Defining Project Management Success with Application to Innovation Project Management Practices
By Harold Kerzner, Ph.D. & Khaled Ahmed Hamdy, Ph.D., PMP
Abstract:
Project managers believe that they are being paid to manage and produce deliverables. This notion is correct and most likely will not change. But what is changing now is how we measure the success of the deliverables produced.
Simply because a deliverable has been created does not mean that the right deliverable exists. Any company can design a product that will not work correctly. Any company can manufacture a product that no one will purchase. Any company can build an attraction that people will not attend. Any company can produce a deliverable, perhaps based solely upon the whims of management, that adds no value to the business.
All of these deliverables could have been produced within time, cost and scope, but are they really successes?
Defining success is often treated in the same context as beauty; it is defined through the eye of the beholder. Success cannot be defined in a few words nor with just a couple of metrics. The timing of the success measurement is also critical. The definition of success is complicated and can involve the interaction of several metrics. The definition can become even more complex based upon the industry or the type of project.
As an example, in this paper we will consider the definition of success on innovation projects which may very well be the most difficult projects in which to measure true success.
Contents:
- Introduction
- Defining Success: The Early Years
- Defining Success: The 21st Century
- The Present: Understanding Innovation Success
- Innovation Project Success and Core Competencies
- Innovation Project Success and Timing
- Innovation Project Success and Business Models
- Fostering Innovation in Project Management
- Conclusions
About the Author:
Harold Kerzner, Ph.D
Dr. Harold Kerzner is a globally recognized expert in project, program, and portfolio management, innovation, and strategic planning, and Senior Executive Director at International Institute for Learning (IIL). For over 50 years, Dr. Kerzner has shared vital guidance for making project management a strategic tool for competitive advantage and helping companies around the world build a powerful foundation for company improvement and excellence.
He has authored or co-authored more than 60 textbooks/workbooks on project management, including multiple editions of his seminal works. His books include Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling; Project Management Metrics, KPIs and Dashboards; Project Management Case Studies; Project Management Best Practices: Achieving Global Excellence; The Future of Project Management; Using the Project Management Maturity Model; and Innovation Project Management.
Dr. Kerzner holds an MS and Ph.D. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Utah State University. He taught engineering at the University of Illinois and business administration at Utah State University, and for 38 years taught project management at Baldwin-Wallace University. A testament to Dr. Kerzner’s profound influence on the field is the establishment of the Kerzner International Project Manager of the Year Award. This prestigious award, presented annually by the Project Management Institute (PMI) which recognizes outstanding project managers who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovation, and contributions to the project management profession.
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