published_or_final_version / Civil Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Surveying / Master / Master of Science in Construction Project Management

published_or_final_version / Surveying / Master / Master of Science in Construction Project Management

published_or_final_version / Surveying / Master / Master of Science in Construction Project Management

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

This report discusses the experiences gained and lessons learned during a project management internship in post-earthquake Christchurch as part of the construction industry and rebuild effort.

This research report is a techno-economic analysis of the nuclear project management capacity in South Africa. It will focus on the project development phases of the nuclear expansion programme. The author has nuclear engineering training background and also currently involved in the Eskom new build programme (Medupi & Kusile) and the coal refurbishment projects. The following thinking philosophy is used to structure this research report: * Project management practise for nuclear projects globally * Project management practise for major Eskom projects in South Africa * The differences between South Africa and international project management practises * Guideline for project management in the nuclear environment for possible implementation of the nuclear expansion programme. The project life cycle has different phases, namely, project setup and planning phase, project design and engineering phase, and project execution phase. The first two phases were discussed and analyzed in detail. The project execution phase was also discussed, however, due to the limited time, the execution phase will not be analyzed in detail. Further research is recommended on the execution phase. At the end of this research report, a guideline for nuclear project management is developed and associated with some recommendations. This guideline can certainly assist Eskom or other potential NPP developer to understand all the critical aspects in a nuclear expansion programme. / MIng (Mechanical Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The study is based on the context of project management; the discipline which employs skills and knowledge to achieve project goals through various project activities. The study concentrates on project management applications to deliver low cost houses (LCH) in the Metsimaholo Local Municipality (MLM). The main purpose of project management application is to enable project managers to track the progress of a project that they are working on. Institutions working on a very large project require project management applications to give periodic updates on the progress of the work that is being done on a project. By using a project management application, the process is made somewhat easier, in the sense that a project manager can just refer and check on the progress him/herself. Provision of adequate housing for the homeless and others who are inadequately housed in an attempt to reduce poverty and improve quality of people’s life has been a huge challenge to the South African government, particularly in the MLM over the years. Globally, legislators on the physical infrastructure of Parliament are pushing for the urgent construction of LCH by the government. The abovementioned challenge has resulted in an enormous housing backlog with poverty, unemployment, economic stagnation and negative behaviour. Financial constrains are seen to escalate costs and this makes the task even more enormous. The hypothesis for this study indicated that MLM does not possess sufficient institutional capacity to implement project management for the effective delivery of low cost housing. The hypothesis and research objectives of the study were validated by means of literature review and empirical surveys. Thirty-four (34) semi structured questionnaires were used to interview participants in the provision of LCH in MLM. The study is made up of five chapters. The study specifically focused on the application of project management to deliver LCH in the Metsimaholo Local Municipality (MLM). •This study contends that the application of project management in the public service sector to deliver goods and services has not been scientifically applied in a conscience and systematic manner. •In the MLM the national, provincial and the municipality efforts are challenged to provide houses for the homeless. •The increasing population in the MLM has resulted in an enormous housing backlog with poverty, unemployment, and economic stagnation. •The high demand for housing in the MLM brings about financial constrains and makes the task even more enormous. •It is realised through this study that the application of project management is lacking; whereby important pillars of project based outputs such as time, quality and cost are not necessarily the resultant finished products of the community tend to inherit. It is evident from the above that while the MLM has a mandate to provide service delivery it is limited by protocol to take full responsibility in the provision of low cost houses. The provision of LCH requires strengthened co-operative governance in the Free State Province, since the three spheres have important roles to play. In the face of the huge backlogs in housing and human settlement provision, the country urgently needs to develop the technical knowledge and skills necessary to fast track housing delivery. / M, Development and Management, Public Management and Administration, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012