Critical success factors over lifecycle of dam engineering projects

Despite significant efforts on improving project performance through research on project success, this area of research still has unfinished nature. This suggests further work is needed to enable introduction of effective project success improvement models. This is even of more importance for dams with significant social, economic and environmental impacts. Despite evidence in the literature that dam engineering projects are one of the worst performing infrastructure types for achieving project goals, no study has been undertaken to address this issue. This paper addresses the knowledge gap by identification of critical success factors (CSFs) in different phases over lifecycle of dams. This study reveals that certain CSFs are applicable in different stages over lifecycle of dam engineering projects in Australia. This has been achieved by undertaking a three round Delphi technique. As a result, 'Effective communication' was ranked the most important factor in planning and operation phases, while highest rated factors for design and construction phases were 'Adequate understanding of natural characteristics of the project' and 'Monitor performance' respectively. The results of this study give project practitioners and decision-makers the ability to influence dam engineering project outcomes in a way that benefits stakeholders, impacted communities, and local economies.