Imported Project Management Practices in Developing Countries: The Problem of Insufficient Adaptation to Local Project Governance Systems in the Construction Sector

Few professionals in developing countries want to “miss the boat.” There is a growing call in the Global South for standardized project management “Bodies of knowledge” (BoK), Building Information Modelling (BIM) practices, green building certifications, and other imported methods and tools. There is a constant rush to rapidly integrate procedures and practices that come from the North (or the West), without questioning their validity and pertinence in local contexts. It is clear that imported practices contribute to consolidating a consistent language and to project protocols, but quite often, they fail to respond to the fragmented and dynamic character of the construction industry and are a poor fit when it comes to improving project quality. In this chapter, we focus on the characteristics of project governance in the construction industry in the global North and South. We argue that there are several mismatches between governance approaches in the Global South and the importation of project management BoK, BIM practices, and green certification methods. We argue that the challenges related to implementing project management practices in developed countries are exacerbated when methods are adopted in developing countries without sufficient adaptation and customization. We conclude that there is a need to highlight project management practices that truly respond to the characteristics of construction project governance in the Global South. There is a need to improve practices in low-income countries, but these should not be based on the introduction of methods from the North or the West. Instead, they must emerge from culturally relevant best practices and be rooted in local project governance conditions and the characteristics of the local building sector.