Project Management Success Factors per Phase

In our experience the path to project success is set at project startup. On the other end of the chain projects are successful with end-user satisfaction. Long term satisfaction is mainly driven by solution reliability and support quality during operation.
 

Each project phase has its characteristic success factors:

• Startup
  - Stakeholder Identification
  - Communication Planning and Setup
  - Top-Level User Involvement
  - Team building
• Specification
  - End-User Involvement during Requirements Process
  - Realistic Project Planning and Budgeting
  - Expectation Management 
• Development
  - Communication / Project Marketing
  - End-User Involvement during Test-Panning
  - Quality Management
  - Expectation Management
  - Strict Change Request Procedure and Release Planning
  - Documentation
• Test
  - End-User Involvement during Test-Execution
  - Involvement of future operations staff
  - Quality Management
  - Documentation 
• Release To Production / Rollout
  - Communication / Project Marketing
  - Sufficient Training of operations and support staff
  - End-User Training and Startup-Support
  - Documentation 
• Operation
  - Continuity of operations and support staff
  - Mindset of Support Staff
  - Documentation