PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Project Management Effectiveness and Project Success

Project Management Effectiveness and Project Success

Introduction

Project success is process driven. Projects go through initiation, planning, execution, control or monitoring, and closing phases (PMI, 2004) in order to get tasks done effectively and to achieve a successful ending. In reality, however, most organizations often are so preoccupied with the result that they pay little or no attention to the conceptual stage of defining the right metrics and planning the means to getting the job done (Besner & Hobbs, 2008, 42). Simply put, most organizations often fail to ascertain the effectiveness of project activities involved at the conceptual stage of a project. Emphasizing the conceptual phase in this study indicates its importance in project management. The conceptual stage of project management is where clear descriptions of the project objectives are developed, including the reasons a specific project is chosen from among other projects (PMI, 2004). According to Gido and Clements (2006, 71), success in meeting budgets and schedules, and in satisfying customers, is tied to effectiveness from the beginning.

Statement of the Problem

The general problem is that there is an unacceptably high failure rate of projects among project professionals in the textile industry. The tasks of keeping projects on track (scope), on time (schedule), and within budget (cost) to satisfy customers are increasing, despite technological breakthroughs (Gelbard & Carmeli, 2009). The failure rates of projects can range from 18% to a high of 50% (Gelbard & Carmeli, 2009, 8; Schachter, 2004, 106). Research has shown that 70% of information systems implementation projects (Pan, Hackney, & Pan, 2008, 142) and 80% of computerized maintenance management system projects failed in the past (Bagadia, 2009, 44). Failure rates of this magnitude, as indicated by Gelbard and Carmeli (2009, 174), as well as Pan et al. (2008) and Schachter (2004), have highlighted the reason that the subject of increased effectiveness continues to be an area of research and why it is important to investigate the relationship between project management effectiveness from the front-end phase of the project life cycle and project success in a variety of project environments.

The specific problem will be addressed in this study will be whether there is a relationship between the rational project decision making and goal clarity aspects of project management effectiveness (i.e., the independent variable) and the project efficiency, impact on customer/user, business and direct organizational success, and preparation for the future aspects of project success (i.e., the dependent variable). Without this information, the research community and organizational leaders may not have all the information they need to maximize project success rates.

Nature of the Study

In this quantitative, correlational study, a survey technique will be used to evaluate the relationship between the rational project decision making and goal clarity aspects of project management effectiveness (i.e., the independent variable) and the project efficiency, impact on customer/user, business and direct organizational success and preparation for the future aspects of project success (i.e., the dependent variable). The study involves the collection of data at one ...