Project Management Practices in Government Organizations of Developing Countries: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Public sector project management is increasingly becoming an important subject matter for both the project management environment as well as the public sector, due to the demands for improvement in accountability and organizational effectiveness in public organizations. Project practitioners executing government projects in developing countries encounter various challenges, both internal and external to the project. This article analyses previous studies on project management practices in developing countries government organizations (DCGOs) published in academic journals and/or conference proceedings. Factors having an impact on project management practices in public organizations of developing countries were identified and categorized into; structural factors, government control procedures, contractor issues and lack of project management knowledge and project manager's expertise. It was also observed that a majority of the studies applied a positivist methodology, using statistical measures to collect and analyse data. Based on the studies reviewed, the findings suggest that a combination of the factors identified will be required to enhance project management practices in public organizations of developing countries. In addition the article posits that an alternative research methodology should be applied to studying project management practices in differing contexts.