Is project management a benefit to the Botswana construction industry?

Abstract

Project Management has become a popular topic in the construction industry throughout the world. Botswana is no exception and many developers are now insisting that project managers should also be in charge of their development projects. However, as project managers charge a considerable fee for some of the services that were historically handled by architects, some industry role players have expressed their doubts whether project managers are in fact worthwhile. Project managers claim to do all these services better and faster than the traditional architect but it could be asked whether their involvement generated any tangible benefits to the construction industry to justify their added cost to a building project. The main aim of this article is to answer this question. A quantitative survey was conducted by means of a structured questionnaire involving various role players in the Botswana construction industry. The results were interpreted and the authors would like to present their positive findings that project management is indeed a benefit to the construction industry in Botswana.