Ofer Zwikael

From Critical Success Factors to Critical Success Processes

After myriad studies into the main causes of project failure, almost every project manager can list the main factors that distinguish between project failure and project success. These factors are usually called Critical Success Factors (CSF). However, despite the fact that CSF are well-known, the rate of failed projects still remains very high. This may be due to the fact that current CSF are too general and do not contain specific enough know-how to better support project managers’ decision-making. This paper analyses the impact of 16 specific planning processes on project success and identifies Critical Success Processes (CSP) to which project success is most vulnerable. Results are based on a field study that involved 282 project managers. It was found that the most critical planning processes, which have the greatest impact on project success, are “definition of activities to be performed in the project”, “schedule development”, “organizational planning”, “staff acquisition”, “communications planning” and “developing a project plan”. It was also found that project managers usually do not divide their time effectively among the different processes, following their influence on project success.

The Effectiveness of Risk Management: An Analysis of Project Risk Planning Across Industries and Countries

This article examines the effectiveness of current risk management practices to reduce project risk using a multinational, multi-industry study across different scenarios and cultures. A survey was administered to 701 project managers, and their supervisors, in seven industries and three diverse countries (New Zealand, Israel, and Japan), in multiple languages during the 2002-2007 period. Results of this study show that project context--industry and country where a project is executed--significantly impacts perceived levels of project risk, and the intensity of risk management processes. Our findings also suggest that risk management moderates the relationship between risk level and project success. Specifically, we found that even moderate levels of risk management planning are sufficient to reduce the negative effect risk levels have on project success.

The Impact of the Project Manager on Project Management Planning Processes

If a project is to be successfully completed, both planning and execution must be properly implemented. Poor planning will not allow appropriate execution and control processes or achievement of the projects targets. The objective of the study reported in this paper is to evaluate the impact of the project manager on the quality of project planning processes within the nine knowledge areas defined by A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) and to determine ways of increasing the effectiveness of the managers intervention. Participants in the study evaluated their use of the 21 processes that relate to planning, out of the 39 processes required for proper project management. The results of the study reveal risk management and communications as the processes with the lowest planning quality. Poor quality in these areas results when project managers lack the formal tools and techniques for dealing with communications and the functional managers are not equipped with the tools and techniques that will allow them to effectively contribute to the risk management process. Improving quality planning processes requires the development of new tools in areas such as communications, as well as organizational training programs designed for the functional managers.

Evaluating the quality of project planning: a model and field results

Faulty planning will result in project failure, whereas high-quality project planning increases the projects chances of success. The paper reports on the successful development and implementation of a model aimed at evaluating the quality of project planning. The model is based on both the abilities required of the project manager and the organizational support required for a proper project management infrastructure. The model was validated and applied by 282 project managers in nine organizations, where strong and weak planning processes were identified and analysed.

Top management involvement in project management. Exclusive support practices for different project scenarios

Purpose – As top management support is considered one of the critical success factors in project management, effective executive involvement can significantly improve project success. However, the literature does not provide organizations with a clear list of effective top management support practices to achieve this type of support. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to highlight the top management support processes, which highly contribute to project success. Design/methodology/approach – As it is expected that results vary among different project scenarios, data were collected from 700 project managers and their supervisors in seven industries and three countries – Japan, Israel, and New Zealand. Findings – Results reassure that top management support is significantly correlated with project success. Results also show that different top management support processes should be implemented in any industry and culture. Originality/value – The paper introduces and discusses a detailed list of critical top management support processes for each industry and country, and concludes with introducing best practices to support these processes.

Top management involvement in project management. A cross country study of the software industry

Purpose – Top management support is considered to be an area that has high impact on project success. However, previous studies have also stated that effective top management support practices may vary across industries. This paper focuses on top management support for projects executed in the software sector. The objective of this study is to identify those top management support processes that have the greatest impact on software development project success and to compare these critical processes with the actual type of support provided by organisations.Design/methodology/approach – About 17 top management support processes have been identified from the literature. Their effectiveness has been calculated according to their relative impact on project success. Data has been collected from 213 software development project managers and their supervisors in Japan, Israel and New Zealand. For each country, the impact of top management support processes on project success has been analysed to identify critical...

Benchmarking of project planning and success in selected industries

Purpose – To identify the industry in which projects are best planned and executed and use it as a benchmark for improving project planning in other industries.Design/methodology/approach – Based on data collected from 280 project managers, project success and quality of project planning were evaluated and analyzed for four industries – construction and engineering, software and communications, services, and production and maintenance.Findings – Quality of project planning was found to be the highest in construction and engineering organizations and the lowest in manufacturing organizations. This is a result of a few factors, among them the intensive organizational support which is offered to project managers working in construction and engineering organizations. The other three industries limit their support mostly to tactical aspects, such as the purchasing of project management software. The high quality of project planning in the construction and engineering organizations resulted in their ability to ...

Critical planning processes in construction projects

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to improve construction project planning capabilities. As project management is a core capability in the construction industry, high‐quality project planning processes are necessary for project success.Design/methodology/approach – This paper involves data collected from 555 project managers across four industries spanning three different countries. The project planning capabilities of construction project managers are compared with other industrial sectors. In addition, critical project planning processes for the construction industry are identified.Findings – It is found that, relative to other industrial sectors, organisations belonging to the construction sector obtain a high quality of project planning and the highest success rate. In comparison with other sectors, schedule, quality, and procurement planning are most frequently executed in construction projects. Finally, the impact of the different planning processes on project is success are investigated. The p...

The Relative Importance of the PMBOK Guide's Nine Knowledge Areas During Project Planning

Although A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)—Fourth Edition identifies nine Knowledge Areas that project managers should focus on while managing projects, it does not indicate the relative importance of each of these Knowledge Areas. However, such information can be of great significance in helping project managers determine how to use their available resources most effectively. This article investigates the relative importance of the project management Knowledge Areas used during the planning phase of a project and their impact on project success. Results presented in this article are based on a field study that involved 783 project managers from different countries and industries. The study revealed that the Knowledge Areas with the greatest impact on project success were Time, Risk, Scope, and Human Resources. However, these results have been found to be sensitive to the industry in which projects were undertaken. Differences among industries are described and discussed in the article.

Project execution game (PEG): training towards managing unexpected events

Purpose – Games are an effective teaching and classroom training tool, since they allow students to practise real‐life events. In the area of project management, most games focus on the planning phase of a project. The current paper aims to describe a new game, called PEG – Project Execution Game. The uniqueness of this game is its focus on real world problems during the projects execution.Design/methodology/approach – The Project Execution Game provides the “players” with a set of realistic, but unexpected events that occur during a project, in order to enhance their problem‐coping capabilities and decision‐making skills as well as hone their general reactions. The game is designed for either one or several teams competing among themselves. The games validity was tested on 185 undergraduate students in their advanced project management course. Statistical results about the simulations contributions are presented in relation to several aspects of project management.Findings – The conclusion from the st...