Effective Project Management Practices in Private Organizations in Tanzania

This study aimed to understand the challenges faced, the adoption of project management best practices, and the effect of adopting these practices within private organizations in Tanzania. Several projects in Tanzania, such as the Kigamboni City Project, have failed, resulting in the loss of billions of dollars. Despite the importance of adopting project management practices for achieving project success, there is a gap in the literature regarding a deeper understanding of specific challenges and best practices that contribute to project success. This qualitative study was based on an interpretivism philosophy. Using purposive sampling, rich data was collected from six project managers in Tanzania. Thematic analysis identified key challenges, including team conflict, scope creep, resource constraints, technology uncertainty, and inadequate planning. The best project management practices include a clearly defined business case, setting up a unit to manage a project, scope definition and control, resource management, and team development. The study results will provide project practitioners with better insights, enabling them to increase the likelihood of project success by addressing the challenges and implementing best practices specific to the context of Tanzania. A deeper understanding of these challenges and best practices will lead to higher project success rates in Tanzania.