| Abstract: | High-rise building construction projects are very major part of construction industry which has an important role for growth of the nation. The challenges and risk factors in high-rise construction projects are high. Even though since recently high-rise building projects have been undertaken in Addis Ababa, very little studies were carried out on regarding the challenges and practice of managing high rise building projects. Accordingly, the study mainly aimed to assess the project management practices of the high-rise building construction in Addis Ababa with specific reference of CBE high-rise building project. The study used descriptive case study research design and qualitative research approach where field observation and semi-structure interview was used as primary source of data and documentation analysis as secondary source of data. The study used purposive sampling technique. Hence, the interview included one project manager, one contract administrator, and six project team members who were believed to know the area or subject matter very well. Different kinds of secondary data were also greatly used as triangulation mechanism. The qualitative research came up with a finding that DB project is becoming effective in meeting its project cost though there were some changes in cost were made due change in scope, however, the project is not effective in its time schedule as it has having significant time delay so far and the quality assurance is not certainly known though significant follow-up and supervision were made to ensure that project was in accordance with the details stated in the contract. The study identified the outbreak COVID-19, a lack of construction materials, a language barrier, a lack of certain norms and regulations, a shortage of qualified labor and contractor claims as major challenges of project. The study also identified that the project could have provided a significant opportunity for learning capacity and transferring technology and knowhow related with high-rise building projects. The study concludes that having skillful experts, documenting every project instruction in written form, providing discrete authority to the contractor with full responsibility (empowerment), harmonization of stakeholders, back-to-back evaluation with continuous progress review meetings were identified as how effective project term managed can be used to bring the project finally to be completed based on the experience of the case study. |
