In search of Empirical Evidence for the Relationship Between Collaboration and Project Performance

Abstract

Existing research suggests a positive relationship between the level of collaboration in projects and project performance in terms of cost, time and quality.  However, empirical data to support this are scant and this paper responds to the calls for more empirical research on this specific relationship. In this paper we conducted bivariate analysis on a dataset from 142 Norwegian projects which reported their cost, schedule and quality performance through the 10-10 benchmarking tool developed by the Construction Industry Institute (CII). We found a strong positive relationship between collaboration and project quality performance.  Projects with good collaboration experienced fewer errors and deviations and more often delivered according to requirements and client expectations than projects with poor collaboration.  We also propose an indicator that practitioners can apply to measure the collaboration quality in their projects.