Evaluating the Impact of Project Management Methodologies on Construction Projects Delays in the Mangaung District, South Africa

Abstract

In Mangaung District, construction project delay is a persistent and costly problem that is predominantly caused by a misalignment between project realities and the project management methodologies adopted. The central research question was the empirical insufficiency of applying either the inflexible waterfall methodology or the totally flexible agile methodology separately in large complex construction projects. To respond to this, the study employed contingency theory. The study employed a quantitative descriptive approach, where the study collected data from 20 construction experts that were conveniently selected in the Mangaung District. The online questionnaire survey and the google form platform were utilized. Waterfall methodology's sequential methodology caused significant phase-to-phase delays, and scope creep was a main problem due to the flexibility of the Agile methodology. The findings indicated that 70% of the participants strongly agreed that the hybrid methodology is the best way to mitigate delays. The findings indicated that 55,6% of participants use agile methodology found it to be moderately effective, further strengthened by the 44,4% of participants that found the methodology extremely effective. Furthermore, this suggests that the agile methodology is generally viewed as highly adaptable and suitable for handling project changes by participants. Therefore, the study recommends that in the interest of greater timely project delivery, local construction companies are advised to employ an immediate contextual hybrid project management methodology, emphasizing formalized planning integration and adaptive implementation. The study further recommended that project teams can manage unexpected challenges, organizations should invest in ongoing training and capacity building for project teams.