| Abstract: |
Effective project management (PM) practices have emerged as decisive determinants of success in capital-intensive sectors, yet empirical evidence linking specific managerial practices to measurable project outcomes remains fragmented for emerging economies. This study examines the relationship between project management practices and project success in construction and engineering projects in India, a sector that contributes approximately one-tenth of national output while confronting chronic schedule overruns and cost escalation. Anchored in established project success frameworks, five practice dimensions were investigated: project planning and scope management, risk management, stakeholder management and communication, monitoring, evaluation and control, and resource and procurement management. Using a cross-sectional survey design, primary data were collected from 384 project managers, engineers, consultants, and contractor representatives associated with infrastructure, building, and industrial projects in four regions of India through stratified random sampling. A validated, pilot-tested structured questionnaire employing five-point Likert scales was administered, and all constructs demonstrated strong internal consistency. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Results reveal that project success is significantly and positively associated with all five practice dimensions, with risk management (β = 0.251, p < 0.001) and monitoring, evaluation and control (β = 0.192, p < 0.001) exerting the strongest independent effects; the model explains 58.7 per cent of the variance in project success. Resource and procurement management, although significant, emerged as the weakest predictor, indicating an area of systematic underinvestment. The findings confirm that project success in the Indian construction and engineering industry is substantially produced by deliberate managerial practice rather than circums |
