CHARACTERIZATION OF PROJECT SUCCESS IN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES (SME)

In 2017, around 99.5% of all companies in Germany belonged to the small and medium-sized enterprise category. They generated a turnover of 2.33 trillion euros, corresponding to 35.0% of the total turnover in Germany. SMEs are dependent on gaining a competitive advantage through a wide range of unique selling points and specializations in order to stand out from the competition and ensure their long-term existence in the market. The vast majority of products and innovations are planned, developed, and implemented within a project framework. This paper deals with the questions of which success criteria are particularly important for SMEs, which conditions must be fulfilled, and which monitoring and control measures are necessary to ensure that the project remains on the road to success and has a particularly high probability of being completed successfully. Extensive literature research was conducted in the course of the investigations. Sources by both project management specialists in the working environment and academic publications from project management associations and interest groups were examined.