The impact of project governance principles on project performance

Abstract

Since the turn of the 20th century the use of the concept 'project governance' has gained popularity in both practical application and academic research. With the principles of 'corporate governance' firmly and successfully established in the corporate environment the diversification of these principles into other areas of organisational interaction, notably project management, was eminent. This paper provides a brief overview of how 'project governance' was defined, how a concept project governance framework (CPGF) was derived and how the principles were applied and evaluated against two primary case studies and fifteen secondary case studies. The primary case studies consisted of in-depth analysis of two large, cross-country projects and included broad literature studies, nominal group technique discussions and personal interviews with key role players. The secondary case studies were sourced form literature and their performance evaluated against the principles of the CPGF. This research confirmed the need for a formal definition of project governance and confirmed that the application or non-application of project governance principles could have a influence on project outcomes.