CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR DIFFERENT PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Abstract

In an environment where construction success is both vital for economic contribution yet difficult to predict, it is important to develop a strategic framework that tactfully deals with project success. The identification of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for project success is one strategic approach that allows for the appropriate allocation of limited resources. Since majority of the past related literature works only acknowledged general CSFs for building projects, this qualitative research seeks to distinguish these CSFs according to the project objectives of budget, schedule, and quality in Singapore. To establish the relative importance of success-related factors, the Analytic Hierarchy Process method is adopted. A hierarchical model for construction project success is constructed with thirty-two success-related factors considered. These factors, extracted and modified from a related study, are categorized under four main project aspects, mainly, project characteristics, contractual arrangements, project participants, and interactive processes. To facilitate systematic data collection, a questionnaire was developed. Experts with at least ten years industry experience were invited to partake in the questionnaire, thereby exploiting the accrued experience of the professionals to preserve the integrity and quality of the results. Through the use of the Expert Choice software for data analysis, CSFs addressing budget performance, schedule performance, quality performance, and overall project success are identified. A hypothesis test is conducted to determine the level of agreement on CSFs ranking among all participants involved. Comparisons with results of some previous researches and other pertinent findings will be discussed. The application of CSFs will prove promising for the industry. For instance, results of this research may serve as a forecasting tool for parties to rapidly assess the possibility of a successful project from the viewpoint of experts.