Dynamic conditions for project success

Eggleton, David, Dacre, Nicholas, Cantone, Bernardo and Gkogkidis, Vasilis (2021) Dynamic conditions for project success Association for Project Management 35pp. (doi:10.61175/FXCU4654).

Abstract

This report identifies organisational, professional, and socio-economic dynamic conditions that can enhance project outcomes and explores how project professionals and project-based organisations have already applied them. This report is separate from the 2015 Conditions for Project Success on the basis that the study examined primarily non-project related factors that nonetheless can affect project success. This study occurred under unprecedented circumstances amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. All aspects of the study took place entirely virtually; this served to shape the responses from the project management community.

The research team gathered the data using a systematic literature review, interviews with a cross-section of 37 project professionals, and a survey that attracted a total of 1,015 responses. The analysis identified nine dynamic conditions drawn from the relevant academic literature and refined through the research process which are: interpersonal skills; training and certifications; team ethos; technology and data; contracts; knowledge management; agility; sustainability; diversity. A number of these nine dynamic conditions correspond to some of the main trends seen within the wider project profession that we have helped to drive forward such as a greater emphasis on the use of technology and data1, the drive to net-zero and sustainability2, improving diversity and inclusion3, and developing an agile mindset to respond to ever-changing project environments4.

The study highlights opportunities for project management organisations and professionals to improve project success and project outcomes, including prioritising informal mentoring, improving data analysis and decision making with technology and AI, and establishing knowledge management roles for more effective learning from past projects. For project professionals, this work advises on specific mindsets and activities that can help to support and develop their teams. These activities can help to ensure that their projects create a legacy that can underpin long-term organisational success.

For organisations, this work advises on how to apply the report and more specifically the Key Success Indicators (KSIs) needed to implement each dynamic condition, which can guide and support the implementation of the report’s findings. The report also draws on case illustrations from the interviews to show how different project professionals and project based organisations have already demonstrated good practice in applying these dynamic conditions. At a theoretical level, this report addresses the evolving scope of project success away from focussing on success factors for individual projects towards dynamic conditions ensuring success for project- based organisations and their portfolios. The KSIs ‘close the loop’, providing an alternative end-point analysis compared to critical success factors that are more readily applied and assessed at project inception.

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