Success Factors in Project Management. Literature Review

Projects are widely recognized nowadays by organizations. They are part of the activities of both education providers and companies. Project management has been applied in organizations since the 1960’s. However, despite garnering experience and improving on available methods, a significant number of projects (including educational ones) still fail. According to the Gartner Group’s world-wide research, the percentage of unsuccessful projects (failed and challenged) as of the year 2012 was 61%. Therefore, the question, “what drives the success of the project?”, remains a fresh issue. Researchers thus undertake to continuously narrow this knowledge gap. However, as the issue is a complex one, many ideas, concepts and pieces of advice are given. In the article, based on the literature review, different approaches to projects’ success are presented, discussed and systemized. The factors influencing the success of projects are identified and presented in the following areas: (1) applied methods, (2) people in projects, (3) and organizational context. Method-related issues are about utilizing tools and techniques in project management. Moreover, they cover the application of global standards while managing the projects. The discussion on the influence of the people involved in the project is not limited to human resources only. Widely recognized and fresh ideas of the Stakeholder Management concept are discussed as well. Last, but not least, the issue of the organizational context in which the projects are executed is emphasized. This matter is of high importance nowadays as the complexity and the number of managed projects has increased significantly within the last twenty years. Furthermore, the author outlines some characteristics related to the different types of projects and their associated success factors. Some advice for practitioners is given on what kind of action should be undertaken to increase the success of projects. The findings of this article can be of special interest to managers of any type of projects, including international ones where Stakeholder Management and organizational issues tend to play an important role in project success