Relationship quality and satisfaction: Customer-perceived success factors for on-time projects

Abstract Project managers have traditionally evaluated project success using the “iron triangle” of time, costs, and quality. In recent years, however, customer satisfaction and other client relationship attitudes have emerged as additional criteria in assessing project success. This paper explores the comparatively under-researched areas of customer satisfaction and client relationship quality in project management. Specifically, we differentiated between projects that were completed on-time and those that were not on-time. We then explored the drivers of customer satisfaction and relationship quality at different stages in the project for each respective group. Data was collected from 588 customers who had installed large-scale building service systems from a multi-national Fortune 100 firm. The results indicate that the drivers of customer satisfaction and relationship quality changed significantly, in both order and magnitude, during the course of a project depending on whether projects were delivered on-time or late. The changes in these drivers have important implications for project managers in keeping clients satisfied during the course of the project, and also in maintaining on-going relationships with the client in the future.