When you think of project success or success as a project manager what is more important to you; the project was delivered on time and/or budget or that the project stakeholders are pleased the organization successfully adopted the product.
After working in both the public and private sectors I have experienced different types of success. In the public sector where a project is an unfunded mandate so it has to be completed no matter the cost to the agency, stakeholder satisfaction is really the main requirement.
In the private sector where juggling the triple constraints there is sometimes a wide path between success and failure.
I ask this question philosophically of the people I work with and some answers have surprised me so I have posted the question here to how a wider community responds. Saving Changes...
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Eric SimmsSenior Program ManagerBaltimore, Maryland, United States
In my experience stakeholder satisfaction matters most. If I execute a project that meets all agreed upon deliverables yet stakeholders are displeased for whatever reason, they'll describe the project as a failure though it technically was a success. However, I can exceed a project's planned budget and time, but if stakeholders are pleased with the project it will be touted as a success.
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1 reply by Susan Reilly
Apr 21, 2017 3:09 PM
Susan Reilly
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Hi Eric,
Thank you for the input. I agree while we all want to meet all of the requirements, be on time and within budget, but if the customer doesn't like the end result then success is very hard to measure.
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Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
Customer satisfaction is a top priority for me, however, as the PM on a project, or even a BA (working in IT), it is up to the Business for Change Management and assurance the product fits within the strategy and fits a specific business need. In my roles I can help before and during, but post GA, it is out of my area of focus.
My focus is happy customers and a successful delivery. Dependent on length, checkpoints to verify the original intent is still valid.
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1 reply by Susan Reilly
Apr 21, 2017 3:31 PM
Susan Reilly
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Thank you Andrew,
To be sure all of the components of a project are the puzzle that we carefully piece together and I think the more projects I work on I find success in a variety of places.
In one of the organizations I worked for I rarely was the PM all the way through a project so success was measured in how you worked on a phase of a project.
I think this question needs to be asked on a project by project basis. I have some compliance projects that need to be done by a specific date. Period. There is a minimum level of quality that has to be met, but as long as base functionality is in place by the given date, there will be no penalties to the company.
I have another project where stakeholder satisfaction is important, but if the project is late it puts one of the aforementioned compliance projects at risk. There are a couple of smaller projects that just need to get done. They are lower priority, so schedule often takes a backseat to higher priority projects - as long as progress is being made, stakeholders are okay. I won't say "happy," but they understand the situation. Saving Changes...
In my experience stakeholder satisfaction matters most. If I execute a project that meets all agreed upon deliverables yet stakeholders are displeased for whatever reason, they'll describe the project as a failure though it technically was a success. However, I can exceed a project's planned budget and time, but if stakeholders are pleased with the project it will be touted as a success.
Hi Eric,
Thank you for the input. I agree while we all want to meet all of the requirements, be on time and within budget, but if the customer doesn't like the end result then success is very hard to measure. Saving Changes...
Customer satisfaction is a top priority for me, however, as the PM on a project, or even a BA (working in IT), it is up to the Business for Change Management and assurance the product fits within the strategy and fits a specific business need. In my roles I can help before and during, but post GA, it is out of my area of focus.
My focus is happy customers and a successful delivery. Dependent on length, checkpoints to verify the original intent is still valid.
Thank you Andrew,
To be sure all of the components of a project are the puzzle that we carefully piece together and I think the more projects I work on I find success in a variety of places.
In one of the organizations I worked for I rarely was the PM all the way through a project so success was measured in how you worked on a phase of a project. Saving Changes...
Hi Aaron,
I have also measured success project by project. Compliance projects sometimes offer slim opportunities for success other than completion and sometimes that is the success.
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