A new global study from the Project Management Institute (PMI) argues that organisations are struggling to turn strategic ambition into measurable results, with only half of major projects delivered successfully despite rising investment in digital, AI and business-model transformation.
The report links much of the current “strategy-execution gap” to how organisations plan, resource and manage projects. The findings come as senior executives face increasing pressure to reinvent their operations: in a survey conducted alongside the study, 93 per cent of business leaders said they need to rethink their business model or operating approach at least every five years, with nearly two-thirds doing so every two years or more.
Two-thirds of respondents said they are currently accelerating digital and AI transformation programmes, yet the biggest brake on progress is the execution challenge. More executives cited the disconnect between planning and delivery as the top barrier to reinvention than any other factor.
PMI’s global research, based on more than 5,800 project professionals and stakeholders, found that only 50 per cent of projects meet a contemporary definition of success, meaning they deliver value that exceeds the effort and cost involved. A further 37 per cent only partly deliver their expected outcomes and 13 per cent fail outright.
Pierre Le Manh, PMI’s chief executive, said the results reflect structural rather than conceptual weaknesses. “Organisations are investing heavily in transformation but cannot rely on a one-in-two success rate for the projects that underpin their strategy,” he said. “The execution gap is visible in misaligned priorities, insufficient resourcing and legacy measures of success.”
The study identifies four factors that most strongly correlate with successful delivery: managing stakeholder perceptions, broadening success criteria beyond budget and schedule, reassessing projects continually as conditions change and expanding project leaders’ perspective to include wider organisational and societal outcomes. Together these form PMI’s new M.O.R.E. framework.
According to PMI, when project professionals apply all four behaviours consistently, the overall “Net Project Success Score” rises from 27 to 94. Only seven per cent of respondents said they currently apply all of them.
Le Manh argued that the findings offer organisations an evidence-based approach to improving delivery outcomes. “This is not about more process. It is about embedding a clearer focus on value, outcomes and accountability throughout the project lifecycle.”
Executives surveyed separately cited ageing skills, rigid organisational structures and slow governance as continuing impediments to execution. At the same time, 72 per cent said AI and automation are major drivers behind their reinvention programmes. PMI’s analysis suggests that professionals who integrate AI tools into their workflows record a 17-point increase in project success, though the institute stresses that human skills remain central to effective delivery.
PMI says it will incorporate the M.O.R.E. framework into its standards, training programmes and professional learning pathways. The organisation also plans to highlight teams that demonstrate the behaviours identified in the study.
“As reinvention becomes a defining feature of modern corporate life, the ability to execute consistently is emerging as a competitive differentiator,” Le Manh said.
