Project Success: A Multifaceted Journey

I have proposed here a project success definition, but after discussing with some friends and colleagues in project management I have decided to scale up my teasing approach. Hope we all can reflect and benefit from that.

Defining project success is a complex undertaking, it is described as a "heuristic problem" due to the lack of a single, universally accepted definition. Several concepts and perspectives contribute to understanding success, each offering valuable insights. Here follows a "try" to connect different backgrounds and perspectives with my own view on that. Hope we all can start developing a common ground for a holistic definition of project success. It is a daring approach, I acknowledge that.

1. My Perspective: A Value Stream Approach

My propose adopts the four-stage "value stream" approach to project success, emphasizing the interconnectedness of project phases and their impact on organizational success:

(i) Project Management Success in Delivering Outputs: Success here focuses on project management and execution. Did the project deliver the planned outputs on schedule, within budget, and meeting quality specifications? This aligns with traditional project management success criteria. Delivering the "project right" is a key step.

(ii) Project Ownership Success in Enabling Outcomes: Success in the operational phase is measured by the project owner's ability to utilize the delivered outputs to achieve the intended business outcomes. This reflects the project's contribution to achieving operational goals that have justified the project to exist.

(iii) Project Sponsorship Success in Generating Value and Benefits: This stage focuses on the project's contribution to creating value for the sponsoring organization. Did the project generate the expected benefits (financial returns, stakeholder gains, and other) as outlined in the business case? This aligns with the sponsor's perspective of success; sponsor parties are the ones that give birth to the project by approving its project business case: the "birth certificate" of a project.

(iv) Project Success in Realizing the Strategy and Preparing the Sponsor Organization for the Future: Success here examines the project's impact on the organization's overall strategy, including prevailing in the long run and developing competitive advantages while delivering positive effects to the "eco-system". Did the project contribute to realizing the strategy, capturing lessons learned, and preparing the organization for future success? This emphasizes strategic alignment and continuous improvement while gaining broad appreciation within the "eco-system".

My limited (probably biased) view highlights the importance of considering success throughout the project lifecycle and from different stakeholder perspectives. The right project has to be delivered in the right form exercising fidelity toward its sponsor parties: the ones that have approved the project to exist. This view assumes that the business case, the project "birth certificate", was approved by the sponsor parties.

2. Other perspectives

2.1. Project Management Institute (PMI): The Iron Triangle

PMI emphasizes the "Iron Triangle" – a framework that represents the interplay between three key project constraints: Scope, Time, and Cost. Project success, according to PMI, is achieved by delivering the project outputs within these constraints while meeting predetermined quality standards. This approach emphasizes delivering the "project right" while balancing competing priorities. For sure this is the first step for project success to be acknowledge. All project managers should accomplish that at the minimum.

2.2. International Project Management Association (IPMA): Stakeholder Satisfaction

IPMA focuses on stakeholder satisfaction as a key measure of project success. Success is achieved when a project meets stakeholder expectations – not just within the Iron Triangle, but also in terms of social, environmental, and ethical considerations. This perspective broadens the definition of success to include a wider range of stakeholder needs and expectations. All asset developers should accomplish that at the minimum.

2.3. PRINCE2: Delivering Expected Business Benefits

PRINCE2, a structured project management methodology, defines project success as the delivery of a project that meets the agreed-upon business case. The business case outlines the project's expected benefits, and success is achieved when these benefits are realized. This approach emphasizes alignment with the project's original purpose and justification. All project managers and asset developers within and under business environment demands should go toward achieving this key objective. The most important role of a project manager, if if limited in delivering the outputs, is to play fidelity against the sponsor party. Trust is all about that: predictability in behaving!

3. Is it Viable to Find a Common Ground? How to Achieve a Holistic Definition?

Things are far from being easy. While these approaches offer valuable insights, a truly holistic definition of project success should encompass elements from each perspective. This is not trivial stuff. To define a common acceptable project success aligning all institutional vanity around this is really a very intricate journey. Herein follows a potential framework to serve as a common ground to start scaling up and aligning different views and interests for the sake of project, program and portfolio management community.

A project can be considered successful if it in:

• Delivering Outputs: Meets predetermined quality standards within agreed-upon time and budget constraints (Iron Triangle).
• Enabling Outcomes: Contributes to achieving the intended operational objectives and business outcomes defined in the project justification.
• Generating Value and Benefits: Creates value for the sponsoring organization by delivering the anticipated benefits (financial returns, stakeholder gains) outlined in the business case, while generating benefits and getting appreciation from stakeholders.
• Realizing Strategy and Preparing for the Future: Aligns with the organization's overall strategy, contributes to continuous improvement through captured lessons learned, and positions the organization for future success.
• Satisfies Stakeholders: Meets the expectations of key stakeholders, considering not only project deliverables but also social, environmental, and ethical aspects, while addressing potential inherent disbenefits.

Final Remarks

This multifaceted definition acknowledges the importance of not only technical execution but also strategic alignment, value creation, and stakeholder satisfaction. The specific criteria used to assess success will vary depending on the nature and context of each project. No one size fits all (I do not think this remark fits well here, but forgive me on that quote).

Project success is not a singular destination but rather a continuous journey.

By integrating the valuable perspectives of the value stream approach with those of PMI, IPMA, and PRINCE2, project management community can gain a holistic understanding of how to achieve success and, secondary, a project success definition in today's complex and ever evolving project management environment.