Eric SimmsSenior Program ManagerBaltimore, Maryland, United States
I have seen projects that failed to meet their stated objectives, yet customers were thrilled with the outcome and considered the project a success. Conversely, I have seen projects where customers were left dissatisfied with a project even though it met its objectives, and that project was considered a failure.
Is customer satisfaction therefore the ultimate definition of project success, and achievement of project objectives merely the most likely means of obtaining that satisfaction? Saving Changes...
YES. Customer Satisfaction is the ONLY real measure of project success.
Everything else we do to have a successful project is to satisfy the customer.
We manage scope, schedule, and cost BECAUSE the customers want their project to have what they asked for, on time, and within budget. We manage project benefits BECAUSE customers want real business benefits from their projects.
We adjust our project success criteria based on what the customer wants. If they need it by a certain date "no matter the cost", then we prioritize the schedule over the cost. If they need the functionality, even if it costs a bit more and takes a bit longer, then the project isn't successful until the scope is complete.
You can complain about how unfair it is that your customers still aren't satisfied even when you hit all of the traditional measures of project success. Or you can do as PMI advises, and make customer satisfaction a priority.
If your project was successful, but the customers aren't satisfied, then the project's success criteria are WRONG. As the project manager, you need to figure out what the right success criteria are in order to meet the ultimate success criteria: customer satisfaction.
As the PM, it is your job to establish the correct success criteria that are aligned with the customer so that they ARE satisfied.
I agree, with the following assumptions; that the customers...
* ... behave rationally
* ... have realistic expectations (that you have to help manage)
* ... don't have conflicting expectations that you aren't able to convince them to align on
* ... understand that scope changes can cost both time and money
I could come up with more, but I'm just making the point that you may have a customer who is never happy, or you may have more than one customer and there may be nothing you can do to keep them all 100% satisfied. In general, customer satisfaction is the primary measure of success, but the customer isn't always right. Treat customers well, but don't let them abuse you. Saving Changes...
Anton OosthuizenSenior Business Analyst / Project Manager| Self EmployedPretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
'Successful' projects fail because the focus is on delivering the agreed scope regardless of whether it solves a problem. 'Failed' projects succeed because they solve a problem by delivering value despite the fact that the initial scope was not delivered.
Yes, customer satisfaction is the key but that is a subjective measure and we need to be careful when measuring against that. Who is the 'customer'? The customer might be the CFO who holds the purse strings and if you deliver under budget they will be very satisfied.
There are many who say that you need to go Agile if you want to increase your project success rate. All I'll say about it is that it does not matter what you do, as long as you understand the problem (which might be changing or not) and deliver value by solving it. There are 1001 ways of doing that, Agile is one of them.
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1 reply by Stéphane Parent
Jul 19, 2019 11:07 AM
Stéphane Parent
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If I was a CFO and you delivered under budget, I would not necessarily be happy.
Money is a finite resource in organizations, even more so in government departments where money often lapses at the end of the fiscal year. If you have been given money for your project, it means someone else's project did not get it.
Project managers, like CFOs, should understand the cost of lost opportunities.
Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
Jul 19, 2019 12:42 AM
Replying to Anton Oosthuizen
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'Successful' projects fail because the focus is on delivering the agreed scope regardless of whether it solves a problem. 'Failed' projects succeed because they solve a problem by delivering value despite the fact that the initial scope was not delivered.
Yes, customer satisfaction is the key but that is a subjective measure and we need to be careful when measuring against that. Who is the 'customer'? The customer might be the CFO who holds the purse strings and if you deliver under budget they will be very satisfied.
There are many who say that you need to go Agile if you want to increase your project success rate. All I'll say about it is that it does not matter what you do, as long as you understand the problem (which might be changing or not) and deliver value by solving it. There are 1001 ways of doing that, Agile is one of them.
If I was a CFO and you delivered under budget, I would not necessarily be happy.
Money is a finite resource in organizations, even more so in government departments where money often lapses at the end of the fiscal year. If you have been given money for your project, it means someone else's project did not get it.
Project managers, like CFOs, should understand the cost of lost opportunities. Saving Changes...
YES. Customer Satisfaction is the ONLY real measure of project success.
Everything else we do to have a successful project is to satisfy the customer.
We manage scope, schedule, and cost BECAUSE the customers want their project to have what they asked for, on time, and within budget. We manage project benefits BECAUSE customers want real business benefits from their projects.
We adjust our project success criteria based on what the customer wants. If they need it by a certain date "no matter the cost", then we prioritize the schedule over the cost. If they need the functionality, even if it costs a bit more and takes a bit longer, then the project isn't successful until the scope is complete.
You can complain about how unfair it is that your customers still aren't satisfied even when you hit all of the traditional measures of project success. Or you can do as PMI advises, and make customer satisfaction a priority.
If your project was successful, but the customers aren't satisfied, then the project's success criteria are WRONG. As the project manager, you need to figure out what the right success criteria are in order to meet the ultimate success criteria: customer satisfaction.
As the PM, it is your job to establish the correct success criteria that are aligned with the customer so that they ARE satisfied.
! totally agree. Saving Changes...
Ruth Marina Lopez PerezResponsable TI| INSTITUTO DE PREVISION SOCIAL MILITAR - NICARAGUAMasaya, Los Madrigales, Nindirí, Nicaragua
Satistaction of the customer is the key of success, also the satisfaction of the members of team of the project if they work with effort, commitment, enthusiasm and motivation for achieve the goals. Goals and satisfaction of the customer must walk together, separate can´t coexist. The project manager is the leader, tha key piece as integrator of the project.
In other way, the scope of the project was not clearly identified. Thus, the budget and scheduler can´t be achieve. Saving Changes...
Project outcomes are confirmed during post-project benefits management that original business case targets (plus changes during the project execution) have been achieved and that the project outcome is used in the way intended. Saving Changes...
Maya KalachHead of PMO, IT| Middle East AirlinesBeirut, Lebanon
Criteria define project success:
1) meeting project purpose for the long term, effectively and efficiently, and in turn
2) customer satisfaction
If 2 is not met, it means the project success criteria are not well defined, or that project didn't meet its purpose, or it didn't meet it for the long term, or it was not performed effectively or efficiently. Saving Changes...
Wade HarshmanScrum Master| GDITIndianapolis, In, United States
I partially agree that "customer satisfaction is the ultimate definition of success," but not as a stand-alone measure. I could develop fantastic widgets that are not marketable at their production cost, then delight my customers by selling them below cost while losing money with each sale. Project success can't be one-dimensional. Project managers should be involved at the earliest stages of new projects so we can challenge the sponsors, the customers, and other stakeholders to define what "success" truly means (what it is and is not). Saving Changes...
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