Operational Risk Management and Project Success in Rwanda, A Case Study of Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Project (LVWATSAN) in Nyagatare District, Rwanda

Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Project (LVWATSAN) operations in Nyagatare District were particularly aimed at constructing a faecal sludge treatment plant with the ability to treat dirt water not only in Nyagatare District but also other two secondary cities namely, Nyanza, Kayonza (MINIFRA, 2015). The general objective of this study was to assess the impact of operational risk management on project success of LVWATSAN in the Nyagatare District; Specifically, the objectives of the study were to examine the impact of operational risk identification on the success of LVWATSAN project; To assess the impact of operational risk monitoring on the success of LVWATSAN project; To determine the impact of operational risk mitigation on the success of LVWATSAN project. The target population of the study was 42 respondents sourced from all the staff members undertaking project activities including project manager, engineers and operators; a census method was used where all 42-target population were considered as a sample size. The study used primary and secondary data collection methods. Primary data was collected using a survey questionnaire while secondary data was sourced from published and unpublished sources from library and peer- reviewed articles from journals of project management databases. Data was processed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics in frequencies, percentages, standard deviations and means. Correlation and regression analysis were used to evaluate the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. After analysing the data, findings concluded that the project lacked effective risk planning procedures due to the weaknesses in the approval and reviews of the risk management framework, had an outlined risk mitigation plan, however, the project team appeared unaware of the mitigation measures to adopt should risks present themselves. The study concluded that there is a significant relationship between operational risk management - identification, monitoring as well as mitigation and project success in terms of timely completion, cost performance and stakeholder’ satisfaction. The study recommended that; the senior leadership in Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation project should adopt operational risk management as a methodology and knowledge field when they start implementing new project. Keywords: Operational risk management, project success, LVWATSAN, Rwanda