97 Things Every Scrum Practitioner Should Know

Chapter 12. Successful Projects That...Fail

Ralph Jocham & Don McGreal

Success is in the eye of the beholder, and depending on whether that beholder thinks in terms of projects or products, the measure of success could vary profoundly. A project is successful by being on scope, on time, and on budget, while a product is successful when it delivers value: happy customers, increased revenue, lower costs, and so on.

In the long run, what is more important for a company? A successful project or a successful product? The answer is rather obvious, as the product is what delivers actual value to customers. Peter Drucker, a prolific author and leader in management thinking, was very direct when stating in his book, The Practice of Management (HarperBusiness, 1954), “The only reason for management to exist is to create customers.”

Here we see the project management triangle, a well-known practice in project management, with the scope being a contract, the schedule a promise, and both being unified through one budget. In this “inside-out” approach, success is measured by internal elements that often drive how outside stakeholders will have to use the product, not always for ...