Verónica Elizabeth Pozo Ruiz
This is a timely and transformative question.
If project success were measured not just by deadlines and budgets, but by the long-term value, team growth, and human experience it created… how would our scorecards change?
I once worked on a project that didn’t finish on time.
We missed the budget by a small margin.
But something else happened:
- The team became stronger.
- The client felt genuinely heard.
- The outcome solved the real need, not just the original spec.
When it ended, no one celebrated the Gantt chart.
They celebrated the impact.
As Jim Highsmith, co-author of the Agile Manifesto, reminds us:
- “Delivering value is more important than delivering on time.”
This mindset is now embedded in the PMI’s 2025 report, “Maximizing Project Success.”
PMI introduced a new success definition:
- “A successful project is one that delivers value worth the effort and expense.”
To measure this, they developed the Net Project Success Score (NPSS) - a 0–10 scale based on stakeholder perception of value.
The global average? 36. We can do better.
To guide that shift, PMI also launched the M.O.R.E.™ framework, a call to modern leadership:
M – Manage Perceptions → Because value is seen, felt, and shared — not just delivered.
O – Own Outcomes → Go beyond tasks. Take ownership of what truly matters.
R – Reassess Continuously → Adapt goals, align with purpose, respond to change.
E – Expand Perspective → Projects don’t exist in a vacuum. They impact people, systems, futures.
And yes — success starts with clarity:
- Define criteria at the beginning.
- Align them with your stakeholders.
- Keep them alive throughout the journey.
Because when we measure what truly matters (trust, purpose, value, growth)we stop managing projects, and start leading meaningful change.
Thank you for asking a question that elevates the conversation and the profession.
