A comprehensive answer to the question of which factors are critical to project success depends on answering three separate
questions: ‘‘What factors lead to project management success?’’, ‘‘What factors lead to a successful project?’’ and ‘‘What factors
lead to consistently successful projects?’’ This paper draws on new empirical research from more than 70 large multi-national or
national organizations to answer each of these three questions, and to identify 12 factors that are, in one way or another, critical to
project success. # 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd and IPMA. All rights reserved.