Project control and risk management for project success: A South African case study

The objective of the paper is to assess the extent to which project control and risk management contribute to and can be used effectively in ensuring project success and identify the factors that contribute to project success. This research is a qualitative study, in which descriptive methods were strongly used. The data for the empirical part was collected by means of a questionnaire. Engineering, Project Management and Project Controls departments were involved in the survey. A total of sixty seven (67) completed questionnaires were obtained. The results of the questionnaires were processed and analyzed by using a spreadsheet application. The main findings indicated that project controlling and risk management have a significant influence on performance of a project and therefore on the success of the company. It was also found that effective earned value management contributes positively to the project success. By strengthening and focusing more on project controlling and risk management methods and processes, the performance of projects should improve.