Why projects succeed

Successful projects maximize the value of a process, product or service while minimizing the resources required.  Successful projects are both effective and efficient!  

 A quick analogy: In fire and rescue, a portion of training focuses on how quickly ladders can be deployed and scaled.  Those who have honed this skill climb into third story windows with great efficiency, several times quicker than others who are not trained.  However, trained fire and rescue professionals will only be effective when provided good information.  Without good information, they may scale three story walls very efficiently, but if they are scaling the wall of the wrong building, there is no benefit for their effort.  They have been efficient, but not effective in accomplishing the intended results.  On the other hand, arriving at the right building, but doing so too slowly may also not deliver the intended results; they may arrive too late!  Only the combination of an efficient and effective meets the need.

 So it is with successful projects.  A successful project is both efficient and effective!  When management is faced with a string of unsuccessful projects, too often the remedy is to focus on implementing sound project management methodologies.  This solution typically will help projects to be more efficient.  But too frequently after making the investment of time and money into tools such as Project Management Offices, the projects delivered still are not successful.  Running an efficient project does not guarantee that once completed the project will be effective in meeting its customer's need. 

 Many organizations focus almost exclusively on improving efficiency.  However, without thoroughly understanding your customers' needs (defining good requirements), it doesn't matter how good at managing a project you are.  You will still end up being over budget, behind schedule and/or delivering an unsatisfactory product.

 Successful projects are the result of thoroughly understanding customers' needs and designing successful solutions.  Executing a project before thoroughly understanding your customers' requirements is a prescription for disappointment, rework and waste.  Once a project has been properly defined, efficient execution becomes the next opportunity for optimizing profitability. 

 The bottom line: successful projects are the result of both professional business analysis (delivering effectiveness) and strong project management (delivering efficiency). 

Project‑Leadership.net is a management-consulting firm focused on helping your organization capitalize on successful (efficient and effective) projects.