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• Atkinson, R. (1999). 'Project management: Cost, time and quality, two best guesses and a phenomenon, its time to accept other success criteria'. International Journal of Project Management 17(6): 337-342.

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=46628157&Fmt=7&clientId=44986&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Some thoughts about success criteria for IS-IT project management are provided. Cost, time and quality (The Iron Triangle), over the last 50 years have become inextricably linked with measuring the success of project management. This is perhaps not surprising, since over the same period those criteria are usually included in the description of project management. Time and costs are at best, only guesses, calculated at a time when least is known about the project. Quality is a phenomenon, it is an emergent property of peoples different attitudes and beliefs, which often change over the development life-cycle of a project. Why has project management been so reluctant to adopt other criteria in addition to the Iron Triangle, such as stakeholder benefits against which projects can be assessed? A new framework to consider success criteria, The Square Route, is proposed.