Identification of the critical project management competencies of architects in the Ghanaian construction industry

Abstract

The need for architects to possess key project management (PM) competencies to enable them to perform effectively and efficiently with other professionals in this collaborative multi-disciplinary team-based industry has engaged the attention of stakeholders in recent times. Notably, the PM skills required by project teams may differ significantly across different project professionals. While some PM skills may be common across all the professionals in the project teams, there is no denying the fact that some PM skills are likely to be significant to the role of architects in construction project delivery. However, the PM skills requisite for the architects' work culture, team dynamics and the construction industry are not well established. The main aim of this study is to identify the critical project management competencies of architects in project delivery in the Ghanaian construction industry. Through the use of a questionnaire survey and means scores and Kruskal–Wallis analysis, 12 competencies were identified as important for architects. The findings should help architects to align their professional development towards improving their PM skills in the Ghanaian construction industry.