Business
Defining IT project success
It's time to define IT project success in clear, operational terms.
![krigsman-michael-author.jpg](https://www.zdnet.com/a/img/resize/3e12b94f2810fdd855a6d2de90007db14b694a6b/2019/08/21/20fa0fef-eaac-4c13-8660-6c9ddfbcf9f3/krigsman-michael-author.jpg?auto=webp&fit=crop&frame=1&height=192&width=192)
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It's time to define IT project success in clear, operational terms. Building on this post, here are four criteria for defining a successful IT project:
- The finished software meets planned scope and specifications, with a reasonable level of quality
- The project is completed more or less on time and within budget
- The software solves the business problem for which it was intended
- Users adopt the software according to plan
These criteria capture dimensions related to project management, business fit, and usability. Notice that technology is not included as a factor, since this definition assumes technology is the support vehicle for delivering the all-important business benefits.
Please leave lots of comments with your opinions on this definition of IT project success. I suspect this set of criteria will be controversial, but we need a starting point.