Projects across many industries are often characterised by cost overruns, delays, disputes, and, in some cases, outright failure. Yet some projects consistently rise above these challenges to become recognised for excellence.
Drawing on over 20 years of experience of delivering and advising on projects, as well as my academic research into project success, I’ve observed five characteristics that many award-winning projects have in common.
1. Vision Drives Excellence
Award-winning outcomes begin with award-winning ambition. Exceptional projects do not become exceptional by accident. They begin with a clear vision from the project sponsor and leadership team to create something that sets a new benchmark. That ambition is embedded from the earliest planning stages and remains a guiding principle throughout delivery, influencing decisions, behaviours, and priorities until project completion.
This aligns with Dvir and Shenhar’s MIT Sloan Management Review article, What Great Projects Have in Common, which identifies “Clear Strategic Purpose” as one of the defining characteristics of great projects. Award-winning projects are driven by more than the desire to complete a scope of work, they are united by a compelling vision that gives every stakeholder a shared sense of purpose.
2. Ingrained Collaboration
Collaboration is embedded in how the project operates because great projects are delivered by one integrated team. This may sound like a cliché, but true collaboration extends far beyond the contractor’s project team. It involves the client, designers, consultants, contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers working together with shared objectives.
Strong communication, trust, and alignment across all stakeholders are essential—not just for delivering projects successfully, but for delivering projects worthy of industry recognition. My research consistently identified collaboration as one of the strongest predictors of project success, and it is something I’ve witnessed repeatedly throughout my career.
3. Purposeful Client Leadership
The client shapes the project’s culture. Award-winning projects rarely emerge from environments characterised by mistrust, prolonged disputes, or adversarial relationships.
Successful clients deliberately create a culture of openness, and mutual respect from the outset. Their leadership establishes the behaviours expected across the project, enabling teams to innovate, solve problems together, and focus on delivering exceptional outcomes rather than managing conflict.
4. Deliberate Partners Selection
Choosing for capability, culture and value, not just the lowest bid. Outstanding clients recognise that procurement decisions should extend beyond price.
They select organisations with the right experience, technical capability, organisational culture, and collaborative mindset. While cost remains important, projects that achieve excellence are typically delivered by teams chosen for their ability to work constructively, solve problems proactively, and share the client’s vision—not simply because they submitted the lowest tender.
5. Embedded Quality
Quality is a culture, not a final inspection. Award-winning projects demonstrate quality in every aspect of delivery. This includes robust governance, effective project controls, competent leadership, skilled project teams, reliable reporting, stakeholder engagement, thoughtful design, quality materials, and exceptional workmanship.
The finished asset may receive the award, but it is the quality of the entire delivery process that makes excellence possible.
By Professor Yakubu Olawale
29/10/2026