Title: The communicative effect of risk identification on project success

Authors: Karel De Bakker; Albert Boonstra; Hans Wortmann

Addresses: Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen, The Netherlands ' Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen, The Netherlands ' Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen, The Netherlands

Abstract: Risk management is an instrument used by project managers to execute and control their projects to assure that outcomes are aligned with project plans. Existing evidence for the contribution of this instrument to project success is not convincing, because this evidence is often based on assumptions that prove inaccurate for most projects. These assumptions were addressed in an experiment involving 53 project groups. The results from this experiment demonstrate that the use of risk identification, a single risk management activity, positively influences objective and perceived project success. Communication between project members during risk identification plays a crucial role in this relation.

Keywords: project risk management; project management; risk identification; project success; experiment; communication; communicative effect.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2014.059749

International Journal of Project Organisation and Management, 2014 Vol.6 No.1/2, pp.138 - 156

Published online: 24 May 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article