Task 1: Projects Success

Introduction to Project success

The success of a project is a contentious issue that has gained traction from various project stakeholder, and more scholars in a bid to find out the most satisfying definition of a successful project. While the utility derived from a completed project will highly vary from one beneficiary to another, there exists a general conception about what a project should deliver within its set-up upon completion. On the same note, the needs of the parties to a particular project will vary hence creating different criteria for terming a project as successful or not. However, projects definition and points of views have scientifically evolved bringing new insight to the body of knowledge on how a successfully completed project should be conducted. As such, specific features are attributed to project evaluation parameters and if a project can achieve the laid down measures, it is considered effectively completed.

How the term Project Success has evolved

In its simplest and most ancient form, a project was viewed as a mere tool for completing specific tasks within the corporate world and more so, as conducted by governments in various economies. In this case, a project was primarily concerned with delivering goods and services to the users regardless of the means applied and possible evitable implications. Therefore, the core of conducting a project was based on the requirements to satisfy a particular need at that time; a compelling want that society could not do well without (Helm & Remington, 2005). These limitations made it difficult to determine actual costs, time projections, effective budgeting, and most importantly, it was difficult to evaluate expressed and implied needs for the society. However, this view has significantly reduced with most scholars such as; Fiedler & Chemers (1984), and Cleland & David (1999) arguing that changing business environments have forced project managers to re-evaluate the definition of a successful project.

In the contemporary project management perspective, a successful project has a broadened meaning due to the increased multidimensional of activities that are pertinent in implementing a project. This proposition, according to Halman & Burger (2002), has been the primary vehicle of change within the scopes of project management. In its broadened scope, a successful project management, has, therefore, to go further to include time constraints during implementation, effective budgeting, incorporating users' feedbacks, and more so contingency planning to address emerging issues during project implementation.

The most practical point of view for defining a successful project has been provided by Helm & Remington (2005) where an argument has been presented that specific aspects such as; bound by the budget, on time, compliance with specifications, high satisfaction, and quality service and products, are presents to term a project as a success. Comparing with the medieval point of view, it is clear that the definition of a successful project has profoundly broadened to look beyond delivery of good and services to the project beneficiaries. However, some of this measures are contested on the bases that dynamic environment makes projects precision complicated.

Finally, in its fundamental consideration, a successful project has the ability to give back to the society through a well-pre-determined corporate social responsibility program. According to Halman & Burger (2002), n the past two decades, the term corporate social responsibility (CSR) was not as famous during project implementation hence proving the proposition that views about a successful project have equally evolved. Taking the example of the country's most prestigious project, in terms of scope and financial commitment, Follo Line Rail project has effectively brought right in defining a successful project in the correct times. One of its principal objectives is to provide affordable mobility for the people in the nation by interconnecting cities and effectively promoting business. As such, it has focused on providing labor to the youths in the region; which is an effective way of giving back to the society. Despite being a government project, it is evident that time concepts, budgeting, users' feedback, contingency planning, and provision of CSR have made the contemporary approach to a successful project clearer.

What the extension of the concept means to project management

With its broadened concept, project success will, therefore, have an equally broadened criteria to determine its ability to be termed as successful. An empirical study by Industry & Roland (2001) has postulated that project management is the core tool that business managers can leverage in determining corporate success. While the primary aim of a business...