Global Journal of Research in Business & Management Vol. 3, No.

2, October 31, 2015

www.gpcpublishing.com ISSN: 2454-3128

Awareness and Knowledge of Project Management in Various Sectors of

Nigerian Economy
Izang, A.A., Kuyoro, S.O., Ogbonna, A.C., and Omotunde, A.A.
1,2,3,4
Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, School of Computing and Engineering
Sciences, Babcock University, Nigeria.

Abstract
Project management is a discipline faced with the challenge of achieving all of the project goals and objectives while
honoring the preconceived constraints (scope, time, quality and budget) and thus optimizing the allocation of necessary
inputs and integrating them to meet pre-defined objectives. This study seeks to explore the awareness of project
management and also to know how knowledgeable the project managers are about project management methodologies in
carrying out projects successfully in Nigeria.
Well-structured questionnaires were distributed to four sectors of the Economy (Oil & gas, IT, Construction and Banking)
using simple random sampling technique to select the participants for this study and quota sampling technique for the
selection of the Project Managers. The questionnaires were analyzed using the Statistical Package and Service Solution
(SPSS) version 21.The outcome of the distributed questionnaires showed that 78.3% of the respondents were aware of
project management while about 50% of the project managers under this study proved to have a good knowledge of
project management combining the three metrics (Certification, Experience and Exposure) which was used to access
them.

Key word: Project, Project Management, Awareness, knowledge, Project Manager

Academic Discipline and Sub-Disciplines: Project Management, management, IT project management.

SUBJECT CLASSIFICATION: Project management/ IT project management
TYPE (METHOD/APPROACH): a Survey research with the use of a questionnaire.

1. Introduction
Today's professional atmosphere is intricate and requires faster results, better allocation of scarce resources, and more
clearly focus on the rapidly growing businesses. A changing organization consisting of a mixture of large and small
projects, providing senior management with new challenges in resource planning, prioritizing and monitoring requires
some form of mechanism that will help accomplish the projects. Compliance with time, scope, cost and quality
requirements in a single project can make a company grow its revenue and value for years to come which is one of the
benefits of project management. However, to fulfill the requirement, project managers has to do a project appropriately,
create a link from the project to the organization's strategy and, at the same time, adopt a long term view [1].
A project can be seen as a temporary endeavor designed to produce a unique product, service or result with a defined
beginning and end (usually time-constrained, and often constrained by funding or deliverables), undertaken to meet
unique goals and objectives typically to bring about beneficial change or added value [2]. The temporary nature of projects
stands in contrast with business as usual (or operations) which are repetitive, permanent, or semi -permanent functional
activities to produce products or services. In practice, the management of these two systems is often quite different, and
as such requires the development of distinct technical skills and management strategies [3].
Project management is the process and activity of planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling resources, procedures
and protocols to achieve specific goals in scientific or daily problems [4].
Project management can be applicable to various sectors of the economy which include banking, construction,
manufacturing, information technology and petroleum amongst others.
In Nigeria today, the focus on construction and infrastructural development by federal and state governments as well as
the privatization and commercialization policy, are contributing to an unpre cedented boom in the construction and property
sectors [5]. There is massive demand for buildings across all sectors of the economy. All these are attractions for global
construction players. There is however shortage of skilled manual labor, relatively hi gh cost of engaging managerial staff,
shortage of building materials and escalating security chal lenges [6].
The rate at which building construction projects fail, or are abandoned, and the collapse of buildings, some even under
construction, is retrogressive in a developing economy like Nigeria. When there is a problem of building development
failure, abandonment or collapse, everybody looks up to the Project Managers who in their professional pride and
personality ego accept the blame but could not unravel the jeopardy. The answer to project success, failure,
abandonment, and building construction collapsing lies on efficient project management [7].

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www.gpcpublishing.com ISSN: 2454-3128

However, since projects within the oil and gas industry include large number of operations which l ast for a significant
period of time, many potential risks which can endanger project realization are present. Time delays of project a phase
which is a major issue; arise due to many reasons, such as: logistic problems (equipment failure, lack of spare par ts)
during rig equipment mobilization, equipment and spare parts purchase , lack of subcontractors, etc. [8]. Also, certain
technical issues (equipment failure, lack of spare parts) lead to time delays and increase of expenses. It is very common
that investors (Oil Companies) require additional equipment and technical solutions and, therefore, will have an effect on
project time. Ever present difficulties connected to human resources, such as lack of experience, diseases, visa issues,
may cause project realization problems.
Most research on the success of IT projects have resulted in a descriptive list of project success factors. The assumption
that if the practitioner is aware of project success factors and addresses them during the execution, the IT projects are
more likely to succeed is being buttressed in existing literature. There are many factors that contribute to the success of
the project and it can be grouped into five categories: action project management, project-related factors, project
procedures, human-related factors and the external environment [9].
A classic view of assessing the success and failure of the projects has been the „iron triangle‟ where the
interdependent factors - costs, time and quality make the basis ofassessing the project success [10]. With a
growing trend of using stakeholders‟ satisfaction as an output criterion in assessing project success, [11] also emphasize
this criterion in identifying a successful project, which is embedded in the quality dimension of “iron triangle” of
measuring project success. Hence this research tends to examine the awareness of project management amongst
Nigerians as well as examine how knowledgeable project managers are in Nigeria which has a great factor to archiving
project success.

2. RELATED WORKS
[12]In his work showed that projects that focus on the effective use of information and communication technology for
development (ICTD) have emerged in the last three decades of the 20th century. The research also shows that ICTD
projects have a high failure rate, in part because of poor project design and management. Therefor Government leaders
must understand the processes of managing projects and be aware of the tools available to raise its success rate. This
research began by introducing three vital elements of ICTD projects – people, process and technology. Defining,
balancing and integrating the relationships among these elements can result into the project‟s optimum performance.
[1]In their research used the business process management (BPM) approach which is a new discipline in proj ect
management, to help increase the success of ICT projects. This approach combines the methods of management and
information technology and it is believed that can improve the management of ICT projects to meet the needs of
consumers.
[13]In his work looked at the importance of change management within ICT projects and how to use them in practice as a
part of efficient ICT project management. The study depicted Change management as an important part of general project
management, but it is not enough if the project manager is otherwise not competent enough or other key factors for a
successful project are not in place. Change if not managed appropriately will lead to failure of projects.
[14]In their study explored the complex analysis “Project Management in different industries” from several points of view
with various methods in order to answer the questions which arise about the practical aspects of Project management.
The research proves that there is a relevant gap between Project management in the theory and the, daily “Project
Management in companies.
Project Management is a discipline whose importance has grown significantly over recent decades. The understanding of
Project management varies noticeably among project personnel and among different companies and as assumption in
and between national cultures‟. Companies that perform better in the areas are viewed to identify success factors for
implementation and options for action. The research showed that project management will succeed if top management
support it through project communication, education, processes etc. however if the theoretical aspect of project
management is not fully implemented in carrying out projects it will lead to project failure which is what this research failed
to address.
Furthermore having looked at various related works it is very important to present the main focus of this research which
has to do with two aspects of project management. Firstly to access the awareness level of Nigerians about project
management and secondly to access the proficiency level of project managers working in various sectors of Nigerian
economy.

3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This study made use of a well-structured questionnaire as an instrument to gather primary data. The questionnaire forms
the major medium of obtaining data (primary) for this study. The questionnaire for this study was designed with a set of
pre-selected questions directed to the respondents which has to do with Project Management.
It is divided into two major sections: Demographic data and the section about the awareness and knowledge of project
management.
The questionnaire used was designed in a five point like scale structure. The scaling is as follows: 5= Strongly Agree (SA),
4 = Agree (A), 3 = Undecided (U), 2 = Disagree (D) and 1 = Strongly Disagree (SD) in that other or in reverse order. The
respondents are expected to fill the questionnaires by ticking the option they believe are closer to their opin ion.

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Global Journal of Research in Business & Management Vol. 3, No. 2, October 31, 2015
www.gpcpublishing.com ISSN: 2454-3128

Furthermore, for the setting of this research, Questionnaires were administered to various respondents (employers and
employees inclusive) from four sectors of Nigerian economy (IT, oil & gas, construction, and banking sectors) in four
States (Lagos, Abuja, Rivers & Ogun) of Nigeria using the simple random sampling technique as the method of selecting
the respondents for this study to determine their awareness about project management. For this research to be able to
cover Nigeria‟s three geo-political zones, which include south-west where Lagos and Ogun was picked for banking and IT
sectors, south-south where Rivers state was chosen for oil and gas sector, and north central where Abuja was chosen to
consider the construction industries were used.
Further analysis was completed using the Statistical Product and Service Solution (SPSS) software.

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

For the awareness about project management, 10 set of questions were asked which has to do with the application of
project management in the various sectors of Nigerian‟s economy. Table one (1) below shows summary of the responses
gotten from the respondents .
Table 1: Awareness about project management
S/N Statement Yes (%) No (%)
1 Project management is a needed tool that enhances the growth of 106 (87.6%) 15 (12.4%)
any economy
2 Information about project management is available everywhere in 15 (12.4%) 106 (87.6%)
Nigeria
3 Project management can be applied to any sector of the economy 102 (84.3%) 19 (15.7%)
4 The application of project management to various project enhances 110 (90.9%) 11 (9.1%)
the success rate of that project
5 Project management bodies are needed to set up the policies and 101 (83.5%) 20 (16.5%)
rules by which project management is run
6 Project managers help to increase the vibrancy of the economy 100 (82.6%) 21 (17.4%)
7 A project manager can function in any sector of the economy 100 (82.6%) 21 (17.4%)
8 It is important for a project manager to be a certified member of a 102 (84.3%) 19 (15.7%)
project management body
9 Project management is a lucrative and rewarding profession which 103 (85.1%) 18 (14.9%)
cut across diverse fields of study
10 The time within which a project is completed is of essence in any 109 (90.1%) 12 (9.9%)
developing economy
TOTAL in % 78.3% 21.7%
From the results of our analysis in table 1 above, Ninety fi ve (95) respondents of the one hundred and twenty one (121)
respondents that filled the questionnaires are aware about project management. This means 78.3 percent of the
respondents are aware of project m anagement as it represents the percentage of respondents that gave a positive
response to the questions asked.

Knowledge level of Project Managers

For the knowledge level of project managers a total of 12 questions were asked four questions per section which has to do
with their certifications, experience and exposure as project manager and after the analysis, the following responses was
gotten as shown below
A. Certifications of Project Managers
S/N Certifications of Project Managers Response Percentage (%)

1. The project management body you got your

certification from
PMI 72 59.5%
IPMA 12 9.9%
APMG 13 10.7%
IPMP 24 19.8%

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Global Journal of Research in Business & Management Vol. 3, No. 2, October 31, 2015
www.gpcpublishing.com ISSN: 2454-3128

2. Your certificate was obtained how many years

ago
5-10 year 65 53.7%
11-15 16 13.2%
16-20 9 7.4%
21-25 4 3.3%
26-above 27 22.3%
3. How long did it take you to obtain your next
project management certification
1 year 39 32.2%
2-5 years 52 43.0%
6-10 years 18 14.9%
11-15 years 7 5.8%
16-above 5 4.1%
4. Are you possessing the most recent project
management certification for your class or
strata under the project management body
you are affiliated too
Yes 52 43.0%
No 69 57.0%
Table 2 shows that majority of the respondents possess project management institute (PMI) project management
certifications, with so many of them getting recertified within 2-5 years just to update themselves however majority of the
respondents do not possess the most recent certification for their level.
B. Experience of project manager
S/N Experience of project manager Response Percentage (%)
1. How long have you worked as a project
manager
1-5 years 61 50.4%%
6-10 years 52 43.0%
11-15 years 4 3.3%%
16-20 years 2 1.7%%
20-above 2 1.7%
2. What sector of the economy did you first
practice as a Project Manager
Information Technology 24 19.8%
Oil & Gas 34 28.1%
Construction 45 37.2%
Banking 18 14.9%
3. Your starting salary as a Project manager was
Less than N50,000 30 24.8%
N51,000-N100,000 45 37.2%
N101,000-N150,000 29 24.0%
N151,000-N200,000 12 9.9%
N201,000- above 5 4.1%
4. Your current salary as a project manager is

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Less than N100,000 7 5.8%

N101,000-N150,000 30 24.8%
N151,000-N200,000 46 38.0%
N201,000-N250,000 37 30.6%
Table 3 shows that most of the respondents do not have much experience in this field of project management, also out of
all the sectors visited the construction sector had majority of the respondents.
C. Exposure of project manager
S/N Certifications of Project Managers Response Percentage (%)

1. Total number of international conference/

workshop/ seminar attended as a Project
Manager
1-5 25 20.7%
6-10 55 45.5%
11-15 32 26.4%
16-20 4 3.3%
21-above 5 4.1%
2. Total number of local conference/ workshop/
seminar attended as a Project Manager
1-5 15 12.4%
6-10 20 16.5%
11-15 53 43.8%
16-20 26 21.5%
21-above 7 5.8%
3. Number of projects successfully completed as
a Project Manager
1-5 22 18.2%
6-10 51 42.1%
11-15 40 33.1%
16-20 6 5.0%
21-above 2 1.7%
4. Number of uncompleted projects embarked
upon as a Project Manager
1-5 50 41.3%
6-10 4 3.3%
11-15 2 1.7%
16-20 3 2.5%
21-above 62 51.2%
From table 4 it is evident that most of the respondents are exposed in terms of conferences and workshops attended but
in terms the number of the project they have successfully carried out vis -à-vis uncompleted project it can be seen that it is
on the average as the number of uncompleted project tend to be more than the once completed with just a little
percentage.

Summary and Conclusion

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Global Journal of Research in Business & Management Vol. 3, No. 2, October 31, 2015
www.gpcpublishing.com ISSN: 2454-3128

The resultof the analysis shows that out of all the respondents under study, 95 of them which represent 78.3% of the
respondents proved to be aware of project management and its application in the various sectors under study. Majority of
the respondents possess PMI project management certifications which is the most widely recognized project management
body. So also many of the respondents got recertified within 2 -5 years just to update their certifications.However majority
of the respondents do not possess the most recent certification for their level.
Moreover most of the respondents do not have much experience in this field of project management as majority have
worked as project managers in less than 5 years, also out of all the sectors visited the construction sector had majority of
the respondents. In terms of exposure, the respondents are exposed due to the number of conferences and workshops
attended but in terms the number of the project they ha ve successfully carried out and the once that were uncompleted
you will see that it‟s on the average as the number of uncompleted project tend to be more than the once completed.
In conclusion, from our study we were able to get a good number of the respondents who are aware of project
management in their various sectors with 78.3% and in considering the knowledge level of the participant of this study
which consist of mostly project managers , there is still room for improvement as the percentage of completed project
versus the once uncompleted is almost the same.
For further study another passionate researcher can expand the number of respondents, number of states visited and also
increase the number of sectors of Nigerians economy under study to be able to get a wider picture of the real situation of
project management awareness and knowledge in Nigeria.

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