Abstract

This paper examines the impact of planning characteristics on planning performunce and then on project outcomes. The planning characteristics are categorized as human, technical and management factors. Four specific planning performance criteria are considered (defining specifications and requirements, estimating project time & effort, scheduling and risk analysis) and analyzed us they related to different aspects of project outcomes (complete on time and within budget, non-financial benefits, and financial benefits). The study is based on data from 80 software projects in Vietnam. Regression analysis is used to testing the causal relationships. The finding suggests critical fuctors of planning, including project manager effort, team member ability, customer involvement and management support influence the project performance. This study also confirms the effect of planning performance on all project outcomes.