The causes and consequences of cost and time overrun on KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission funded projects.

Abstract

The management of cost and time overruns is a significant issue in project management (PM). Therefore, it is in the interest of every organisation to ensure that cost and time are wellmanaged for all projects in which they are involved. Cost and time are the most important resources in PM.Without these two resources, a project can neither be started nor be completed. The study aimed to ascertain the reasons for projects funded by the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission (KZNFC) having to be completed beyond their initial budget and outside their scheduled timeframe. The key objective of the study was to explore the causes and consequences of cost and time overruns on projects funded by KZNFC. A qualitative research method was used in the study. The study’s target population included all twenty MID employees of KZNFC. However, the study was narrowed down to the P&D unit because of its involvement with funded projects. At the time of the study, the P&D unit had eight employees and two junior employees were excluded from the study. The targeted participants of the study were therefore, six senior employees from the P&D unit who were directly involved with these funded projects. The participants had different experiences in film production projects. The main requirement for participants to be included in the study was that they had to be senior employees within the P&D unit. The participants included production analysts, production coordinators, and a production accountant as clearly defined in table 3.1. The participants sampling size used for this study was six, which is suitable for qualitative research. Since this study made use of qualitative research methodology, the non-probability sampling method was used to select the participants of the study, purposive sampling method to be precisely. Purposive sampling also known as selective sampling method was best suitable for this study because its enabled the researcher to identify and target the data collection process to particular individuals from the total population due to specific criteria such as experience and expertise in the area of focus, in this case which was film production project management. Data analysis followed the following sequence: transcribing and managing, coding, and processing data. The researcher used NVivo software to process data for proper data classification and a seamless data analysis process. The collected data was analysed through the thematic analysis technique, which is suitable for qualitative research method in order to obtain the understanding and generate themes from the qualitative data set. The inductive thematic approach was considered to be the most suitable analysis approach for the study, as it gives a researcher freedom to explore the transcript from interviews with no specified framework. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews using interviews guide questions. The findings of the study indicated that raising additional funding by beneficiaries was one of the most contributing factors to time overruns, which subsequently led to budget rollovers. Participants indicated that staff shortages and increased workload were among other reasons for project delays. Participants also identified internal approval processes as contributing to the challenges that resulted in project time overruns. Concerning to cost overruns, few projects exceeded their initial budget. Environmental factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, floods, riots, and disruptive community groups were identified by participants as contributing to budget increases on KZNFC funded film projects in recent years. External factors such as a lack of industry skills capacity, unprofessionalism, and poor business and administrative skills on the part of beneficiaries were also found to contribute to project delays. Based on the findings of the study, it has been recommended that KZNFC address its operational deficiencies by filling open vacancies, providing more human resource support to the P&D Unit, and reviewing policies and business processes that contribute to delays. The appointment of qualified, experienced administrators and bookkeepers to oversee projects administration and accounting was also recommended for filmmakers.