RESOURCE PLANNING PRACTICES AND PERFORMANCE OF TELECOMMUNICATION COMPANIES’ FIBRE OPTIC CONNECTIVITY PROJECTS IN KENYA

Chrispus Mwandiki Nyaga, Dr. Benard Lango, Dr. Yusuf Muchelule

Abstract


In Kenya, telecommunication companies have heavily invested in fibre optic connectivity projects. However, these projects only cover 17% of the country. Because of this, a study has been carried out to focus on the impact of resource planning on project performance. The research objectives were to assess the effects of resource budgeting and material planning on project performance. The performance of the project was measured through cost performance, timely delivery, productivity of workers and quality of the network. The study drew on the Resource-Based View (RBV), Systems Theory, Human Capital Theory (HCT) and Theory of Constraints (TOC). Further, the study adopted a pragmatic philosophy, cross-sectional descriptive survey design, and quantitative approach. Researchers gathered data from 117 project managers from 166 telecommunication companies involved in deploying fibre optic using structured questionnaires with a response rate of 79.5 per cent and analysed the data through descriptive and inferential statistics (SPSS v30.0). In this study, it was found that material planning influenced project performance the most since it had the highest coefficient (β = .676, p = .008), followed by resource budgeting (β = .284, p = .001). The study concludes that robust resource planning enhances cost, time, and quality outcomes, though external and internal limitations persist. Recommendations include adopting advanced budgeting tools, centralized scheduling systems, enhanced workforce training, and optimized material management, alongside policy support to mitigate financial and regulatory barriers.

Key Words: Resource Planning Practices, Telecommunication Companies, Fibre Optic Connectivity, Resource Budgeting, Material Planning, Project Performance


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