Abstract:

Project planning is an essential element in the management and execution of construction projects. However, keeping plans up-to-date and properly implementing these plans are challenging. The study therefore evaluates the factors influencing construction project planning and implementation. This study takes an integrated approach and attempts to analyse the perceptions of respondents on these factors. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted to solicit factors influencing construction project planning and implementation from professionals working in construction firms of all categories (small, medium and large) in south western Nigeria.  A total of 100 respondents selected through random sampling techniques participated in the survey. Statistical analyses were carried out using mean response analysis and univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) in order to determine significant factors and also to investigate differences of opinions between respondents’ groupings. It was discovered that type of client (4.58), type of project (4.56) and procurement method (4.53) were the top three factors influencing construction project planning while insufficient finance (4.67), changes in client requirements (4.60) and difficulties of coordination between various parties working on the project (4.51) were the top three factors influencing implementation of project plans. The research further showed that there is statistically significant difference in the opinions of different groupings of respondents regarding the factors influencing project planning and implementation. The study concludes that knowledge of these significant factors undoubtedly provides invaluable information to construction stakeholders to know the challenges ahead of them in their effort to improve the planning and performance of construction projects.