Let’s talk about public projects!
SERIES ARTICLE
By Stanisław Gasik
Warsaw, Poland
Introduction
What should be considered the main criterion for project success?
Between 1998 and 2001, the Project Management Association of Japan (PMAJ) developed guidelines for managing innovative projects and programs. The result was the extensive A Guidebook for Project and Program Management for Enterprise Innovation — commonly known as P2M. Its English third revision was published in 2005 (PMAJ, 2005).
P2M treats value as a defining attribute of a project. A project is described as
“a value creation undertaking based on a specific mission, which is completed in a given or agreed timeframe and under constraints, including resources and external circumstances” (PMAJ, 2005, p. 15).
Project activities are seen as a chain leading to value creation. “Successful termination of a project means that the value the project aimed to achieve has been delivered” (PMAJ, 2005, p. 89). The realized value can also be assessed after the project’s product has been in operation for some time.
Projects should be implemented effectively, with success assessed based on stakeholder perspectives. According to P2M, “Effectiveness means an indicator of favorable overall effect brought about by projects and a level of satisfaction of stakeholders who are directly or indirectly involved in a project. Effectiveness can also be evaluated in terms of benefit acquired against investment costs” (PMAJ, 2005, p. 16).
In 2024, the Project Management Institute (PMI) published Maximizing Project Success—a significant study examining how project success is understood (PMI, 2024). The results closely align with the findings of the PMAJ team[1] from more than two decades ago.
PMI defines project success as:
“Consensus view across intended beneficiaries, other stakeholders and project participants that a project was perceived to have delivered value that was worth the effort and expense” (PMI, 2024, p. 9).
This definition, particularly in the context of public sector projects, requires deeper examination.
Ethics
Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 was a great success from the perspective of organizers, players and fans, but over 6,500 migrant workers reportedly died during its preparations (Pattison & McIntyre, 2021). The Hoover Dam, built in the 1930s, is often cited as a successful project, in part because safety standards were ignored — resulting in over 1,000 deaths (Kwak et al., 2014). Transferring project activities to regions with weaker labor protections can reduce costs — thus potentially increasing perceived success, as defined by PMI.
Can ethical considerations be excluded from the definition of project success? The PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct outlines core values such as responsibility, respect, fairness, and honesty (PMI, 2006). Public projects often require additional ethical principles (de Vries & Kim, 2011; Gasik, 2023), including impartiality and justice.
While unethical or corrupt practices may reduce project costs, they conflict with core values. Ignoring ethics by PMI (2024) definition may suggest that success can be achieved by, for example, stripping workers of their rights. This is fundamentally at odds with the PMI Code of Ethics.
More…
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Editor’s note: This article series is related to the management of public programs and projects, those organized, financed and managed by governments and public officials. The author, Dr. Stanisław Gasik, is the author of the book “Projects, Government, and Public Policy”, recently published by CRC Press / Taylor and Francis Group. That book and these articles are based on Dr. Gasik’s research into governmental project management around the world over the last decade. Stanisław is well-known and respected by PMWJ editors; we welcome and support his efforts to share knowledge that can help governments worldwide achieve their most important initiatives.
How to cite this paper: Gasik, S. (2025). Some Notes on the PMI Maximizing Project Success Document, Let’s talk about public projects, series article, PM World Journal, Volume XIV, Issue VI, June. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/pmwj153-Jun2025-Gasik-Notes-on-PMI-Project-Success-document.pdf
About the Author
Stanisław Gasik, PhD, PMP
Warsaw, Poland
Dr. Stanisław Gasik, PMP is a project management expert. He graduated from the University of Warsaw, Poland, with M. Sc. in mathematics and Ph. D. in organization sciences (with a specialty in project management). Stanisław has over 30 years of experience in project management, consulting, teaching, and implementing PM organizational solutions. His professional and research interests include project knowledge management, portfolio management, and project management maturity. He is the author of the only holistic model of project knowledge management spanning from the individual to the global level.
Since 2013, his main professional focus has been on public projects. He was an expert in project management at the Governmental Accountability Office, an institution of the US Congress. He is the author of “Projects, Government, and Public Policy,” a book that systematizes knowledge about government activities in the area of project management.
He was a significant contributor to PMI’s PMBOK® Guide and PMI Standard for Program Management and contributed to other PMI standards. He has lectured at global PMI and IPMA congresses and other international conferences.
His web page is www.gpm3.eu.
To view other works by Dr. Gasik, please visit his author showcase in the PM World Library at https://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/stanislaw-gasik-phd-pmp/
[1] The authors of the PMI document do not provide a list of documents on the basis of which they carried out their work.
