Critical Project Success Factors

28 Oct Critical Project Success Factors

PM360 Consulting have reserached case studies on the best practices of successful projects as against the poor practices of failed projects. Traditional project management success factors were based on the iron triangle of time, cost and quality and this develop out of the delivery of US military, engineering and construction projects in the nineteen fifties and sixties.Similarly success factors were further expanded by Rockart throughout nineteen sixties and seventies,his research defined critical success factors (CSFs) as the limited number of areas in which results, if they are satisfactory will ensure successful competitive performance for the organization. Further expansion on the critical success factors (CSFs) has  been carried out by  main academic authors who have researched and written extensively on the subject for the last forty years: Pinto and Slevin (1987, 1989,1996), Pinto and Mantel  (1990),  Belassi and Tukel (1996), Hartman (1996), Liu and Walker (1998), Lim and Mohamed (1999), Cooke-Davies (2002), Chan (2002), Turner (2009,2014),Muller and Turner (2003,2007,2009), Westerveld (2001,2002,2015), Crawford (2005,2011,2020), Standish Group (2011,2015,2020,2025) and  Kerzner (2015,2020,2024).

In addition, the most cited article in relation to project success factors is by Pinto and Slevin (1988) from the nineteen eighties and this list is still most relevant and most applied in projects across different industry sectors in 2025.

Pinto and Slevin List of Success Factors (2025)

Success Factors – Description

Project Mission – Clearly defined goals and objectives

Top Management Support – Resources, authority and power for implementation

Schedule and Plans – Detailed specification and implementation process

Client Consultation – Communication and consultations of all stakeholders

Personnel – Recruitment selection and training of competent personnel

Technical Tasks – Ability of the required technology and expertise

Client Acceptance – Selling of the final product to the end users

Monitoring and Feedback – Timely and comprehensive control

Communication – Provision of timely data to key players

Troubleshooting – Ability to handle unexpected problems

Research studies (Johnson, 2024 www.pmi.org) on project success have identified the following project success factors:

1. User involvement
2. Executive support
3. Clear business objectives
4. Scope optimization
5. Agile processes
6. Project management expertise
7. Financial management
8. Skilled resources
9. Formal methodology
10. Tools and infrastructure

“Top Project Management Techniques to Avoid Project Failure”

• Adopt the Proactive Approach. …
• Plan Project’s Strategy and Project’s Implementation. …
• Manage the Project Goals. …
• Avoid Unrealistic Expectations. …
• Track Project’s Progress. …
• Identify Risk Factors. …
• Propose the Solutions. …
• Use Correct Methodology…

(https://www.whizlabs.com/blog)

Google research indicates project success factors include clear goals,effective communication,strong leadership and top management support. Examples of success criteria are completing the project on time and within budget, achieving quality, ensuring user and stakeholder satisfaction, and meeting business objectives.

Examples of Critical Success Factors

• Clear project goals and mission: Defining why the project is necessary and having a clear vision for its outcome.
• Effective communication: Ensuring open and consistent information sharing among team members and stakeholders.
• Leadership and top management support: Having strong leadership to guide the project and active support from senior management.
• Skilled project team: Having a team with the necessary technical skills and clear roles and responsibilities.
• Realistic schedule and budget: Creating a schedule and budget that are achievable and adhering to them.
• Stakeholder satisfaction: Keeping all stakeholders informed and involved to ensure they are satisfied with the project’s progress and outcome.

• Time: Completing the project within the planned schedule.
• Cost: Delivering the project within the allocated budget.
• Quality: Meeting or exceeding the defined quality standards and technical specifications.
• Business goals: Achieving the project’s expected commercial and strategic benefits.
• User/Customer satisfaction: Ensuring the end-users or customers are satisfied with the final product or outcome.
• Team satisfaction: Ensuring the project team is satisfied with their work environment,recognition,communication.

(Google scholar 2025)

PM360 Consulting Project Success Factors – Ten Steps (2025)

Step 1. Establish the Goal

Step 2. Estimation – Why and How

Step 3. There Must be One Leader

Step 4. Supply and Demand – Availability of Resources

Step 5. Contingency and Risk Management

Setting Stakeholders Expectations

Probability of Success Indicator

Step 6. Appropriate Leadership Style

Step 7. Tracking the Project Progress

Step 8. Light Status Reporting

Step 9. The Project Managers Daily Routine

Step 10. Project Audit

(© 2025 PM360 Consulting – Fergus O Connell All Reserved)

Refercences

https://www.infoq.com/articles/standish-chaos-2015/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236175751_Critical_Success_Factors_Across_the_Project_Life_Cycle

Friel, P.G. (2017) “Project Manager Perceptions of the Value of Organizational Project Management” Dissertation National College of Ireland Dublin Ireland.

www.pm360consulting.ie/blog

www.googlescholar.com/projectsuccessfactors 2025

https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/delivering-successful-projects-every-time-6822