Critical success factors for World Bank projects: An empirical investigation

This paper analyzes the results of a survey that aims to explore World Bank project success factors and specifically the relationship between critical success factors (CSFs) and project success as perceived by World Bank Task Team Leaders (project supervisors). The exploratory factor analysis highlights a specific set of five CSFs: monitoring, coordination, design, training, and institutional environment. The regression analysis shows that there is a statistically significant and positive relationship between each of the five CSFs and project success. Consistent with theory and practice, the most prominent CSFs for project supervisors are design and monitoring. The findings contribute to the project CSF literature by conceptualizing project supervision as a multidimensional construct and by confirming supervision as a generic CSF for World Bank projects. The World Bank project supervisors and managers should strengthen project design and monitoring and thus improve project implementation as well as the chances for project success.

► Paper surveys World Bank project supervisors (Task Team Leaders).
► Paper explores relationship between critical success factors (CSFs) and success.
► Paper conceptualizes project supervision as a multidimensional construct.
► Paper confirms supervision as a generic CSF for World Bank projects.
► Paper highlights design and monitoring as prominent CSFs for project supervisors.