The goalposts for project success have moved: a marketing view

Abstract

Traditionally, a successful project was seen as one in which the triad of time, budget and specifications was complied with at a profit. Current project literature places great emphasis on customer satisfaction as a fourth important success parameter. This paper discusses project management services and focuses on what constitutes project success. Such a project is named the 'new' project in this paper and a set of 'new' project rules is arrived at. These rules include the fact that the project manager should add the maximum value through proper project execution as well as initiative – even if exceeding the project scope. Financial implications of all activities should be taken into account and decisions must be taken only if financially viable. The paper also takes a services marketing view and examines the customer's motivation in appointing a project manager.