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ACCA Strategic Professional · Strategic Business Leader · Leading and managing projects

Brightwell Retail is implementing a new loyalty platform. The project is delivered on time and on budget to specification, but a year later the sponsor finds customer retention has not improved and few staff use the system. Which statement best reflects the lesson for project management?

Project success must be judged by whether intended benefits are realised and users accept the outcome, not just by meeting time, cost and quality. Brightwell delivered to the triangle but achieved no retention improvement or adoption, so benefits management and post-implementation review were inadequate.

  1. AProject success should be judged by benefits realised and stakeholder acceptance, not only by meeting time, cost and quality targetsCorrect
  2. BThe project failed only because the budget was set too low
  3. CMeeting time, cost and quality criteria is sufficient to define project success
  4. DThe project manager should be solely accountable for benefits after handover

Explanation

The iron triangle of time, cost and quality measures delivery efficiency, not whether the intended business benefits arrive. Benefits realisation and user adoption need ownership by the sponsor and business, with post-implementation review. Here the budget was met, so the budget explanation is wrong.

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