Critical Success Factors of the Project Management in Relation to Industry 4.0 for Sustainability of Projects

Sustainability has recently become a phenomenon; small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly emphasizing the principles of sustainability in their corporate governance. They implement these changes through project management. The purpose of the paper is to determine the critical success factors in project management, as seen by the managers of Czech manufacturing enterprises, related to the most to the successful completion of the projects. We aim to analyze the relation of these success factors to Industry 4.0, Human Resources, and sustainability. We determined the possible interconnectedness of the critical success factors using correlation coefficients. Then, we compared them using the Mann-Whitney test with new corporate management trends. The results show that companies consider Leadership and Experiences, and Employees and Flexibility to be key factors in project management's success. The most important critical factor for the sustainability of projects focused on Industry 4.0 is the finances that decide the implementation of projects. The benefits of Industry 4.0 concerning sustainability have been identified in projects aimed at implementing new energy sources. In addition to the results obtained, the development of a methodology for evaluating Industry 4.0 projects' success concerning sustainability may be based on critical success factors in the future.

Automated summary

In recent times, sustainability has become a significant trend for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a focus on implementing principles through project management. Research shows that key factors for successful project management include leadership, employee experience, and flexibility. The benefits of Industry 4.0 in terms of sustainability are particularly evident in projects related to implementing new energy sources.