Project Lifecycle Management on Performance of Youth Empowerment Project: a Case of Voluntary Service Overseas Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

In order to function effectively, youth empowerment projects (YEPs) rely on research showing that young adults, given the chance, can create economic possibilities, contribute to society as a whole, and act responsibly. Thus, these initiatives are developed primarily to provide young people with economic agency and to mitigate social inequalities. But there are a number of obstacles to completing tasks, and sustainable development is one of them. In Kenya, as in many other small, emerging countries, the problem of how to implement youth empowerment projects is a major concern. Problems with the project's performance are common after completion, especially for those that required a substantial financial commitment. Despite the significant progress shown in the patterns of implementation for these projects, only a few of them remain maintained once implemented. The research was conducted in Nairobi County, Kenya, as part of a larger effort to study effects of project lifecycle administration on success of youth empowerment schemes. To evaluate impact of scheme planning on version of the youth enablement project; to establish effect of project implementation on the enactment of the youth empowerment project; to evaluate the impact of project closure on the performance of the youth empowerment project; and to decide the impact of project initiation on the enactment of the youth empowerment project were the specific goals that guided this. Argyris's stakeholder theory, decision theory, and intervention theory served as the theoretical foundations for this investigation. A cross-sectional, descriptive study was used for this investigation. In total, 108 participants from Nairobi's youth empowerment programme were randomly selected from a population of 149. Questionnaires were distributed to youth participants, project staff, and implementing partners to gather information. Data analysis was performed using SPSS for inferential statistics, descriptive statistics, and content analysis. The F-Statistic for this study was 61.318 at the 0.000 level of significance, demonstrating that effective project lifecycle management has a noticeable impact on project success. As can be seen in the table of regression coefficients, the t-test demonstrates a positive but insignificant association between project initiation and performance (0.07> p0.05); project planning was a affirmative and important predictor of enactment (beta = 0.128, alpha = 0.000). Having a positive and significant predictor for project performance at the 0.030 level is indicative of successful project implementation. As a positive predictor of project success, project completion had a beta value of 0.669 at the 0.000 level of significance. In summary, the project's performance was positively affected by the project's commencement, positively and significantly impacted by the project's planning, and positively and significantly impacted by the project's planning and implementation. The research advises that those responsible for initiating projects develop rigorous techniques to guarantee that the initiation process is carried out correctly. The research also suggests conducting regular checks and reviews. According to the results, the project should investigate several implementation strategies thoroughly. Project management lifecycle phase that verifies the project sponsor is satisfied with the project's final deliverables.