What is the definition of a successful project?

It’s very easy to glibly say a database or CRM project (or any IT project come to that) is or is not successful. Is success really just measured using “the obvious”: being on scope, on budget and on time? No – what really measures the success of a project is the value of the project, the benefits you get out of it. That's how to define and assess a successful project.

Because even if a project is under budget then what does that mean, how does that really help if you don’t get any value out of it! If a budget is run on time when if it has taken 2 years to do it but any other similar project would take 4 months, then is that really successful? Did you even define the scope in the first place or have you just got what you thought was right?

Make sure you know why you are doing the project in the first place, what benefits you really expect to get and how you are going to measure them. And if that sounds like it has come from the book of the bleedin’ obvious then I’m delighted that you think that! Because trust me, there are so many projects that aren’t run that way that if you do manage your project with such abilities then you are half way there already to making it a success.