The effect of scope definition on infrastructure projects: A case in Malawi’s public and private implementing agencies

Abstract

This research was carried out to determine the effect of scope definition on public building projects that are implemented by project implementing agencies (PIAs) in Malawi. The research sought to investigate the relationship between the level of scope definition and the corresponding performance of infrastructure projects. The study demonstrated the correlation between the level of project scope definition and the success of infrastructure projects. A project scope definition tool called the ‘project definition rating index’ (PDRI) was used in this research to measure the level of project scope definition. The research concluded that there is a significant direct correlation between scope definition and the corresponding performance of the sampled infrastructure projects in Malawi’s PIAs. Projects that were well-defined tended to exhibit good project performance indicators, while those that were poorly-defined tended to exhibit poor project performance indicators.