Critical Success Factors and Performance of Project in Export Processing Zones in Kenya: A Study of Athi River Export Processing Zone
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Date
2025-07
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
Many projects around the world keep failing, resulting in loss of millions of dollars for organizations. This persisting challenge has led many project management professionals to attempt to identify the critical factors that need to be tackled for successful project management outcome. Export processing zones are special regulatory areas established to promote export-led growth. Despite the preceding largely favourable empirical analysis, EPZs have had a record of lower-than-expected performance of projects. This informed the current study as it sought to evaluate the effect of critical success factors on performance of projects in export processing zones. The study objectives included; the effect of resource allocation, monitoring and evaluation, management commitment and stakeholder involvement on performance of projects in Export Processing Zones while focusing on Athi River Export Processing Zone. The study relied on three theories which were; Theory of Constraints, Resource Based Theory and Goal Setting Theory to support the relationship among the study variables. A descriptive research design was adopted for this research. The study population consisted of Assistant Project Managers, Project Managers, Project Officers and Project Supervisors which were one hundred (100) in number within Athi River Export Processing Zone. A Census approach was considered due to the small number of the target population. Primary data was obtained using a questionnaire which was largely based on a likert scale. The validity and reliability of the research instruments was ensured before data collection and making conclusions. Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 was used for the statistical analyses. Descriptive statistics consisted of percentages, means and other central tendencies. The inferential statistic was based on multiple regression analysis. The study found that when resources are made available if and with timely disbursements upon allocation, proper monitoring and evaluation systems in place, a management team that has total commitment to the project and stakeholders’ input and involvement considered results to achievement of project objectives with little or no hick ups hence the variables had a positive significant relationship with the performance of projects in export processing zones. The study concluded that better project execution is achieved by hiring highly competent employees at the right time and effectively allocating all the resources necessary for project implementation. Companies allow project tasks to be immediately monitored at the beginning and evaluated at the end in order to obtain clear and accurate information about each achievement. The company's senior management has provided support for started projects. Management commitment leads to proper planning of project activities, allowing the project team to focus on effective project execution. The companies ensure the involvement of all relevant stakeholders in issues related to the ongoing projects in the company. The study recommended that project managers need to determine the scope of the project and the available resources, as well as properly assigning enough team members to the project. Project managers develop a plan to monitor and evaluate ongoing projects by creating a platform or system to capture and organize project data in one place, track each team member's progress, and allocate resources accordingly. Company leadership needs to communicate to team members the vision of the project to be implemented in order to set clear expectations regarding project ethics. Companies should define and identify relevant stakeholders from both internal and external sources. Analyze these stakeholders in terms of authority or power, interest in project outcomes, and ability to influence or cause change in the project
Description
A Research Project Submitted to the School of Business, Economics and Tourism in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Award of Degree of Master of Business Administration (Project Management) of Kenyatta University, July, 2025
Supervisor:
1.Franklin Kinoti