Project management turnover: causes and effects on project performance

Changes in management personnel - variously termed displacement, succession or just turnover - have been found by many to have significant negative effects on organisational performance. This paper provides the results of a web-based survey designed to examine this in the project management context. The main findings are that turnover occurs predominantly during the execution phase of the project life cycle, with the main causes being related to career and personal development and dissatisfaction with the organisational culture and project management role. The results also confirm that turnover disrupts and negatively affects the performance of the project team, the project, and potentially negates the competitive advantage of organisations concerned.