The Impact of Initial Phase Principles on Project Performance within the Building Industry in Abuja, Nigeria
Usman, N. D.; Kamau, P. K.; Mireri, C.

Abstract
The building industry is a key player of the Nigerian socio-economic development is saddled with the challenges of project management. The Nigerian Building Industry has adopted the traditional project management system in which projects are hardly delivered on time, within budget and quality standards. This has affected the growth of the industry as a result of its inability to deliver projects and services effectively and efficiently. This study therefore sought to determine the adoption of Life Cycle Management (LCM) and how initial phase principle influence project performance within the building industry in Abuja, Nigeria. LCM is a series of activities used in enhancing project performance. It is a valuable tool that helps the project manager to better understand the various steps of a project and the resources required. It reflects every management requirement for successful project delivery and communication between participants. LCM principles have been used successfully in managing many projects and improving services. Explanatory and descriptive approaches were used to obtain data from completed projects files (three from both public and private sectors respectively) and professionals from the building industry. Stratified and purposive random samplings were used to select completed projects and qualitative data for the purpose of analysis. The results revealed that projects were not delivered on time, within cost and quality due to poor management of projects, inadequate planning and budgetary provisions, costly project execution. The current traditional project management system is not achieving the desired results, however, if initial phase principle is adopted, it could improve project performance and reduce cost and time overruns.

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