An exploratory study of project success with tools, software and methods

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between project delivery success factors, project management tools, software, and methods. Design/methodology/approach – A statistical analysis was undertaken using data from a survey from a purposive sample of 150 participants across three countries (Australia, Canada and the UK). The findings were used to consider the relationships between project success factors, project management tools, software, and methods. Findings – The findings reveal certain insights in the use of tools and methodologies. Of all the variables measured, the number of project management tools used and the number of risk tools used showed the highest direct correlation. It was therefore surmised that the use of tools from one of these categories is often coincident with the use of tools from the other category. Also, the use of project management tools exhibited less variability as compared to use of information communication technology support tools and risk management tools. In addition, use of formal project management methods exhibited less variability than use of formal decision‐making methods. Therefore, it is suggested that use of project management tools and methods is more consistent across the organizations studied, as compared to other tools and methods. Originality/value – This paper extends the survey findings of an international 2011 study and sheds light on the use of project management and related tools and methods.