The determinants of the logical framework adoption among non-governmental organizations in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Project management has previously been a preserve of the building and construction industry. However, with time the discipline has been adopted by other sectors ranging from the government sector, the not-for-profit sector and the private sector. In the planning and execution of projects, project managers make use of various project management tools such as Work breakdown structure (WBS), Gantt chart, Logical framework, Run chart and PERT chart among many others. Among these tools, logical framework commonly referred to as logframe has attracted a lot of attention as well as controversy. This is because despite the tool's effectiveness, the level of its adoption among organizations remains low raising the fundamental question on what determines its adoption among these institutions. This study sought to find out the various factors that determine logframe adoption among project managers in NGOs operating in Nairobi County in order to provide the necessary facts on the use of this important tool. The researcher endeavoured to achieve the following research objective: to find out the economic factors that influence the adoption of logframe among the NGOs; to establish the policy factors that influence adoption of logframe; to determine the technical factors that influence the adoption of logframe; and to investigate the socio-cultural factors that influence the adoption of logframe. To achieve the above objectives, the researcher sought to find answers the question on how each of the above factors influences the adoption of logframe among the participating NGOs. This was based on the assumption that the information collected was correct, up to date, accessible and timely. The researcher adopted a descriptive research design in carrying out the study so as to present facts as they were. Due to time and financial constraints, the researcher used stratified sampling technique so as to study a subset of the population while at the same time ensuring that the research findings were generalizable to the entire population. In addition to collection of primary data through the use of a questionnaire, the researcher had conducted a thorough literature review of the existing secondary materials so as to supplement his research as well as identify knowledge gaps in order to eliminate unnecessary duplications. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics with the aid of statistical package in social sciences. The data was presented using frequency distribution tables, pie charts and bar graphs so as to provide a visual and pictorial presentation of the research findings for ease in understanding, comparison and interpretation of the research findings. After data analysis, it was found that economic factors have the highest influence on the adoption on logframe followed by policy and technical factors. Socio-cultural factors were the least influential. In conclusion, it is worth noting that logframe is far from being fully mainstreamed in project management though organizations are using it.