A Conceptual Framework for the Development of a Competency-Based Evaluation Tool for Project Managers Within the Road Infrastructure Industry

Institutions across all sectors use project management practices to achieve their goals, although their operationalization varies by industry. To attain these project goals, the competency of the project managers (PM) remains an imperative factor. The assessment of competencies of PM has concentrated chiefly on vertical construction management literature at the neglect of horizontal construction such as the roads. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop a tool for evaluating the competencies of project managers in the road sector due to colossal failures encountered in this sector in achieving the project goals in both developed and developing nations. In an attempt to develop such a tool, the current study proposes a conceptual framework for the development of a competency-based evaluation tool for project managers within the road infrastructure industry. A thorough literature review was conducted using relevant databases to identify the roles of project managers, challenges project managers face, project managers’ competencies, and drivers to improve the performance of project managers. The framework was built on three dimensions: the organizational context, identification of the challenges, roles, and drivers of PM, and then the establishment of the needed competencies components. The knowledge-based theory, human behavioural theory, and competency-based theory underpin the framework. This study serves as the basis for a larger picture in developing a tool for evaluating the PM competencies in Ghana's road sector.