Predictive Model for the Factors Influencing International Project Success: A Data Mining Approach

Iulia Dumitrașcu-Băldău,Gabriela Dobrotă,Dănuț-Dumitru Dumitrașcu

doi:10.3390/su13073819

Abstract

Considering that international projects with teams in the virtual environment (IPTVEs) contribute to the reduction in the carbon footprint and, at the same time, become life-saving solutions in extreme global situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations familiar with this type of project will have a substantial advantage in their ability to operate efficiently and to achieve their sustainable goals. An important aspect of project management is to identify the factors that influence the success of an international project, increasing its performance. Our first research hypothesis was that the decision to create a project team in the virtual environment is a factor with a major influence on international project success. Data collection was performed through an online survey conducted within international project team members and managers. The success factors were explained through factorial analysis which revealed two main factors and the neural network algorithm on a dataset through IBM SPSS Modeler software. The predictive model revealed that the most important field is setting up a virtual team, followed by organizational culture. These results support our hypothesis.

Highlights

International projects and teams in the virtual environment are a reality of recent years and a growing phenomenon
This study reveals a strong connection between all the factors included in the research and international project success, by using the data mining process, with special emphasis on setting up a project team in the virtual environment vs. a collocated team and the organizational culture, providing an important pattern which can represent a guide for international project managers to increase the success rate of international projects, since the trained network can be applied to future cases in order to predict international project success
The purpose of this research was to identify the factors that influence the success of international projects, to assess if the new type of team that has emerged due to technological advance could bring a new contribution to international project success and to understand the factors’ behavior in order to ensure an efficient international project management

Summary

Introduction

International projects and teams in the virtual environment are a reality of recent years and a growing phenomenon. Considering the evolution of projects in recent years, Standish Chaos modified in their 2015 report the definition of the success of a project, moving from a definition focused on meeting the constraints of time, cost and scope, to a definition in which it is proposed that success does not necessarily mean the achievement of a predefined objective, but rather a satisfactory result. This change led to a modification in the results of the report, from a success rate of 27–31% to 36–41% [2]. “In any sector, a project ought not to be rated successful unless it achieves its relevant objectives efficiently, in a sustainable fashion and with positive impacts, including side effects” [3]

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