Clients Versus Consultants Assessment of Project Success in Nigeria

Abstract

The effectiveness of project delivery depends largely on the collaboration of the project actors. Yet the perception of success might be subjective and dependent on the individual’s opinion. This study assessed project success from clients versus consultants’ perspective. A cross-sectional survey of One hundred and two (N=102) project participants on recently completed building projects in Nigeria was sought. From the result, the client representatives ranked success level far lower than the consultant’s counterparts. These differences were observed with respect to the dimensions of the project success considered in varying magnitude. Particularly, the level of inconsistency in the project success assessment was found to be significantly different in terms of the project meeting functional requirements, client satisfaction, quality and absence of conflict. The overall success shows significant differences in the ranking of the project success among the two groups. This study provided evidence that differences exist in between client and consultants as regards project success judgement. Hence, the paper concludes that the establishment of clear project goals and aspirations among the key project actors right at the commencement of a project could help the success of the project management.