What Exactly Is a “Successful” Project?

You would think it would be relatively straightforward to describe the attributes of a successful project. Well, let’s just say this endeavor has kept more than a few “spin doctors,” “politicians,” and “history revisionists” employed throughout organizations across our great land. Why is this the case? There are several reasons for this:

• There is a lack of universal harmony of what comprises project success metrics.It seems that every project management educational source and organizational process maturity standard has a slightly different definition of project success.

• For many projects, the acceptance and success criteria are never established or agreed to by all key stakeholders.

• In many cases, an organization might define a project as successful even when some of the textbook criteria for project success (such as schedule, cost, and client expectations) are not completely met. This is often the case if the project achieved strategic business or organizational objectives.

• In other cases, a “cancelled” project might be a “successful” project if there was a plan for one or more “go/no-go” decision points. From a utopian, academic standpoint, the “ultimate” successful project would be defined as a project that:

• Delivers as promised—Project produces all the stated deliverables.
• Completes on-time—Project completes within the approved schedule.
• Completes within budget—Project completes under the approved budget.
• Delivers quality—Project deliverable meet all functional, performance, and quality specifications.

• Achieves original purpose—The project achieves its original goals, objectives, and purpose.

• Meets all stakeholder expectations—The complete expectations of each key stakeholder are met, including all client acceptance criteria, and each key stakeholder accepts the project results without reservation.

• Maintains “win-win” relationships—The needs of the project are met with a “people focus” and do not require sacrificing the needs of individual team members or vendors. Participants on successful projects should be enthusiastic when the project is complete and eager to repeat a similar experience.