Understanding project success: The four-level project success framework

Abstract

It is acknowledged in project management literature that a project's success means different things to different people. This implies that the definition of success will be different for each project. However, success is a common goal for projects regardless of the specific definition for each project. This statement implies that there can be a common approach in planning for success and generalized framework that can guide the process of defining and planning the project success for different projects. This paper presents the underlying framework that directs the optimum success definition and planning process. Through a literature review and classification of success criteria, a four level success framework was developed, namely: context level; business level; product level; and project process level. This framework explains the relationship between levels and provides guidelines for decision process. The framework is generalized and can be applied to most projects.