There is a multitude of literature on project success factors but most methods to check project maturity are pretty heavyweight and time-consuming. They are more geared toward improving the overall project management competence in an organisation as a whole rather than assessing an individual project.
A simple way to assess the project management quality of a single project would be to check if the project management methodology of the organisation was adhered to. This is a good step, but can lead to the methodology being applied in a clinical fashion to check the boxes.
Project success builds on a system of people, objectives, work, deliverables, the use of deliverables in operations to constitute a cohesive whole. And project success does not conclude with the acceptance of agreed deliverables, but with the benefits realised by using those deliverables in operations. The below checklist is an attempt to assess an individual project against this systemic and end-to-end view. The list is not complete, but focuses on the ‘must haves’. As such, even a few boxes that cannot be checked as true, may break the project.
| SUCCESS FACTOR | TRUE | FALSE (OR NOT SURE) |
| PROJECT CONCEPTION PHASE | ||
| The problem of the current state that you want to solve is clearly specified | ||
| The target state you want to achieve to solve the problem is the best option and is clearly specified regarding organisation, process, systems and other factors relevant to the target state (e.g. infrastructure) | ||
| The deliverables, i.e. the goods and services, that the project will deliver to achieve the target state are clearly specified | ||
| Acceptance criteria have been defined for the project deliverables that are approved by users of the deliverables and by the project sponsor | ||
| It is clearly defined how the project deliverables will be handed over to and used by which people in operations | ||
| The benefits of using the deliverables in operations is defined and made measurable | ||
| Project and operational risks have been assessed and planned for | ||
| PROJECT INITIATION PHASE | ||
| There is a business case, i.e. the benefits of making the change is larger than the cost of producing and using the project deliverables | ||
| An executive sponsor with sufficient influence, command over resources and competences is convinced by the business case and is motivated to drive the change from initiation to benefits realisation | ||
| A project manager with the right knowledge and skill set has been freed up for the project and given sufficient authority | ||
| There is a proven project management methodology in place and the project team has sufficient knowledge and skills on this methodology | ||
| PROJECT PLANNING PHASE | ||
| The work required to produce the project deliverables has been identified and broken down into mutually exclusive but comprehensive parts | ||
| The work effort required to produce the deliverables has been realistically estimated | ||
| The people required to do the work to produce the deliverables are qualified and motivated and have been freed up from their other tasks | ||
| The people required to do the work to produce the deliverables have agreed to SMART objectives | ||
| The tangible and intangible resources required to produce the project deliverables and hand them over to operations are available or have been budgeted | ||
| PROJECT EXECUTION PHASE | ||
| All project team members know by when they should complete which tasks | ||
| Project team members are motivated and capable of completing their tasks | ||
| PROJECT MONITORING AND CONTROL | ||
| Risks are regularly monitored and managed | ||
| Feedback from project team members on project progress, concerns, issues and risks is continuously gathered, assessed and managed | ||
| Regular status reports on production of deliverables against plan and on risks are made to the project sponsor in a standard format | ||
| PROJECT HANDOVER AND OPERATIONS | ||
| The project sponsor has approved the project deliverables based on the defined acceptance criteria | ||
| The users have approved the project deliverables based on the defined acceptance criteria | ||
| Users are able to use the project deliverables effectively in daily operations | ||
| BENEFITS REALISATION | ||
| The realisation of the intended benefits has been verified by the project sponsor | ||
| If the intended benefits have not been realised, corrective action has been defined, planned and implemented |
Business Process Management 
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