Contributions to optimizing project success management through knowledge management practices

Abstract

Purpose Project success and resource optimization are crucial to organizations’ survival and growth, and two main areas are earning considerable attention from academics and professionals in this context: knowledge management and success management. However, the integration of these areas is still poorly explored, both in organizations and scientific literature. This paper aims to propose a model that puts together the knowledge management cycle and success management theory activities.

Design/methodology/approach A purposive literature review was carried out to identify knowledge management cycles and success activities from success management theory. Then, the research used a qualitative theory-building approach to develop the integrated model.

Findings This research proposes and details a model integrating activities from success management theory and practices from the knowledge management cycles.

Research limitations/implications This work introduces a novel integration of knowledge management and project success management, addressing a gap in existing literature. Aligning these cycles offers a theoretical framework for understanding how organizational knowledge influences success criteria and outcomes, opening a way for future research on performance-driven knowledge systems.

Practical implications The model guides project managers on how to integrate knowledge management and success management in project planning and execution. It promotes continuous learning by feeding project insights back into the knowledge cycle, enhancing decision-making and efficiency. Organizations can use it to improve project outcomes, develop targeted training and align knowledge use with performance goals.

Originality/value The literature presents the success management theory from the project management field and knowledge management cycles from the organizational management area. Yet, not in an integrated way, this work contributes with a new perspective to help achieve better project results from success management and knowledge management, allowing the inputs of the project results to be integrated into the general body of knowledge of the organization by a continuous cycle of knowledge evolution.