Assessing professional perceptions on site meeting practices for enhancing construction project execution in Uganda

Abstract

Site meetings play a crucial role in construction project management by facilitating communication, collaboration, and decision-making among professionals. However, in Uganda’s construction industry, site meetings often fall short of their intended purpose due to poor adherence to best practices, ineffective follow-up on action points, and a lack of commitment from stakeholders. These shortcomings have contributed to delays in decision-making, cost overruns, and compromised project quality. This study assessed the perceptions of construction professionals regarding site meeting practices in project execution, identifying key challenges and proposing strategies to improve their productivity. A mixed-methods approach was employed, incorporating online questionnaires and interviews with construction professionals in Kampala. A total of 83 responses were analysed, consisting of 43% Quantity Surveyors, 27% Engineers, 13% Project Managers, 7% Architects, 6% Construction Managers, 1% Clerks of Work, and 1% Topographic Surveyors. The analysis included thematic coding of qualitative responses and statistical evaluation of predefined strategies to determine their effectiveness in addressing site meeting challenges. The findings revealed that conflicting schedules, inadequate stakeholder engagement, poor communication, and resource constraints were the most significant barriers to effective site meetings. Strategies such as training professionals on best practices, enforcing stakeholder participation, utilizing digital tools for meeting documentation, and ensuring financial facilitation for site meetings emerged as key solutions. Notably, professional capacity building and structured stakeholder involvement were strongly linked to improved meeting coordination and project efficiency. The study provides practical recommendations for improving site meetings in Uganda’s construction sector, emphasizing training, accountability, structured follow-up, and better resource allocation to enhance decision-making and project outcomes.