An Assessment of Project Communication Management on Construction Projects in Ghana

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Date
2012-02-06
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Abstract
All the various stages of construction rely on professionals transferring appropriate and relevant information to develop a buildable design that meets the client’s requirements. As the project unfolds and the design is realized, information in the form of drawings, specifications and construction methods must be communicated from one expert to another. Therefore, using an appropriate communication method and communication medium to resolve construction and design problems is essential. In order to fully appreciate communication in the Ghanaian construction industry, the following questions were articulated for the research: how have project professionals communicated on construction projects in Ghana? How do project professionals value communication on projects. Also, the research sort to find out whether project communication has any effect on project delivery in Ghana. The research sampled 97 professionals working with consultants, project clients and contractors with D1K1 classification. The research established that within the Ghanaian construction industry, there is a strong appreciation of the importance of project communication and its importance within the industry. Indeed, various levels and channels of communications have been established within the construction industry notably the communication between the clients and consultants or consultants and contractors. In spite of that, there have been many hindrances to effective communication on construction projects in Ghana. These includes; poor listeners, poor leadership, unclear communication objectives, unclear channels of communication, ineffective reporting system, ineffective communication between the parties on the project, stereotyping and language difficulties. Finally, the research established that poor communication had resulted in project delays, project cost overrun and project abandonment. Project communications was also shown to strongly affect the performance of professionals within the construction industry.
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A Thesis submitted to the Institute of Distance Learning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Commonwealth Executive Masters of Business Administration,
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