Abstract
There have been major developments in project management over the years; however, the success rates of projects are still far from the desired levels. The number of studies focusing on project success has been increasing over the last decades. This chapter reviews the concept of project success, project success criteria, and CSF by narrowing the focus from generic projects to IT and then agile projects. The review revealed that client satisfaction has a critical role in the perceived success of the project, along with iron triangle (cost, budget, scope). It is widely accepted that some CSF are dependent on the context of the project. Top management support, communication, clear and linked project objectives, user involvement, teamwork, and effective planning are critical factors in IT projects. There are two differences in the evaluation of the success between agile and traditional software projects: frequency of the evaluation and a stronger emphasis on ensuring customer satisfaction. There is higher importance on people-related factors and customer involvement in agile projects.
TopBackground
The number of studies on project success has been increasing over the last few decades. The majority of the research on project success falls into two categories: In the first category, many studies are dealing with the project success criteria (e.g., Ika, 2009; Prabhakar, 2008; Davis, 2018; Oseyi-Kyei & Chan, 2017; Chan, Scott & Edmond, 2002). Those studies discuss how the success of the projects should be measured and what criteria should be used to quantify the project success. The literature on the measurement of project success and how the concept of project success is evolved is reviewed under the “Project Success” title.
In the second vein of the studies on project success, many studies are dealing with the CSF (Ika, 2009). CSF are defined as the input to the management system that supports the project’s success (Prabhakar, 2008). In this category of the studies on project success, many researchers (e.g., Davies, 2002; Nasir et al., 2015; Yalegama, Chileshe & Ma, 2016; Marzagao & Carvalho, 2016) discussed the CSF and their impact on project success for projects with different characteristics. The literature on the critical factors and their impact on the different dimensions of the project success is reviewed under the “Critical Success Factors (CSF)” title.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Agile Software Development: A specific form of software development methodology focusing on providing flexibility in development processes and ensuring customer satisfaction.
Client Satisfaction: It is a measure of how the output of the project meets or surpasses the expectations.
Critical Success Factors: A management term for an element necessary for an organization or project to reach the mission.
Project: A temporary study to generate a unique outcome (product, process, building, software etc.) as a result of interconnected activities.
Project Success: Related to the success or failure of the project’s outcome.
Project Scope: Defines the work included and not included in the project to generate the desired output.
Organizational Validity of the Project Output: Defines whether the output of the project is contributing to an improved level of organizational effectiveness.
Iron Triangle of Project Management: Three constraints project managers work within are also called the iron triangle of project management. Those constraints are budget, scope, and schedule.
Project Management Success: Focuses more on cost, time, and scope.
Success Criteria: A set of standards or levels by which to judge whether a project has been successful.
Requirements: A singular documented need that a particular design, product or process aims to satisfy.
Project Manager: A professional responsible for planning and execution of project activities and managing the project team.
Information Technology: The use of computers to run the operations.
Technical Validity of the Project Output: Defines whether the output of the project work in a way it is supposed to.