329: What Project Success Really Means with Dave Garrett

October 12, 2025·54 min·4 clips

PMI's research redefines project success as delivering value worth the effort and expense.

This episode features host Laura Bernard and guest Dave Garrett, a senior advisor to the CEO at the Project Management Institute (PMI). They explore a new, broader definition of project success based on PMI's extensive research initiative. Laura is a veteran PMO leader, and Dave brings deep expertise from his strategic roles at PMI, including as former Chief Strategy and Growth Officer. The conversation centers on PMI's "Maximizing Project Success" report, the largest research effort in the institute's history. The research involved a 70-page literature review, 150 qualitative interviews, and surveys of over 10,000 stakeholders, including project professionals, sponsors, executives, and end customers. A key finding was that customers or beneficiaries of a project's results were deemed the most important stakeholders in judging success. The report defines a successful project as one that "delivered value that's worth the effort and expense," moving beyond the traditional "triple constraint" of time, scope, and budget. Dave illustrates this with the Sydney Opera House, a project once seen as a failure for being over budget and late but now celebrated for its immense cultural value. Conversely, he mentions a U.S. fighter jet delivered on time and under budget that was later criticized as misaligned with modern warfare needs. The discussion introduces the "MORE" framework, developed by PMI CEO Pierre Le Manh, which describes the evolving mindset for project professionals. MORE stands for Managing perceptions, Owning project success, Relentlessly reassessing parameters, and maintaining an Expanded perspective. A critical insight is the distinction between "project management success" and "project success," where the former focuses on execution metrics and the latter on delivered value. The research emphasizes "customer centricity" and understanding that value is subjective and time-sensitive. Dave explains that adopting the MORE mindset creates a "virtuous circle," where project professionals feel more ownership, become more valuable to their organizations, and gain more passion for their work. The framework encourages proactive reassessment of a project's value and approach, rather than reactive changes. Laura connects these ideas to her long-standing "impact driver" framework, noting both focus on the necessary mindset shift for project leaders. They discuss how the project professional's role is transforming from an "order taker" to a strategic partner who owns value delivery. The episode highlights how this shift can improve the often challenging experience of being a project manager, who may feel invisible or unfairly blamed. The tone is conversational and collegial, reflecting the hosts' long professional history and shared mission. The style is educational and advisory, blending personal anecdotes with research findings and practical frameworks. Project managers, PMO leaders, and change management professionals seeking to elevate their strategic impact would find this episode highly valuable. Listeners looking for tactical, step-by-step project management instructions or those content with traditional delivery metrics might find the conceptual discussion less immediately applicable.

As heard by us

Project success is framed around measurable business results and lasting impact.

PMO Strategies treats project success as more than the familiar on-time, on-scope, on-budget check. Laura Bernard and Dave Garrett use PMI's Maximizing Project Success report to argue for a steadier test: whether projects deliver measurable business results and leave something…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

For the moment you need a sharper definition of project success, impact driver.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from PMO Strategies