Project success or project management success –discussion on terminology

Purpose: The aim of the article is to conduct an analysis of the literature from 2015-2024 in the field of evolution of the definition of project success and project management success.Also helps in identifying the key conceptual distinctions between them. Design/methodology/approach:The study is based on a mixed approach.In the quantitative part, a bibliographic review was carried out in selected international databases, identifying publications that meet the inclusions and exclusions.In the qualitative part, an analysis of the content of a deliberately selected sample was used.Findings: The analysis highlights four key dimensions distinguishing project success from project management success.It also reveals a clear evolution in the conceptualization of both project success and project management success over the past decade. Research limitations/implications:The limitation of the study is the selectivity of the publication sample and the focus on English-language sources.It is worth expanding the analysis to include local and comparative perspectives, taking into account cultural differences in understanding project success.Practical implications: Separating project success from project management success allows for better alignment of evaluation metrics with the nature of the venture, which is important for project portfolio management and stakeholder communication. Social implications:Understanding the evolving definitions of project and project management success underscores the human dimension of success-emphasizing collaboration, trust, and shared learning as key elements of sustainable project outcomes.Originality/value: This study value lies in clarifying the hierarchical and multidimensional relationship between project success and project management success, offering a coherent framework for future empirical and theoretical research.