Project Success Criteria

Every project is taken up to achieve certain goals and benefits. Each of these projects has to be carried out under certain constraints and limitations. At the simplest, a project can be termed as successful when the expected benefits are realized by completing the project within the constraints. There may be additional points which need to be taken care of in a project such as stakeholder expectation, degree of improvement from current condition, expected use of the product, strategic alignment with organizational goals, political goodwill etc. While these may sound simple, but defining project success criteria may be filled with generalizations and ambiguity at the best.

What is Project Success Criteria?

It is very important to define project success criteria unambiguously such that it can be measured and demonstrated clearly. Project success criteria can be very specific to each project. We can understand and define success criteria by analysing stakeholder expectations thoroughly. A project success criteria document can be prepared after thorough stakeholder analysis is done. There is no standard format for creating a success criteria document. But what is most important is to have such a document.

Key Factors to Define Project Success Criteria

Clear project success criteria must be identified and documented during the project initiation stage of the project itself. Stakeholders may have very specific expectations in each project. Success criteria should be identified in collaboration with the customer and stakeholders. Well analysed and well documented success criteria in turn will guide the project manager to plan and drive the project accordingly.

The three key factors that can define project success include the following.

• Triple Constraints (The Iron Triangle, of Cost + Scope + Time)
• Realized Benefits
• Stakeholder satisfaction

The project success criteria have to be agreed upon between the project manager and the key stakeholders. The project success criteria document should also address the below aspects:

• Defining the success criteria
• How each of the criteria will be measured
• How often the measurement will happen
• Who will be responsible for measuring the success criteria

The project goals, objectives and success criteria once formulated need to be clearly communicated to the entire team. The project manager needs to maintain a balance between realized benefits, stakeholder satisfaction and performance of project against the triple constraints. Project success criteria will drive proper project planning to fulfil or exceed all such criteria. Well-documented success criteria provide the team clear direction on what they need to achieve. You can take PMP certification training on KnowledgeHut which will in turn improve the chances of project success.

How to Create an Effective Project Success Criteria?  

Creating the criteria for a successful project can sometimes take weeks, months, or even years, depending on the challenges faced by the organization. Project success criteria can be defined by establishing standards by stakeholders to determine if it meets client expectations. 

The following are the key steps involved in creating project success criteria for organizations: 

Step 1: Estimate Costs 

Cost is a key success criterion for a project, and how well a company manages its finances will influence expected project outcomes. Project managers need to document changes in cash flows, eliminate unnecessary expenses, and continually evaluate the costs of staffing and resources to see if any parts of the project exceed expected budgets. 

Step 2: Set Timelines 

The timeline is one among many project management success factors. It is the duration required to take a project from concept to finish. Project managers should clearly mention deadlines, implement time measurement techniques, and plan milestones accordingly. 

Step 3: Scope & Deliverables 

The project scope will set objectives, business goals, and deliverables. It will define project requirements and create a roadmap that can be used to establish expected project outcomes. Stakeholders will use the project scope to evaluate results and measure progress. Satisfying the project scope means that the project is accomplishing its original objectives and aligning with expectations. 

Step 4: Resource Management 

Underutilization or overutilization of project resources can impact outcomes. Project managers must strike a balance and ensure that resources are allocated appropriately.  Managing a project's resource capacity is another step in the creation process. 

Step 5: Stakeholders' Meeting 

Collect stakeholders' viewpoints by arranging a meeting and inviting them for discussions. It's important to analyze their insights and finalize the project success criteria. Stakeholders can give many examples of project success criteria during these meetings, present findings, and ensure that internal and external sections segregate criteria. 

Best Practices for Project Success Criteria 

This article has described success criteria, project management examples, and everything it encompasses. But the best project management criteria are:

1. First, milestone creation to define the life cycle of the project 

Creating different milestones within the project can increase its sustainability of the project. For example, smaller goals with fewer steps than larger ones with more steps are easier to achieve. This achievement also boosts team morale. 

2. SMART goals 

The SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals are the best way to chalk out the goals for any project. In this way, the team can work on a project with all the elements of the project clearly mentioned. 

3. Team accountability 

The project manager should clearly define every team member's role in a project. When such an allocation of human resources is done properly, workforce waste is minimal. 

4. Quality assurance

Quality control should be a part of project success criteria. Without quality, the product is of mediocre quality. 

5. Risk evaluation

Evaluation of risks and possible mitigation should also be one of the top priorities of a project manager. If the risk is analyzed beforehand, it can be taken care of.

Tools and Techniques for Monitoring & Reporting Project Success Criteria

Here are some tools and techniques for monitoring and reporting project success criteria: 

• Check the quality criteria for the project before assessing other smart criteria in project management.  Quality is a primary focus for employees, ensuring that the organization meets industry benchmarks or exceeds regular meetings with meetings every week and measuring project milestones for success. Set short, specific, actionable, and measurable goals. Set meetings in advance to prepare them with reports and collect the relevant metrics. It will make the entire organization's workload a lot easier and more manageable.  
• Use analytics tools to forecast product trends and market developments and stay ahead of your competitors. A project tracking indicator can be used to monitor the progress of projects and obtain qualitative and quantitative data about success criteria. 
• Grade various project attributes and engage in discussions with stakeholders. Identify expectations, discuss disagreements, and highlight pain points. Address criterion goals and assess the acceptable levels of risk to be taken by organizations. Proper risk mitigation and management are part of the process and a core component of project criteria management success. 
• The five common project indicators to analyze are - the number of milestones achieved, task completion rate, time spent on the project, cost variance, and risk criticality.  These indicators will help calculate the differences in costs between actual and budgeted expenses, assess the impact of risks, and analyze hours worked by the team to ensure overheads don't exist and overtime payments are not overdue.