Factors Affecting the Success of a Construction Project

TLDR

Researchers have long sought to identify factors for successful construction projects, but no consensus has emerged. This study develops a conceptual framework of critical success factors and calls for further research to link them to key performance indicators. The authors reviewed seven leading construction journals to synthesize prior work on project success. They identified five key groups of variables—project-related, procedural, managerial, human, and environmental—that drive success, and noted that establishing causal links to KPIs would aid implementation.

Abstract

Different researchers have tried to determine the factors for a successful project for a long time. Lists of variables have been abounded in the literature, however, no general agreement can be made. The aim of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework on critical success factors (CSFs). Seven major journals in the construction field are chosen to review the previous works on project success. Five major groups of independent variables, namely project-related factors, project procedures, project management actions, human-related factors, and external environment are identified as crucial to project success. Further study on the key performance indicators (KPIs) is needed to identify the causal relationships between CSFs and KPIs. The causal relationships, once identified, will be a useful piece of information to implement a project successfully.