Last Updated on 12 May 2025 at 11:00

Today, almost 1 of 2 projects are failing. To reduce this waste, both business managers and project managers (PM) need a different approach.

This article is providing a simplified project management approach to address common errors during the implementation phase.

Embracing a business perspective on project management is the 1st step to success.

Too often, the activity of project management is in contradiction with the

Projects fail (too often)

The latest Pulse of the Profession® publication from Project Management Institute in 2017 is consolidating data from 3,234 project management practitioners. Some surprising facts:

• Only 69% of projects completed within the organization successfully met the original goals and business intent of the project.
• Only 57% of projects finished within their initial budgets.
• Only 51% of projects finished within their initially scheduled times.

This survey is based only on data from the project, program, and portfolio manager practitioners in the PPM industry. Thus, it is safe to assume that the figures in the “real world” are much higher.

Possible causes of failed projects and programs

Project management includes a broad range of activities that are taken for granted.

In the past, the major cause for failed projects was the absence of

What is a successful project delivery ?

Successful project delivery has to be:

• on-time,
• on-budget,
• and showcasing clear benefits realization.

In addition to this, successful business outcomes of a project should last for at least 2-3 years, even in a changing market like today. From a business perspective, those key elements should apply to any project, regardless of its initial investment, size, and final benefits.

An organization has a fairly limited view before engaging in an investment. The following criteria are taken into account:

1. how long it takes,
2. how much it costs,
3. and how much the final profit.

Let’s examine how these business criteria apply to the most important aspects of a project. For the sake of simplification, we will consider in this article only the most important possible applications.

How to increase chances of successful project delivery

There are no shortcuts to successful project management. Listed below are 3 key areas that are important in quickly understanding the project management and possible deviations before successful delivery:

• the strategy alignment,
• a suitable methodology,
• and effective people.

In this article, we will focus only on those 3 key areas while keeping the business perspective.

1 – Strategy alignment

The strategy’s alignment element is important for

My recommendations:

My recommendations:

The decision to invest in certifications methodologies implementation is mainly dependent on the

3 – Working with the right people

From a business point of view, an individual with deep experience in the industry is

Conclusion

Keep in mind that market and business conditions are changing on a constant basis.

Successful delivery of a project is not depending solely on project management certifications and methodology. Nor industry expertise.

When a small project is covering a period of 2-3 years, your initial conditions may be

Takeaway message:

Explanatory footnote about this article

This article reflects my hands-on practice when working on large-scale and complex projects for large multinational businesses, as well as when supervising junior project managers. This article has been prepared for informational purposes only and shall not be considered as an offer or a personal recommendation.

I am internationally certified in the management of complex projects, associated risks, and portfolio management. In practice, I apply a unique methodology crafted to the particular situation of the company I temporarily assist.

I am often asked to help businesses as a non-executive advisory director or taking an interim C-level implementation role. I have good expertise in:

• setting up the necessary structures for the Project, Program and Portfolio management,
• implementing the right processes and governance structures,
• improving the operational effectiveness,
• or recovery of failed projects and programs.

I deliver projects for various business structures, sizes, and diversified industries. You can find more about me here.

Note: This article was first published on the Insights blog of the ConsultingTeam.Solutions website and presented as LinkedIn Expertise. The article is fully reproduced here as per the original form.

• Contributeur

Elena Debbaut

Partenaire – Restructuration Opérationnelle

https://elena.debbaut.solutions/

ed@consultingteam.solutions

Elena Debbaut is a strategic execution expert to boards and executive teams. She leads and advises on complex transformations when governance barriers, internal politics, or structural fragmentation prevent organizations from executing critical decisions.

Specialities:

• governance-constrained transformation
• operational restructuring
• strategic recovery & execution