Effectiveness of Delegated Authority on Project Completion: the Case of Aphia Plus Project Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

The research project was set out to assess the effectiveness of delegation of authority on project completion in Nairobi County Kenya, a USAID donor funded project. The study was a descriptive research that adopted a case study design to realize the objectives of the study. The study was directed by four research objectives including to determine the effectiveness of delegation of financial management, to determine the effectiveness of delegation of human resources management, to establish the effectiveness of delegation of monitoring and evaluation functions and to establish the effectiveness of delegation of logistics and supply chain functions on the completion of the Aphia plus project in Nairobi County. The study was guided by continuum theory which looks at delegation in management in relation to freedom and decision making. According to this theory, the freedom of the manager decreases while the decision making of the subordinate or the team increases. The objectives of the study were realized through qualitative method and procedures. Data was collected by structured questionnaires, there were two questionnaires; for the managers and employees and stakeholders. The study questionnaire was closed ended except for the demographic data that had open ended questions. The study applied quantitative and qualitative research in data analysis. The data collection was through non probability sampling by stratified then simple random sampling procedure. Population of the study was 120 with a sample size of 90 which gave a good representation of the population. The sample was stratified into managers, beneficiaries and employees of Aphia plus project in Nairobi County Kenya. Data collected was presented using tables with inferential statistics used in correlation and regression analysis. The study established a positive correlation between delegation of financial management, human resource management, monitoring and evaluation and logistics and supply chain and completion of Aphia plus project, a USAID-funded project in Nairobi County. The study found out that the delegation of the function of finance, human resource, monitoring and evaluation and logistics have a relationship in completion of Aphia plus project. As project management delegates more duties to other staffs, project deliverables are attained in time, benefits accrue to the intended beneficiaries while project outcomes are achieved in a sustainable manner. The study recommends that project and enterprise organizations need to enlighten their management on the importance of delegation of duties, especially in the timely implementation of project activities. It also recommends that project teams should train employees and impart delegation skills on their leaders to help them adopt best practices when delegating tasks to junior team members. From the findings of the study, it is suggested that further and similar studies should be conducted in other sectors of the economy or institutions, especially NGOs and governmental projects that engage in community-oriented programmes to corroborate and replicate these findings. More specifically, new studies should aim to highlight how various departments, institutions and enterprises may delegate tasks through techniques that encourage the realization of quality and sustainable products to the target beneficiaries.