Impact of Project Management on Project Success at Engineering Firms in Kuwait

Abstract

The aim of the study is to assess the relationship between project management (PM) practices and project success (PS) criteria in engineering firms in Kuwait. As a first step, a comprehensive literature review followed by interviews with CEOs from 10 selected firms and consultations with three experts were conducted to design the research framework. As a result, a research model that consists of PM practices measured by six dimensions (leadership, IT, teamwork, planning, governance, and communication) and PS criteria measured by three dimensions (impact on customers, impact on project team, and business success) were instilled. Based on statistical analysis on the survey responses, it was found that communication and teamwork are the strongest predictors for PS criteria, and other PM dimensions were perceived to be less important. This result is encouraging and comforting as it shows that the team-oriented factors are perceived to be important in the success of projects and implies that having a cohesive team is crucial for managing successful projects.