

practices common to most application areas" (Stretton, 1994b). 

Before the 1980s, the emphasis in project management tools and 

techniques had tended to be on the execution or implementation phases of 

projects. But that situation was changing, and in the 80s increasing 

emphasis was being placed on the "front end" of projects2. So, during the 

1980s, increasing attention was directed towards needs determination, 

feasibility studies, value analysis, risk management and project startup. In 

1980s a certification program was developed and approved by the PMI 

Board. 

Practically all software suppliers recognized the need to make their 

products compatible with Microsoft Windows. Microsoft itself    

introduced Microsoft Project into their Office suite of programs. One or 

two operating and plotting faults in very early versions of Microsoft  

Project were eliminated in later versions and the program is now by far the 

most widely used program especially among students who appreciate its 

user-friendly features. However, many professionals continue to use 

programs at the high end of the software market preferring their greater 

power, versatility and adaptability for particular project applications. 

                                                           

 

2 Barnes & Wearne (1993) express it: "The evolution of techniques of project management has 
moved progressively from concentration upon the problems apparent at the tail end towards the 
front end - from downstream to upstream. The emphasis for project management now is to start 
with attention to a project's needs and risks as a whole so as to anticipate the potential problems 
and shrink the risks". 



 
17

Project risk is taken seriously and people pay more attention to 

predicting risk events so that contingencies and risk mitigation strategies 

can be planned. Of immense importance is the power of communication 

made possible by satellites and the Internet, effectively shrinking the world 

and making it possible to transmit drawings, reports and other documents 

almost instantaneously to almost anywhere. 

2.3 What is a Project? 

The definition of a project has been the subject of considerable 

debate over the years among the practitioners of project management and 

the goal of developing a comprehensive definition of what a project is has 

remained elusive over the years (Cleland & Ireland, 2002; Crawford & 

Pollack, 2007).  

In order to understand the theory and practice of project 

management, it is necessary to first establish the definition of a project  and 

then to define project management. Once the concept of a project has been 

defined, it is possible to define project management. Several definitions can 

be found in the literature with enough basic similarities that a clearer 

definition can be deducted. 

Davis (1951) defined a project as “any undertaking that has 

definitive and final objectives representing specific values to be used in the 

satisfaction of some need or desire”. 



 
18

Kerzner (1979) defined a project as: " A unique undertaking that 

consists of a specific objective,  series of tasks, defined scope and 

specifications, a schedule for completion, a budget and resource 

consumption".  

Tuman (1983) defined a project as: "An organization of people 

dedicated to a specific purpose or objective. Projects generally involve 

large, expensive, unique or high risk undertakings which have to be 

completed by a certain date, for a certain amount of money, within some 

expected level of performance. At a minimum, all projects need to have 

well defined objectives and sufficient resources to carry out  all the 

required tasks". 

Wideman (1985) defined project as follows: "Any undertaking with 

a defined starting point and defined objectives by which completion is 

identified. In practice most projects depend on finite or limited resources 

by which the objectives are to be accomplished". 

The Project Management Institute (2004) defines a project as:" A 

temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service". 

Temporary means that every project has a specific beginning and a specific 

end. Unique means that a product or service is different in some 

characteristic way from all other products or services. One of the aspects of 

a project that the PMI emphasizes is progressive elaboration; a term that 

refers to a characteristic of projects that integrates the concepts of unique 

and temporary. "Because the product of each project is unique, the 



 
19

characteristics that distinguish the product or service must be   

progressively elaborated. Progressively means proceeding in steps; 

continuing steadily by increments, while elaborated means worked  out 

with detail; developed thoroughly" (PMI, 2004). 

There are three key dimensions to a project: 

 

budget 

 

time 

 

quality 

These have to be balanced to manage a project successfully. A 

successfully completed project would finish on time, within the estimated 

budget and having achieved all of the quality requirements. These three 

dimensions of budget, time and quality are often regarded as the aspects of 

a project that must be kept in an appropriate balance if the project is to 

achieve a successful outcome (Hamilton,2004).  

2.4 What is Project Management? 

Havranek (1999) defined project management as "the art  and 

science of planning, organizing, integrating, directing and controlling all 

committed resources throughout the life of a project to achieve the 

predetermined objectives of scope, quality, cost  and customer 

satisfaction". 



 
20

Kerzner (2003) offered the following definition of project 

management: "Project management is the planning, organizing, directing 

and controlling of company resources for a relatively short-term objective 

that has been established to complete specific goals and objectives". 

The PMI (2004) defined project management as "the application of 

knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project 

requirements. Project management is accomplished through the use of the 

processes such as: initiating, planning, executing, controlling  and closing". 

PMI went on to explain that the work of projects usually involves (a) 

competing demands for scope, time, cost, risk and quality; (b) stakeholders 

with different needs and expectations; and (c) identified requirements. 

Westland (2006) also defines project management as: "the skills, 

tools and management processes required to undertake a project 

successfully". It incorporates: 

 

A set of skills: specialist knowledge, skills and experience are required 

to reduce the level of risk within a project and thereby enhance its 

likelihood of success. 

 

A suite of tools: various types of tools are used by project managers to 

improve their chances of success. Examples include document 

templates, registers, planning software, modeling software, audit 

checklists and review forms. 



 
21

 
A series of processes: various processes and techniques are required to 

monitor and control time, cost, quality and scope of projects. Examples 

include time management, cost management, quality management, 

change management, risk management and issue management. 

                        Processes 

  Skills Tools   

Figure (2.1): Project Management Components. 

2.5 Project Failure and Success  

2.5.1 Project Success 

Freeman and Beale (1992) stated that project success has different 

meanings to different people and it is very context dependent. "Trying to 

pin down what success means in the project context is akin to gaining a 

consensus from a group of people on the definition of good art" (Jugdev & 

Muller, 2005). 

At its most basic level, project success is seen as finishing project 

deliverables on time, on budget and to a quality grade (Greer, 1999). As 

found in the early literature and practice, "the Iron Triangle (schedule, 

scope and budget) was  a measure of success" (Cooke-Davis, 2002; 

Hartman, 2000). 



 
22

Thomsett, following extensive study of 20 failing projects over a 

period of 18 years, expands this criteria of success as what "satisfies  

stakeholder groups, meets requirements, meets quality expectations / 

requirements, within cost (paid, unpaid and business expert costs), within 

deadline, delivers sustained and actual benefits and provides the team with 

professional satisfaction and learning" (Thomsett, 2002). 

Lim and Mohamed (1999) used the analogy of the forest and the 

trees to illustrate the difference between the macro and micro points of 

view of project success. The micro point of view is concerned with 

assessing project management success based on project completion, while 

the macro point of view involves the longer range perspective of product 

use to measure customer satisfaction. The point is that determining  

whether or not the project has succeeded could not be determined until the 

operational stage that occurred after the project had passed to the receiving 

organization and the project received evaluation input from the users and 

stakeholders. "Lim and Mohammed’s work was significant because it 

referred to setting expectations at the project’s onset. This approach 

contributed to alignment between project deliverables and expectations so 

that the work could be guided along those lines" (Jugdev & Muller ,2005).  

2.5.2  Project Success and Failure Factors 

The project management literature reviewed shows that the concept 

of project success has been and continues to be a major concern in this 

field. The two different aspects of concern are the following: (a) How 



 
23

success is measured (success criteria), and (b) what are the factors that 

contribute to project success (Crawford, 2002). 

The first aspect of the concern was mentioned in the previous 

section.  

Project success factors (PSFs)  are factors or characteristics that, 

when present, improve the likelihood that projects will be implemented 

successfully (Kerzner, 1997, 2003; Pinto & Slevin, 1987). Kerzner (1987) 

also defined PSFs as "elements required to create an environment where 

projects are managed consistently with excellence". 

Greer (1999) states that "Planning is everything  and ongoing", and 

expands this by saying "planning and re-planning must be a way of life for 

project managers", and due to the dynamic nature of many projects, the 

plan must be regularly revised. The planning and control of project scope is 

important to avoid higher costs and late delivery (Butterick, 2000). Well 

defined requirements are an important input into the scope management 

process. 

The management of change in a project is a critical success factor,  a 

formal method of recording change requests, assessing the effect of the 

change on the project and a change approval process are required to be 

controlled (Thomsett , 2002). 

Management of Risk in a project is another element of successful 

projects. Risk management should begin during project planning and 



 
24

identify risks that can cause problems later in the project. Some risks can 

never be totally eliminated and they may change during a project, but 

ongoing well thought out risk assessment and risk mitigation strategies 

together with risk contingencies in the project budget are required to avoid 

unpleasant project surprises. (Cameron, 2002). 

Butterick summarizes the results of a benchmarking study into 

project success factors across a wide range of industries into ten "lessons 

learned". One of these lessons is to "use the same, simple and well defined 

framework with a staged approach in all circumstances".  Constantly using 

the same staged approach minimizes confusion and the need for  re-

learning for people connected with the project. The staged approach allows 

planning of the next stage in detail while further stages are planned in 

summary form. Separating each stage is a decision point or gate. The gate 

allows for quality control checks, prioritization and a point from which to 

plan forward. Traditionally the gate ends each phase. Some organizations 

use the gate as an entry point to the next phase which allows phases to 

overlap (start before the previous phase has finished) without increasing 

risk (Butterick, 2000). 

In conclusion, the main causes of project failure include: poor project 

sponsorship, undefined requirements and miscommunication.   However 

the number one cause of project failure is the lack of adoption of a formal 

project methodology. Without adopting a clear methodology or framework 

for delivery, most project teams start building deliverables before their 



 
25

scope and objectives are clearly thought through. They have no structured 

processes for undertaking project tasks, and so they fail to effectively 

manage time, cost, quality, risks, issues and changes within the project. It is 

inevitable that such projects suffer from scope creep, milestone delays, 

poor deliverable quality and a lack of customer satisfaction. So, to avoid 

project failure: a repeatable project methodology to be used with structured 

project processes for initiating, planning, executing and closing projects 

effectively. 

2.6 Project Cycle Management (PCM) and Logical Framework 

Approach (LFA) 

2.6.1  Project Cycle Management 

Project Cycle Management (PCM) was introduced by the European 

Commission in the early 1990’s to improve the quality of project design 

and management and thereby to improve aid effectiveness.( ITAD,1999) 

The way in which projects are planned and carried out follows a 

sequence beginning with an agreed strategy that leads to an idea for a 

specific action an oriented towards achieving a set of objectives which is 

then is formulated, implemented and evaluated with a view to improve  the 

strategy for further action.  

Project Cycle Management is an approach to managing projects. It 

determines particular phases of the project and outlines specific actions  

and approaches to be taken within these phases. The PCM approach 



 
26

provides for planning and review processes throughout a cycle and allows 

for multiple project cycles to be supported.  

2.6.2 Logical Framework Approach 

Project planning and management tools provide the practical 

mechanisms by which relevance, feasibility and sustainability can be 

achieved. The core tool used within PCM for project planning and 

management is described as Logical Framework Approach (LFA). 

The LFA is a tool for the systematic management of projects and 

programs that focuses on results and not on activities. It provides the tools 

for logically establishing project objectives and defining their causal 

relationships. Additionally, it describes external factors that influence 

success; assumptions for implementation and the risks confronting the 

project. The LFA also supports regular monitoring and evaluation through 

the identification of verifiable and measurable indicators that help 

determine whether objectives have in fact been met.  

The LFA is a purposive approach that entails stakeholder 

involvement to ensure project relevance or sustainability. It has two  

phases; namely the analysis phase and the planning phase. 

The LFA also is defined as a tool for planning and managing 

development projects. It looks like a table (or framework) and aims to 

present information about the key components of a project in a clear, 

concise, logical and systematic way. The log frame model was developed 



 
27

in the United States and has since been adopted and adapted for use by 

many other countries. (Cordingley, 1995) 

The LFA summarizes, in a standard format the following: 

• What the project is going to achieve? 

• What activities will be carried out to achieve its outputs and purpose? 

• What resources (inputs) are required? 

• What are the potential problems which could affect the success of the 

project? 

• How the progress and ultimate success of the project will be measured 

and verified? (Cordingley, 1995) 

(WWF. 2005) The logical framework approach provides a set of 

design tools that when applied creatively can be used for planning, 

designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating projects. Log frames 

give a structured, logical approach to setting priorities, and determining   

the intended purpose and results of a project. Used correctly, log frames 

can provide a sound mechanism for project development. Logical 

frameworks also lay the basis for activity scheduling, budgeting, 

monitoring and for evaluating the impact, effectiveness, efficiency and 

relevance of a project. 

The evolution of LFA has been driven largely by international and 

bilateral aid agencies for use in Third World development planning and 



 
28

project management. Curiously, even though its core tool – the log frame 

matrix - is a mature 30 years old, its use in Australia has been very 

inconsistent and its potential is still largely unrecognized. At the federal 

government level, LFA has been adopted by AusAID and, in part, by Land 

& Water Australia, while in Queensland it is now used by most state 

government departments and by the corporate sector, largely due to its 

promotion by a Brisbane-based project management training and 

consultancy firm, Project Management Solutions Australia Pty Ltd. 

(Finlayson, P.M. ,1999). 

2.7 Project Life Cycle 

The idea of a life cycle suggests that a project has a life. This implies 

a sequence of phases, including birth, growth, maturity, aging and death. 

The project life cycle model describes the different phases that a 

project normally passes through as it progresses to a conclusion. The  

model is based on the idea that, although all projects are different, they all 

progress through similar phases. Each phase completes a stage of the 

project. (Martin, 2006) 

The project cycle also provides a structure to ensure that 

stakeholders are consulted and relevant information is available   

throughout the life of the project, so that decisions can be made at key 

stages in the life of a project. 



 
29

According to (Westland, 2006) The project life cycle consists of  

four phases as shown in Figure 2.2.       

Figure (2.2): Project Life Cycle  

2.7.1 Project Initiation     

Figure (2.3) Major Questions to Be Answered During the Initiation Phase 

The project initiation phase is the conceptualization of the project. 

Accordingly, the purpose of the project initiation phase is to specify what 

the project should accomplish. The caution in this purpose lies the 

customer’s needs if inadequately articulated and poorly formulated goals 

and objectives will stand out as a significant source of concern. This 

starting point is critical because it is essential for those who will deliver  



 
30

the product/process and for those who will use that product/process  and for 

those who have a stake in the project to reach agreement on its initiation. 

(Project Management Methodology, 2004) 

The initiation phase is the first phase of a project management life 

cycle and the most crucial phase. During this phase a business problem or 

opportunity is identified and a business case providing various solution 

options is defined. Next, a feasibility study is conducted to investigate 

whether each option addresses the business problem and a final 

recommended solution is then put forward. Once the recommended 

solution is approved, a project is initiated to deliver the approved solution. 

Project charter  is completed outlining the objectives, scope and structure 

of the new project and a project manager is appointed. The project manager 

begins recruiting a project team and establishes a project office 

environment. Approval is then sought to move into the detailed planning 

phase. 

There are six key steps to properly initiate a new project and are as 

follows:  

1- Develop a business case 

The trigger to initiating a project is identifying a business problem or 

opportunity to be addressed. A business case is created to define the 

problem or opportunity in detail and identify a preferred solution for 

implementation. The business case includes: 



 
31

• A detailed description of the problem or opportunity.  

• A list of the alternative solutions available. 

• An analysis of the business benefits, costs, risks and issues. 

• A description of the preferred solution. 

• A summarized plan for implementation. 

The business case is then approved by an identified project sponsor, 

and the required funding is allocated to proceed with a feasibility study. 

2- Undertake a feasibility study 

At any stage during or after the creation of a business case, a formal 

feasibility study may be commissioned. The purpose of a feasibility study 

is to assess the likelihood of each alternative solution option achieving    

the benefits outlined in the business case. The feasibility study will also 

investigate whether the forecast costs are reasonable, the solution is 

achievable, the risks are acceptable and the identified issues are avoidable. 

3- Establish the project charter 

After the business case and feasibility study have been approved, a 

new project is formed. At this point, project charters are created. The 

project charter defines the vision, objectives, scope and deliverables   for 

the new project. They also describe the organization structure, activities, 

resources and funding required to undertake the project. Any risks, issues, 

planning assumptions and constraints are also identified. 



 
32

Without a project charter, the goals of the project will be ambiguous 

and often understood incorrectly by the key stakeholders who  have  

different points of interest in the project. The result is a project beset with 

conflicting priorities and role confusion in many cases to failed project.  

While unique charters are to be written for each specific project, 

charters should contain at least the following aspects:  

Project Authorization: A brief written statement should identify the 

authorized project by name and/or number.  

Project Manager Authorization: The name of the project manager, 

including a description of his/her responsibilities should be clearly 

identified.  

Key Stakeholders: All key stakeholders identified in the project proposal. 

Their functions and roles must be defined clearly to avoid role confusion. 

List all stakeholders, their roles and how they will contribute to the project.  

Project Goal(s):  Having a clear, agreed-upon goal statement is vital to   

the success of the project. The goal statement in the project charter must   

be identical to the goal established in the approved project proposal. The 

goals must be specific, measurable, achievable,  relevant to corporate goals 

and must have a timeline.  

Project Priorities: A list of the project priorities (time, cost, scope, etc.) 

must be included and delineated in the order of importance. These  

priorities should remain constant throughout the project whenever  



 
33

possible. The importance of conveying project priorities to the project 

manager should be well stressed.  

Scope Statement: A scope statement should describe the major activities 

of the project in such a way that it will be absolutely clear. The scope 

statement in the project charter must reflect the approved scope described 

in the project proposal and may further expand on its details.  

Project Constraints & Boundaries: Any constraints or boundaries   

placed on this project must be clearly described. This might include 

budget/funding limits, time constraints, regulations or quality standards that 

must be met.  

Initial Project Risk: Any identifiable obstacles and risks (threats) that 

might prevent the successful attainment of the project goals must be 

considered. Each risk must be analyzed, quantified and prioritized as much 

as possible with the information available at this stage of a new project. 

Risk responses, including mitigations, risk sharing, risk avoidance and   

risk tolerances should be described in this portion of the project proposal.  

List of Deliverable: The project charter should include a list of 

deliverables produced by the project and submitted to a customer or a 

production manager for acceptance. There can be both intermediate and 

end deliverables.  

Cost Estimate: Any cost estimates that were developed and approved  in 

the project proposal must be reflected in the project charter.  



 
34

Schedule Estimate. Any project duration estimates that were developed 

and approved in the project proposal must also be reflected in the project 

charter. 

Success Criteria: In addition to the project goals it is also important to 

determine the success criteria of a project. Not all projects finish exactly on 

time, within budget or with all initial scope completed but this does not 

mean that a project has failed. Aggressive, but doable success criteria will 

ensure motivating a project team.  

4- Appoint the project team 

The project team is now ready to be appointed. Although a project 

manager may be appointed at any stage during the life of the project, the 

manager will ideally be appointed prior to recruiting the project team. The 

project manager creates a detailed job description for each role in the 

project team, and recruits people into each role based on their relevant 

skills and experience. 

5- Set up a project office 

The project office is the physical environment within which the team 

is based. Although it is usual to have one central project office, it is 

possible to have a virtual project office with project team members   

located around the world. A project office environment should include: 

• Equipment, such as office furniture, computer equipment, stationery and 

materials. 



 
35

• Communications infrastructure, such as telephones, computer network, e-

mail, Internet access, file storage, database storage and backup facilities. 

• Documentation, such as a project methodology, standards, processes and 

forms. 

• Tools, such as accounting, project planning and risk modeling software. 

6- Perform a phase review 

At the end of the initiation phase, a phase review is performed. This 

is basically a checkpoint to ensure that the project has achieved its 

objectives as planned. 

2.7.2 Project Planning 

By now, the project costs and benefits have been documented, the 

objectives and scope have been defined, the project team has been 

appointed and a formal project office environment established. It is now 

time to undertake detailed planning to ensure that the activities performed 

during the execution phase of the project are properly sequenced, 

resourced, executed and controlled. The activities undertaken are: 

1- Create a project plan 

The first step in the project planning phase is to document the project 

plan. A work breakdown structure (WBS) is identified which includes a 

hierarchical set of phases, activities and tasks to be undertaken to complete 

the project. Then, an assessment of the level of effort required to undertake 



 
36

each activity and task is made. The activities and tasks are then sequenced, 

resources are allocated and a detailed project schedule is formed. This 

project plan is the key tool used by the project manager to assess the 

progress of the project throughout the project life cycle. 

2- Create a resource plan 

Immediately after the project plan is formed, the level of resource 

that is required to undertake each of the activities and tasks listed within  

the project plan will need to be allocated. Although generic resource may 

have already been allocated in the project plan, a detailed resource plan is 

required to identify the following: 

• Type of resource required, such as labor, equipment and materials. 

• Quantification of each type of resource required. 

• Roles, responsibilities and skill-sets of all human resource required. 

• Specifications of all equipment resource required. 

• Items and quantities of material resource required. 

A schedule is assembled for each type of resource so that the project 

manager can review the resource allocation at each stage in the project. 

3- Create a financial plan 

A financial plan is created to identify the total amount of money 

required to undertake each phase in the project (in other words, the  



 
37

budget). The total cost of labor, equipment and materials is calculated and 

an expenses schedule is defined which enables the project manager to 

measure the forecast spend versus the actual spend throughout the project. 

Detailed financial planning is an extremely important activity within the 

project as the customer will expect the final solution to have been delivered 

within the allocated budget. 

4- Create a quality plan 

Meeting the quality expectations of the customer can be a 

challenging task. To ensure that the quality expectations are clearly  

defined and can be reasonably achieved, a quality plan is documented. The 

quality plan should: 

• Define the term ‘quality’ for the project. 

• List clear and unambiguous quality targets for each deliverable. Each 

quality target provides a set of criteria and standards to be achieved to 

meet the expectations of the customer. 

• Provide a plan of activities to assure the customer that the quality targets 

will be met (in other words a quality assurance plan). 

• Identify the techniques to be used to control the actual quality level of 

each deliverable as it is to be built (in other words a quality control 

plan). 



 
38

Not only is it important to review the quality of the deliverables 

produced by the project, it is also important to review the quality of the 

management processes applied. A quality plan will summarize each of the 

management processes undertaken during the project, including time, cost, 

quality, change, risk, issue, procurement, acceptance and communications 

management. 

5- Create a risk plan 

The next step is to document all foreseeable project risks within a 

risk plan. This plan should identify the required actions for prevention as 

well as mitigation measures in case any of those risks occur. Developing    

a clear risk plan is an important activity within the planning phase as it is 

crucial to scrutinize all project risks prior to the execution  phase of the 

project. 

6- Create an acceptance plan 

To deliver the project successfully, the deliverables should meet   or 

exceed requirements to the satisfaction and acceptance of stakeholders.  

An acceptance plan is created to help achieve this by clarifying the 

completion criteria for each deliverable and providing a schedule of 

acceptance reviews. These reviews provide the customer with the 

opportunity to assess each deliverable and provide formal acceptance that it 

meets the requirements. 



 
39

7- Create a communications plan 

Prior to the execution phase, it is also necessary to identify how 

stakeholders will be kept informed of the progress of the project. The 

communications plan identifies what information to be distributed, means 

and frequency  of distribution and those of charge of the process. 

8- Create a procurement plan 

The last planning activity within the planning phase is to identify the 

elements of the project to be acquired from external suppliers. The 

procurement plan provides a detailed description of the products (that is, 

goods and services) to be acquired from suppliers, the justification for 

acquiring each product externally as opposed to from within the business, 

and the schedule for product delivery. It also describes the process for the 

selection of a preferred supplier (the tender process), and the ordering and 

delivery of the products (the procurement process). 

9- Contract the suppliers 

Although external suppliers may be appointed at any stage of the 

project, it is usual to appoint suppliers after the project plans have been 

documented but prior to the execution phase. Only at this point will the 

project manager have a clear idea of the role of suppliers and the 

expectations for their delivery. A formal tender process is undertaken 

through a short-list of capable suppliers. The tender process involves 

creating a statement of work, a request for submission of offers. Once a 



 
40

supplier has been selected through a selection process, a contract is reached 

that governs the delivery processes. 

10- Perform a phase review 

At the end of the planning phase, a phase review is performed. This 

is a checkpoint to ensure that the project has been well planned to achieved 

its objectives. 

2.7.3 Project Execution 

The execution phase is typically the longest phase of the project in 

terms of duration. It is the phase within which the deliverables are 

physically constructed and presented to the customer for acceptance. To 

ensure that the customer’s requirements are met, the project manager 

monitors and controls the activities, resources and expenditure required to 

build each deliverable. A number of management processes are undertaken  

to ensure that the project proceeds as planned.  

This phase involves implementing the plans created during the 

project planning phase. While each plan is being executed, a series of 

management processes are undertaken to monitor and control the 

execution. This includes identifying change, risks and issues, assuring 

quality and measuring each deliverables. 

1-  Build the deliverables 

This phase involves physical construction. The activities undertaken 

to construct each deliverable will vary depending on the type of project 



 
41

being undertaken. Activities may be undertaken in a ‘waterfall’ fashion, 

where each activity is completed in sequence until the final deliverable is 

produced, or an ‘iterative’ fashion, where iterations of each deliverable are 

constructed until the deliverable meets the requirements of the 

stakeholders. Regardless of the method used to construct each deliverable, 

careful monitoring and control processes should be employed to ensure that 

the quality of the final deliverable meets the acceptance criteria. 

2- Monitor and control 

While the project team are physically producing each deliverable, the 

project manager implements a series of management processes to monitor 

and control the activities being undertaken by the project team. An 

overview of each management process follows. 

Time Management 

Time management is the process of recording and controlling time 

spent on the project. As time is a scarce resource within projects, each team 

member should record time spent undertaking project activities on a 

timesheet. This will enable the project manager to control the amount of 

time spent undertaking each activity within the project. A timesheet register 

is also completed providing a summary of the total time spent so that the 

project schedule can always be kept updated. 



 
42

Cost management 

Cost management is the process by which costs/expenses incurred 

are formally identified, approved and paid. Different expenses forms are 

prepared for manpower, equipment and materials. Expense forms are 

approved by the project manager and recorded within an registers for 

auditing purposes. 

Quality management 

Quality is defined as the extent to which the final deliverable 

conforms to the customer requirements. Quality management is the process 

by which quality is assured and controlled, using quality assurance and 

quality control techniques. Quality reviews are undertaken frequently and 

the results recorded on a quality review form. 

Change management 

Change management is the process by which changes to the project 

scope, deliverables, timescales or resources are formally requested, 

evaluated and approved prior to implementation. A core aspect of the 

project manager’s role is to manage change within the project. This is 

achieved by understanding the business and system drivers requiring the 

change, identifying the costs and benefits of the change, and formulating a 

structured plan for implementing the change. To formally request a change 

to the project, a change form is completed.  



 
43

Risk management 

Risk management is the process by which risks are formally 

identified, quantified and managed.  The process entails completing a 

number of actions to reduce the likelihood of occurrence and the severity of 

impact of each risk. A risk process is used to ensure that every risk is 

formally identified, quantified, monitored, avoided, transferred and/or 

mitigated. 

Although a risk process is undertaken during the execution phase of 

the project, risks may be identified at any stage of the project life cycle. In 

theory, any risk identified during the life of the project will need to be 

formally managed as part of the risk management process. Without a risk 

management process in place, unforeseen risks may impact the ability of 

the project to meet its objectives. The risk management process is 

terminated only when the execution phase of the project is completed. 

Issue management 

Issue management is by which issues currently affecting the 

production of the required deliverables are formally managed. After an 

issue form has been completed and the details logged in the issue register, 

each issue is evaluated by the project manager and a set of actions are to be 

undertaken to resolve the issue identified. 



 
44

Procurement management 

Procurement management is the process of sourcing products from 

an external supplier. Purchase orders are used to purchase products from 

suppliers and a procurement register is maintained to track each purchase 

request to completion. 

Acceptance management 

Acceptance management is the process of gaining acceptance for 

deliverables produced. Acceptance forms are used to enable project staff to 

request acceptance for a deliverable once completed. Each acceptance form 

identifies the acceptance criteria, review methods and results of the 

acceptance reviews undertaken. 

Communications management 

Communications management is the process by which formal 

communications are identified, created, reviewed and delivered within a 

project. The most common method of communicating the status of the 

project is via a project status report. Each communication released is 

recorded in a communications register. 

Perform a phase review 

At the end of the execution phase, a phase review is performed. This 

is a checkpoint to ensure that the project has achieved its objectives as 

planned and that the deliverables produced are compatible with the 



 
45

acceptance criteria. Once all of the deliverables are produced and 

compatible with the acceptance criteria up to the satisfaction and consent of 

the stakeholders, the project is ready for closure.  

2.7.4. Project Closure 

Following the acceptance of all project deliverables, the project will 

have met its objectives and be ready for closure. Project closure is the last 

phase in the project life cycle and must be conducted formally so that the 

business benefits delivered by the project are fully realized by the 

stakeholders. 

Project closure involves releasing the final deliverables to the 

stakeholders, handing over project documentation, completion of supplier 

contracts and releasing project resources. The last remaining step is to 

undertake a post-implementation review to quantify the level of project 

success and put recommendations for future projects.  

1- Perform project closure 

Project closure, or close-out, essentially involves winding up the 

project. This includes: 

• Determining whether all of the project completion criteria have been   

met. 

• Identifying any outstanding project activities, risks or issues. 



 
46

• Handing over all project deliverables and documentation to the 

stakeholders. 

• Completion of cancelling supplier contracts and releasing project 

resources. 

• Declaration of the closure of the project to all stakeholders and concerned 

parties. 

A project closure report is documented and submitted to the 

stakeholders and concerned parties. The project manager is responsible for 

preparation of a comprehensive closure report.  

2- Review project completion 

       The final activity within a project is conducting a post evaluation of 

the project to determine if objectives are met through the management 

processes outlined in the planning phase.  

To determine how well it performed, the following types of 

questions are answered: 

• Did it result in the benefits defined in the business case? 

• Did it achieve the objectives outlined in the terms of reference? 

• Did it operate within the scope of the terms of reference? 

• Did the deliverables meet the criteria defined in the quality plan? 



 
47

•Was it delivered within the schedule outlined in the project plan? 

• Was it delivered within the budget outlined in the financial plan? 

To determine how well it conformed, an assessment is made of the 

level of conformity to the management processes outlined in the quality 

plan. These results, as well as a list of the key achievements and lessons 

learnt, are documented within a post-implementation review and presented 

to the customer and/or project sponsor for approval. This completes the 

project life cycle overview.  

2.8  Ministry of Public Works and Housing 

           Ministry of Public Works was established in 1996 after 

establishment of Palestinian National Authority; to be responsible of 

development of infrastructure of the state.           

In 2002, Palestinian National Authority had merged Ministry of 

Public Works and Ministry of Housing in one ministry called Ministry of 

Public Works and Housing to be responsible in addition to the above of 

planning, organization and development of housing sector. 

         Ministry of Public Works and Housing is considered the first 

executive arm responsible of implementation of government programs. The 

ministry undertakes the construction and development of the network of 

roads as well as the construction of buildings and government 

constructions, and planning, development and construction of housing 

sector, in addition to the development of work in the construction sector. 



 
48

          According to Palestinian Reform and Development Plan (2008-

2010), the ministry aims to achieve this plan through developing the sectors 

which is  responsible for; to achieve the national prosperity.  

2.8.1  Role of Ministry of Public Works and Housing 

            Ministry of Public Works and Housing contributes effectively to 

achieve sustainable development in infrastructure, constructions and 

housing sectors in order to build national prosperity. The main tasks that    

the ministry undertakes are: 

 

Provision a high quality and safety of network of roads. 

 

Provision suitable public buildings to accommodate the ministries 

and institutions of Palestinian National Authority to decrease the 

operational expenditure as well as to provide a high  quality of 

services to the people. 

 

The ministry aims to increase the national balance of housing units 

through provision a suitable climate to invest in this sector. The 

ministry aims to develop the strategies, laws and policies build up 

the housing sector. 

 

The ministry seeks to develop the constructions sector to support   

the growth of the national economy through increase quality of 

national products. 



 
49

 
Developing and organizing  the contracting and consultants sectors 

through issuing laws and instructions that achieve the efficiency of 

its performance. 

2.8.2  Project Management at Ministry of Public Works and Housing 

           The ministry seeks to realize its vision and strategic plans through 

enhance the performance, training the personnel and adoption of new 

methods and systems. But, one of the main issues that should be addressed 

and highlighted is how to apply project management principles effectively 

in its activities.    

         Initiating, planning and implementing of infrastructure projects is one 

of the main roles that the ministry undertakes which is needed to provide 

better services to the people. Success of these projects means nationally 

building and developing our future prosperous state. 

So, due to the importance and proportion of projects that the ministry 

undertakes, developing of project management should be an urgent need to 

take into consideration. 

2.9  Summary 

         Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and 

techniques to project activities to meet project requirements. Project 

management is accomplished through the application and integration of the 

project management processes of initiating, planning, executing, 

monitoring and controlling, and closing. 



 
50

Managing of infrastructure projects is one of the main challenges that faces 

the governmental institutions and ministries. Successful application of 

project  management in their projects leads to build strong foundations for 

the national economic growth.  

           Ministry of Public Works and Housing  is one of the most important 

institutions that implements different infrastructure projects which is 

needed to achieve sustainable development for our country.   



 
51

CHAPTER 3 

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 

3.1  Introduction  

This chapter aims to provide an overview of the methodological 

approaches and research design selected to assess the different project 

management processes and practices followed by the different   

departments in public sector in West Bank and in particular within the 

Ministry of Public Works & Housing as a case study. Then, to explore 

effective project management practices followed. In addition the main 

factors that hinder achievement  of project goals are emphasized through 

studying the current working environment while comparing with global 

project management practices. 

Ministry of  Public Works & Housing was used as a case study in 

order to explore research environment features and characteristics. The 

different related departments in the hierarchy of the ministry  (see 

Appendix B)  were chosen to investigate the thesis objectives.   

3.2   Research Background 

3.2.1  Research Hypotheses 

 

H1. There is a deficiency in project management practices applied by    

the public sector  with the best practices. 

 

H2. Participants in the survey should not differ in their responses to the 

questionnaire due to the qualification.  



 
52

 
H3. Participants in the survey should not differ in their responses to the 

questionnaire due to job title. 

 
H4. Participants in the survey should not differ in their responses to the 

questionnaire due to years of experience. 

 

H5. Participants in the survey should not differ in their responses to the 

questionnaire due to age. 

3.2.2  Research Objectives  

 

To assess the different project management practices and tools   

followed by the different departments in public sector in West Bank 

(Ministry of Public Works and Housing). 

 

To explore the effective techniques and tools in project management 

practices within public sector. 

 

To add a contribution in highlighting of  understanding the factors that 

hinder of achievement of project goals. 

3.2.3  Research Questions 

 

Q1. What is the reality of  project management in  public sector in West 

Bank? 

  

Q2. What are the effective techniques and tools in project  

management practices within public sector? 

 

Q3. What are the main factors that hinder achievement  project goals? 



 
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3.3   Research Design and Methodology 

A research methodology approach defined as academia’s established 

regulatory framework for the collection and evaluation of existent 

knowledge for the purpose of arriving at, and validating, new knowledge 

(Sekaran ,2003). Cooper and Schindler (1998) stated that the  

determination of the research methodology is one of the most important 

challenges which confront the researcher. In essence, the research activity 

is a resource consumptive one and must maintain its purposeful or 

functional activity through the justification of resource expenditure. In 

other words, given   that research is ultimately defined as constructive, the 

resources that it utilizes must fulfill explicit purposes and withstand critical 

scrutiny. Research methodology occupies a position of unique importance. 

A methodology does not simply frame a study but it identifies the 

research tools and strategies (i.e. resources) that will be employed, and 

relates their use to specified research aims. As Sekaran (2003) suggests, its 

importance emanates from the fact that it defines the activity of a specified 

research, its procedural methods, strategies, progress measurement and 

criteria for research success. 

Within the context of the research methodology, each research poses 

a set of unique questions and articulates a specified group of objectives. 

The research design functions to articulate the strategies and tools by 

and through which empirical data will be collected and analyzed. It 

additionally serves to connect the research questions to the data and 



 
54

articulate the means by which the research hypothesis shall be tested and 

the research objectives satisfied (Punch, 2000). In order to satisfy the 

stated, the research design has to proceed in response to four interrelated 

research problems. These are (1) the articulation and selection of the 

research questions; (2) the identification of the relevant data; (3) 

determination of data collection focus; and (4) the selection of the method 

by which the data will be analyzed and verified (Punch, 2000). 

Although research methodology and research design are distinct 

academic constructs, Punch (2000) maintains the former to be more holistic 

than the latter and, in fact, inclusive of it. 

The selection of the research approach is a critically important 

decision. The research approach embraces the quantitative versus the 

qualitative and the deductive versus the inductive. 

3.3.1 The Deductive versus the Inductive Approach 

The deductive approach can be defined as a testing of theories. 

(Marcoulides,1998). The researcher proceeds with a set of theories and 

conceptual precepts in mind and formulates the study’s hypotheses on their 

basis. 

Following that, the research proceeds to test the proposed 

hypotheses.  



 
55

The inductive approach, on the other hand, follows from the 

collected empirical data and proceeds to formulate concepts and theories in 

accordance with that data. 

3.3.2 The Qualitative versus the Quantitative Approach 

The differences between the quantitative and qualitative approaches 

are illustrated in Table 3. (Creswell, 2003). 

Table (3.1) : Differences between quantitative and qualitative methods.  

Quantitative Approach Qualitative Approach 
Objective is to test hypotheses 
that the researcher generates. 

Objective is to discover and encapsulate 
meanings once the researcher becomes 
immersed in the data. 

Concepts are in the form of 
distinct variables 

Concepts tend to be in the form of 
themes, motifs, generalizations, and 
taxonomies. However, the objective is 
still to generate concepts. 

Measures are systematically 
created before data collection 
and are standardized as far as 
possible; e.g. measures of job 
satisfaction. 

Measures are more specific and may be 
specific to the individual setting or 
researcher; e.g. a specific scheme of 
values. 

Data are in the form of 
numbers from precise 
measurement. 

Data are in the form of words from 
documents, observations, and 
transcripts. However, quantification is 
still used in qualitative research. 

Theory is largely causal and is 
deductive. 

Theory can be causal or non causal and 
is often inductive. 

Procedures are standard and 
replication is assumed. 

Research procedures are particular and 
replication is difficult. 

Analysis proceeds by using 
statistics, tables, or charts and 
discussing how they relate to 
hypotheses. 

Analysis proceeds by extracting themes 
or generalizations from evidence and 
organizing data to present a coherent, 
consistent picture. These 
generalizations can then be used to 
generate hypotheses. 



 
56

According to Punch’s (2000) advice that a research value is 

inevitably maximized should it exploit both approaches; this research 

contained both quantitative and qualitative approaches. These     

approaches have been adapted in the survey in order to collect the data 

required for this research. 

3.4 Research Purpose 

Research scholars have identified three main purposes to the  

research activity. These are the exploratory, the descriptive and the 

explanatory purposes (Saunders, 2000). Proceeding from Jackson’s (1994) 

contention that the researcher should identify the purpose(s) by correlating 

the research questions to the research objectives; this is precisely the 

strategy that the current research adopted. 

3.4.1 Exploratory 

Exploratory research unfolds through focus group interviews, 

structured or semi structured interviews with experts and a search of the 

relevant literature (Saunders, 2000). Its primary purpose is the exploration 

of a complex research problem or phenomenon with the objective being the 

clarification of the identified complexities and the exposition of the 

underlying nature of the selected phenomenon.  

3.4.2 Descriptive 

Punch (2000) explains the purpose of the descriptive research as the 

collection, organization and summarization of information about the 



 
57

research problem and issues identified therein. Similar to the descriptive 

research, it renders complicated phenomenon and issues more 

understandable. Dane’s (1990) definition of the descriptive research and its 

purposes coincides with the stated. Descriptive research entails the 

thorough examination of the research problem, for the specified purpose of 

describing the phenomenon, as in defining, measuring and clarifying it 

(Dane, 1990). Jackson (1994) contends that all research is partly 

descriptive in nature. The descriptive aspect of a research is, simply stated, 

the (1) who, (2) what, (3) when, (4) where, (5) why, and (6) how. 

3.4.3 Explanatory 

Explanatory research functions to highlight the complex 

interrelationships existent within, and around, a particular phenomenon and 

contained within the research problem (Miles & Huberman, 1994).  

Expounding upon this, Punch (2000) asserts that explanatory, or 

causal research, elucidates upon the nature of the problem under 

investigation and explains the basis for the proposed solution. It is an 

explanation of the complex web of interrelated variables identified and 

follows directly from a clearly stated central research hypothesis and 

research question. 

While both research questions have an undeniably descriptive 

component to them, they possess a fundamentally explorative intent. 



 
58

3.5 Data Collection Methods 

In order to present clear ideas about project management   practices 

in public sector in West Bank and to examine the hypotheses identified, it 

was decided to conduct two stages of study. The first was a comprehensive 

review of the relevant literature, starting with an overview of the topics 

concerned in this research. The second stage included data collection by 

preparing a questionnaire and conducting a direct questionnaire survey, and 

studying cases studies of some projects, in addition, conducting direct 

interviews which was then used to highlight and explore the  effective 

techniques and tools of project management, and understand the main 

factors that hinder achievement of project goals. 

3.5.1 Literature Review 

The basic concern throughout the review stage was to identify some 

of the broader parameters likely to be relevant in studying project 

management. A systematic literature review was conducted, covering 

textbooks, institutional and statutory publications, periodicals, trade and 

academic journals, and seminar and conference papers. 

3.5.2 Questionnaire 

The questionnaire was designed as a main tool to meet the research 

aims and objectives and to test its hypotheses. First, the information 

presented in the previous chapter helped to widen the researcher knowledge 

and create an awareness of other issues that might not otherwise have been 



 
59

taken into account. Second, the researcher experience in project 

management in public sector helped also in formulating the questionnaire.  

A provisional version of the questionnaire was then developed to cover all 

aspects needed to accomplish the purpose of the research. However, it was 

also necessary to ensure that the questionnaire is reliable. 

For this reason, a quality control process was undertaken, starting by 

ensuring that each objective and hypothesis had questions corresponding to 

it, passing through a practical test in which specialists were asked to fill in 

the questionnaire in order to examine the level of clarity, and ending with 

an approval by the research supervisor. 

The questionnaire consisted of three sections: The first section 

consisted of personal data about the study sample (qualification, job title, 

years of experience and age). The second section consisted of thirty three 

items to measure the reality of project management cycle. The third section 

consisted of eighteen items to measure the main factors that hinder 

achievement of project goals.  

The scores of responses of the participants to each item were 

calculated according to the four-point-scale, “Likert scale”, in which 

strongly agree = 4 points, agree = 3 points, disagree = 2 points, strongly 

disagree = 1 point. 

The Cronbach Alpha Coefficient was used to find out the reliability 

for the questionnaire. The reliability values of study domains were (0.97) 

and (0.96) respectively which are high, and suitable for scientific purposes. 



 
60

Questionnaire Writing, Distribution, and collection 

The questionnaire was written in one format to be distributed in 

different departments of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing. Four 

points were considered in order to obtain a high level of response. Also, the 

following were considered:  

1- Providing a covering letter (see Appendix A). 

2- Structuring the questionnaire in a smart and attractive design. 

3- Presenting the questionnaire in a multi-options format. 

4- Keeping the questionnaire as short as possible, but comprehensive 

enough so that it could be completed within 15 to 20 minutes. 

Because the mother tongue of most people working in public sector 

is Arabic, it was necessary to provide an Arabic questionnaire format. 

However, some English common terms were used. (see Appendix A). 

To obtain a speedy interaction, the questionnaire was distributed and 

collected by hand. This method was effective as there was direct 

communication between the researcher and respondents. 

The researcher projected that at least 40 responsive forms would be 

completed, representing 73% of the targeted group that was calculated as 

an appropriate sample satisfying research requirements. The researcher 

explained the purposes of the study while distributing the questionnaire 

forms.  



 
61

A period of one month was taken for the completion and collection 

of the surveys. At the end of the period, thirty six surveys were completed. 

The average time to complete the survey was twenty minutes.   

To estimate the sample response towards the questionnaire, the 

researcher used scales depending on percentages as follows:  

*80-100% and more is a very high degree. 

*70-79.9% is a high degree. 

*60-69.9% is a moderate degree. 

* less than 60% is low degree. 

3.5.3  Direct Interviews  

In this research, the unstructured interview form was adopted to get 

the needed detailed information and data for the project management 

practices. The key of successful unstructured interviews is learning   how to 

probe effectively; that is, to stimulate an informant to produce more 

information without injecting the researcher’s words, ideas  or concepts 

into the conversation. 

In total, two unstructured interviews were conducted with key 

persons of top level of  the ministry who have experience in the domain of 

the research. 



 
62

3.5.4  Cases Studies of Some Projects  

In order to achieve credibility and quality of research findings, 

reviewing and studying the documentations  of some projects was done to 

get the needed information to support this research. 

3.6 Population of the study 

The population of this study consisted of all the decision makers; 

General Directors, Directors, Head of divisions and Project Managers of 

related departments in the Ministry of Public Works & Housing. 

The total number of this population is fifty five according to the 

General Directorate of Human Resources in the ministry.  

3.7 Survey Sample 

The sample members of this research consist of thirty six decision  

makers (General Directors, Directors, Head of Divisions and Project 

Managers) working in the Ministry of Public Works and Housing. The type 

of the sampling is stratified random, which according to Zikmund (2000) is 

a sampling technique in which selection of the sample is based upon some 

appropriate characteristics of the sample members. For the present study, 

the targeted sample members were chosen as described above as they are 

best to reveal and assess the reality of the project management practices 

used. 



 
63

The sample chosen were classified according to four categories: 

(Qualification, Job titles, Years of experience and Age). The sample 

represented   (65 %) of the whole population. 

Tables (3.2, 3.3, 3.4and 3.5): below indicate the sample distribution 

in accordance with the four independent variables. 

Table (3.2): Distribution of sample according to Qualification 

Qualification Frequency Percentage  % 
B.A 22 61.1 

M.A and over 14 38.9 
Total 36 100% 

 

Figure 1 : Distribution of sample according to Qualification

M.A and over
38.9%

B.A
61.1%

 

 Figure (3.1): Distribution of sample according to qualification  

Table (3.3): Distribution of sample according to Job title 

Job title Frequency Percentage  % 
General director 7 19.4 
Director 14 38.9 
Head of Division 5 13.9 
Others 10 27.8 

Total 36 100% 



 
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Figure 2 : Distribution of sample according to 
Job title

General director
19.4%

Director
38.9%

Others
27.8%

Head of Division
13.9%

 

Figure (3.2): Distribution of sample according to job title.  

Table (3.4): Distribution of Sample According to Years of Experience 

Years of Experience Frequency Percentage % 
Less than 10 years 11 30.6 
10 – 15 years 9 25.0 
More than 15 years 16 44.4 

Total 36 100   % 

 

Figure 3 : Distribution of sample according to Years 
of Experience

Less than 10 years
30.6%

10 – 15 years
25.0%

More than 
15 years
44.4%

 

Figure (3.3): Distribution of sample according to years of experience   



 
65

Table (3.5): Distribution of Sample According to Age 

Age Frequency Percentage % 
Less than 35 years 10 27.8 
36 – 45 years 10 27.8 
More than 45 years 16 44.4 

Total 36 100    % 

 

Figure 4 : Distribution of sample according to Age

Less than 35 years
27.8%

36 – 45 years
27.8%

More than 
45 years
44.4%

 

Figure (3.4): Distribution of sample according to age 

3.8   Methods of Analysis 

Data collected from the survey was analyzed using descriptive 

statistical techniques. An advanced and accurate analysis method was 

needed to arrange the large body of data in a systematic, fast and reliable 

way. For this purpose the computer software Statistical Package for Social 

Science (SPSS V.17) was chosen as the best options available. 

The following statistics were used:  

1.  Means, frequencies, percentages, and standard deviations. 



 
66

2.  T-Test for Independent samples. 

3.  One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). 

3.9 Research Methodology Description  

After deciding research objectives, the researcher started by 

collecting project management and project life cycle related topics in a 

literature review chapter which form the main base for the research. Then 

Ministry  of Public Works and Housing has been chosen as a representative 

research sample in order to investigate the current situation of the project 

management practices. Then a survey has been developed, interviews, and 

field visits, cases studies of some projects have been conducted in  order  to 

gather comprehensive data.  

According to the results came from gathering data, and also 

according to the related researches and observations within research 

environment, the researcher attempted to provide some aspects to develop 

the  project management practices in public sector. Figure 3.5 shows 

research methodology diagram.     



 
67

   
Collecting some of related topics based on a comprehensive 
literature review. 

 

Depicting a typical project cycle.  

 

Identifying research objectives. 

 

Sample study choosing. 

 

Developing a direct questionnaire survey. 

 

Conducting the actual survey.  

 

Data processing and analysis. 

 

Results and conclusions formulations. 

 

Recommendations 

Figure (3.5): Research Methodology Diagram. 

3.10  Summary 

This chapter gives an overview of the research setting and 

methodology. As may have been deduced from the above, this research 

adopted qualitative, quantitative, inductive and deductive methodological 

Literature Review 

Research Study and Data Gathering

Data Analysis

Conclusions and Recommendations



 
68

approaches. Exploratory, descriptive, explanatory, and research purposes 

have been formulated; the collected data was validated by using different 

data sources. Research hypotheses have been approved using quantitative 

statistical tools.  



 
69

CHAPTER 4 

DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 

4.1 Introduction 

This chapter presents a comprehensive analysis and discussion of the 

results obtained from the direct questionnaire survey distributed among 

related departments of the ministry, where the design of the analysis is such 

that it elaborates and summarizes the answers of the study questions that 

were stated in chapter one. Each research question will be answered by 

presenting and discussing the results obtained from the data analysis 

appropriate for each particular question. Moreover, analysis of researcher 

experience and observations was presented and discussed. 

It consists of two major parts: The first part described and analyzed 

the data related to the project life cycle. The second part focused on 

presenting and ranking the factors that hinder achievement of project goals.   

4.2 Discussion of Results 

As noted earlier, the survey was distributed at the Ministry of Public 

Works and Housing in Palestine, the formal governmental implementing 

agency of public sector projects.  

The researcher chose this sample of governmental officials in order 

to achieve the research objectives. 



 
70

4.2.1 Results Related to the Research Questions 

4.2.1.1 Results Related to the First and Second Questions 

In order to answer these questions, the researcher calculated the 

means, standard deviations, percentages and levels, for items of reality of 

project cycle management . Tables (4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5) show the 

results. 

Table (4.1): Means, standard deviation, percentages and levels of the 
items of Project Identification 

Item M SD Percentage Level 
The project is convenient with 
the Ministry Strategy? 

2.61

 

0.80 65.25 Moderate 

The project is convenient with 
the State Strategy? 

2.50

 

0.65 62.25 Moderate 

Total score \Average 2.56

 

0.67 64.00 Moderate

 

Table 4.1: shows that the total score of Project Identification phase  

achieved a mean of (2.56) and a percentage of (64.00) which indicates a 

moderate level of identification. 

As a result, projects were moderately developed in line of the  state 

or ministry strategic plans. 

Identification any project should be convenient with the ministry 

vision and serves the national plans to obtain a high level of project 

efficiency.  



 
71

Table (4.2): Means, standard deviation, percentages and levels of the 
items of Project Formulation phase: 

Items M SD Percentage Level 
Undertaking Feasibility 
Study for the Project? 

2.75 0.79 68.75 Moderate 

Studying Environmenta