QUESTION ONE $[50]$ Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: Ghana continues to record increasing numbers of uncompleted projects with its attendant cost overruns which are borne by the taxpayer. Several studies have sought to explain this phenomenon by exploring how project policy influences project outcomes. Though project leadership has been established to contribute to project outcomes, studies to look at how project leadership interplays between project policy and project outcome are lacking. The study thus examines how project leadership interacts with project policy and project outcomes using government projects within the Cape Coast Metropolitan area in Ghana. The study uses the resource$-$based view theory to explain the interactions among the variables. Data was collected from $97$ project leaders who have worked on government projects within the Cape Coast Metropolis. The study found that project policies and transformational leadership styles enhance project outcomes. On the contrary transactional leadership style was found to adversely impact project outcomes. The study further concludes that leadership style does not moderate the relationship between project policies and project outcomes. It is$,$ therefore, recommended that clear policies be formulated to guide the execution of government projects while project leaders are admonished to employ the transformational leadership style to increase the success rate of government projects. Project outcomes have recently received tremendous attention in the project management literature. Contemporary projects are intensely planned, strongly implemented and thoroughly observed using modern management techniques and innovative technological tools; yet about $60\%$ of these projects fail on meeting their expectations $($Taherdoost and Keshavarzsaleh, $2016).$ According to the Project Management Institute $($PMI$)(2019),$ in $2018,$ only about $70\%$ of the total projects were able to meet their original project goals, meanwhile only $60\%$ of those projects were completed within the original budget. Iqbal et al$.(2019)$ further surmised that project failures are reported around the world more than successful projects. In Ghana, it is reported that the rate at which projects fail is high and alarming, with one out of every three infrastructural development projects failing or being challenged to achieve either of the three constraints of cost$,$ time and scope $($Amponsah$,2013$; Damoah, $2015).$ Ofori$-$ Kuragu et al$.(2016)$ also suggested that most projects in Ghana do not meet their expected targets of time, cost and quality set by the project stakeholders and the outcome of these projects are also sometimes unsatisfactory $($El Emam and Koru, $2008$; Kappelman et al$.,2006).$ According to Amoatey et al$.(2015),$ the contribution of government construction projects cannot be under$-$estimated as it serves as the basis for the rest of the economy to flourish. When government projects fail, it stalls the development agenda of the country. The factors that impact project outcomes continue to be investigated. Several factors have been revealed to impact projects such as goal clarity, user engagement, management support, realistic expectations, time management, authority delegation, effective leadership, change management, project risk and quality, proper planning and project complexity $($Durmic$,2020$; Gemino et al$.,2020$; Handzic, $2017$; Luo et al$.,2017$; Moohebat et al$.,2010$; Nasir and Sahibuddin, $2011).$ Obviously, most projects fail to succeed due to a lack of organizational culture and leadership instead of poor management and planning $($Al$-$Qubaisi, $2015).$ More so$,$ extant literature in the last four decades has highlighted a variety of project success factors even though the success criteria also keep increasing $($Durmic$,2020$; Josline and M$$ller$,2016).$ Corollary to this, scholars have begun to broaden the scope of possible project success factors and focus more on the structural characteristics of the project context and its impact on success. One factor that is evolving in the literature is the project policys impact on project outcomes $($Biesenthal and Wilden, $2014).$ M$$ller and Lecoeuvre $(2014)$ identified the structural characteristics needed for successful project execution, highlighting project policy as one of them. The nascent literature has also highlighted the influence of project policies and governance on project out$-$comes $($Bekker and Steyn, $2008$; Hirschey et al$.,2009).$In this context, project policy is a policy guideline or document that provides the framework, rules, structures, protocols, relations and systems within which decisions are made throughout the lifespan of the project to accomplish the objectives of that project $($Delhi and Mahalingam, $2020).$ It is the use of systems, structures of authority, and processes to allocate resources and coordinate or control activity in a project $($Pinto$,2014).$ Project policies also delineate how uncertainties arising from the execution of the project would be dealt with. Furthermore, they also mediate and provide mechanisms on how divergent views and issues on a project must be addressed $($Li et al$.,2019).$ Nonetheless, these policies may also put some constraints in the way of the project manager$/$ leader during the project implementation and execution phases. Most of these policies are developed before the project leader is selected and little or no input is taken from him$/$her$,$ which may further hinder his$/$her performance $($Josline and M$$ller$,2016).$ In as much as the project policy can constrain a project manager or team, an effective leader can manoeuvre his or her way around the project policy to bring the best out of the project. The argument here is that the leadership style of the project manager could be a plausible difference between how the project policy affects the outcome of the project. For instance, the leader could deploy his or her leadership style to lure the followers to give off their best, even under the dire constraints of the project policy. Extant literature suggests that effective leadership is a key contributor to successful project delivery and can therefore not be ignored in everyday life as well as in projects $($Banihashemi et al$.,2017).$ Leadership on a project level is more complicated than at an organisational level and therefore the leaders style is germane to the outcome of the project. Project employees are also bonded for a temporary time in a limited scope. Therefore, the least motivated followers can lose focus within that period $($Rehman et al$.,2020).$ Many authors have realised the need for further research on project leadership for both theoretical and empirical reasons. They emphasised that leadership style and personality traits are salient to look at in determining the outcome of a project $($Anandamela$,2010$; Geoghegan and Dulewicz, $2008).$ Damoah and Kumi $(2018)$ provide evidence by reporting that project leadership is one of the top ten determinants of project outcomes in Ghana. The leadership literature in contemporary project settings suggests that the most prominent styles of leadership are the transformational and transactional leadership styles $($Bass$,1985$; Northouse, $2014).$ These leadership styles come with their own merits and demerits and suit different situations and contexts to influence the outcomes of projects. Consequent to this, it is contended that, apart from the project policys impact on a project, the style of the leader is also paramount for the success of the project. Generally, a few studies have investigated the impacts of project policies $($governance$)$ on project outcomes, albeit in foreign jurisdictions $($Bekker and Steyn, $2008$; Durmic, $2020$; Hirschey et al$.,2009$; Josline and M$$ller$,2016).$ Adapted from Owusu D and Aba Ochil D $(2023).$ Project policy and project outcomes: The moderating role of project leadership. Cogent Business & Management,