Evaluation of Project Management Practices on Project Performance: A Cross-sectional study across Higher Education Research Institutes in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Project management practices are identified as key components for project performance and success. Among the projects conducted across the world, research and development projects are of immense importance. This study was conducted to explore the relationship between project management practices and project performance at higher education research institutes across Sri Lanka. The independent variables considered were integration management, scope management, and cost management for project management practices. The contemplations on academic project performance indicators were taken as the dependent variable. -Convenient sampling technique employing the quantitative method was used to gather the data, while correlation models were used to determine the statistical significance of the relationships (p<0.05). Twenty respondents (n=20) across four selected academic research funding institutes out of all academic research funding institutes in Sri Lanka have participated in the study. All selected project management practices: project integration, scope and cost management practices have shown statistically significant positive correlations. Thus, the results suggest that adaptation of standard project management practices are invaluable for project success. Hence, this study warrants more insights and attention into the standard practices generally recognized in project management in academic practice and research.