Critical success factors for international development projects in Maldives Project teams' perspective

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of local project teams on critical success factors and project success in the context of international development projects in Maldives. It identifies the critical success factors of international development projects, examines how the success of international development projects in Maldives is perceived by local project team members, and analyzes the relationship between critical success factors and project success from the project teams' perspective. Design/methodology/approach - A survey questionnaire was used and 41 project team members participated in the study. Correlation analysis and regression analysis were performed to understand the relationship with project success and critical success factors. Findings - The study found out that the levels of success of projects were perceived high among the project teams. The results indicated that monitoring CSF, coordination CSF, design CSF, training CSF, and institutional environment CSF had a significant relationship with project success. However, results of the regression analysis indicated that only monitoring CSF was significant in influencing project success. Research limitations/implications - The limited sample size and optimism bias of respondents were a constraint. Furthermore, further analysis of data may be required to advance analysis. Originality/value - The study looks through the lens of project implementation teams in order to provide insights from their vantage point. The study provides insights based on the Maldivian context which will benefit similar island nation communities implementing similar projects.