The Project Excellence Model®: linking success criteria and critical success factors

Abstract Although there has been significant research on both project success criteria and critical success factors for projects, there has not been a concept defined that can link the two. This while the need to relate critical success factors to project success criteria is identified in both theory and practice. The Project Excellence Model, described in this paper, is adapted from the EFQM-model and is a concept developed to fill this need. The Project Excellence Model is developed using research findings from both studies on success criteria and critical success factors for projects. The model consists of six result areas covering project success criteria and six organisational areas covering critical success factors. The Project Excellence Model uses five different project types to describe the project organisation, giving guidance to the application of the model. The paper includes findings of a case study showing how the model was used to improve the performance of a project.