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Shenhar, A. J., A. Tishler, D. Dvir, S. Lipovetsky and T. Lechler (2002). 'Refining the search for project success factors: A multivariate, typological approach'. R & D Management 32(2): 111
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Although the causes for project success and failure have been the subject of many studies, no conclusive evidence or common agreement has been achieved so far. In the present study, a project-specific typological approach, a multidimensional criteria for assessing project success, and a multivariate statistical analysis method are used. According to the typology, projects were classified according to their technological uncertainty at project initiation and their system scope which is their location on a hierarchical ladder of systems and subsystems. The use of a very detailed data and multivariate methods such as canonical correlation and eigenvector analysis enables researchers to account for all the interactions between managerial and success variables and to address a handful of perspectives, often left unanalyzed by previous research. Although some success factors are common to all projects, the study identified project-specific lists of factors, indicating for example, that high-uncertainty projects must be managed differently than low-uncertainty projects, and high-scope projects differently than low-scope projects.