--- title: Ensuring Project Success description: Just when is a project 'successful'? Even this question would get a variety of answers in most circles. Here we define project success from a business point of view. --- [![Totally Optimized Projects](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/hs-fs/hubfs/TOPLogos/TOP%20Header%20logo2020.png?width=338&height=93&name=TOP%20Header%20logo2020.png "Totally Optimized Projects")](https://www.totallyoptimizedprojects.com) ![clouds-2.jpg](http://design-assets.hubspot.com/hubfs/Stratus/clouds-2.jpg "clouds-2.jpg") # Ensuring Project Success [![Share on facebook](https://7528309.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528309/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-web-default-modules_hubspot/img/facebook-color.png?width=24&name=facebook-color.png) ](https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com%2Ftop-books%2Fensuring-project-success%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on linkedin](https://7528302.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528302/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-web-default-modules_hubspot/img/linkedin-color.png?width=24&name=linkedin-color.png) ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com%2Ftop-books%2Fensuring-project-success%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on twitter](https://7528304.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528304/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-web-default-modules_hubspot/img/twitter-color.png?width=24&name=twitter-color.png) ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com%2Ftop-books%2Fensuring-project-success%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com%2Ftop-books%2Fensuring-project-success%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=) [![Share on email](https://7528311.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528311/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-web-default-modules_hubspot/img/email-color.png?width=24&name=email-color.png) ](mailto:?subject=You%20may%20find%20this%20TOP%20article%20of%20interest&body=Ensuring%20Project%20Success%20-%20%20https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/ensuring-project-success?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email) Last updated: October 4, 2020 Just when is a project 'successful'? Even this question would get a variety of answers in most circles. Here we define project success from a business point of view. --- We don't do projects in order to just complete them, we do projects to get business value from them. Project success is therefore measured in terms of the business outcomes, benefits and value delivered. But less than 60% of projects deliver a positive return and less than 5% of projects deliver the full business returns — ie are truly 'successful'. In this collection of articles the nature of success and the threats to its delivery are discussed - including "Death by 1000 cuts" and "Condemned to completion" and other articles on the need to protect success as well as target it. Essential reading for everyone who is concerned with projects. Kindle: Printed Book: Not available Download: Not available Topics: [Project Success](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/project-success), [Benefits Delivery](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/benefits-delivery), [The TOP 10 TOPics Collection](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/the-top-10-topics-collection), [Amazon Kindle](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/amazon-kindle) ### TOPics - [Amazon Kindle (16)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/amazon-kindle) - [Amazon Print Book (3)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/amazon-print-book) - [Benefits Delivery (4)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/benefits-delivery) - [Benefits Management (3)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/benefits-management) - [Business Case (2)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/business-case) - [Business Outcomes (1)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/business-outcomes) - [Capability Development (1)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/capability-development) - [Capital Investment (1)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/capital-investment) - [Change Management (1)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/change-management) - [Consultants (3)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/consultants) - [Costs and Waste (1)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/costs-and-waste) - [Idea / Project Initiation (1)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/idea-project-initiation) - [Mental Models, Beliefs and Myths (1)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/mental-models-beliefs-and-myths) - [Outcomes Thinking (1)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/outcomes-thinking) - [Path Dependency (1)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/path-dependency) - [Prioritization (3)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/prioritization) - [Process Management (3)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/process-management) - [Program / Project delivery (5)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/program-project-delivery) - [Project Governance (10)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/project-governance) - [Project Management (7)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/project-management) - [Project Manager (3)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/project-manager) - [Project Sponsor (3)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/project-sponsor) - [Project Success (10)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/project-success) - [Project Waste (2)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/project-waste) - [Strategic Project Portfolio Management (1)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/strategic-project-portfolio-management) - [Strategy Execution (6)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/strategy-execution) - [The TOP 10 TOPics Collection (6)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/the-top-10-topics-collection) - [Value Delivery (13)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/value-delivery) - [Value Equation (12)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/tag/value-equation) © TOTALLY OPTIMIZED PROJECTS 2026 [**](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-books/ensuring-project-success#)