Purpose –The purpose of this study is to determine the key success factors in aid
agency projects as well as the interrelationships and influences between their criteria
in order to be able to determine the weights and recommend a set of key success
factors to prioritize. This study also seeks to provide recommendations through
several case studies to determine the efficiency of the key success factors.
Design and Methodology – This paper analyzes the pair wise influence
evaluation questionnaire as well as the strategy survey undertaken by several experts
in the non-government aid agency sector. The methodology used was a combined
DEMATEL-ANP approach in which the DEMATEL determines the influences and
interrelationships of the criteria while the ANP determined the weights as well as
evaluate the alternative strategies.
Findings– In total, this study came up with 4 dimensions with three sets of
criteria each through the support of related literature and expert interviews. These
included Top Management Support (encompassing clear policies, selecting the right
project team and coordination & human relations), Project Implementation
(encompassing clear objectives & scope, project planning and control and project risk
management), Stakeholder Client support (encompassing alignment with clients,
effective consultation with clients and stakeholders and financial support/adequate
II
resources) and Goal Commitment of the Project Team (encompassing communication,
monitoring & feedback, training and networking & teambuilding). Top Management
Support topped the rank among the other dimensions while clear objectives and scope,
selecting the right project team and financial support emerged as the top 3 among all
the other criteria. Each of the situational cases provided for the alternative strategies
also showed relative efficiency and consistency with the others as well as satisfying
results in which to draw a good research conclusion.
Academic Implications – Academic implications included filling the research
gaps in which many aid-related literatures fail to provide conceptual sets of critical
success factors (CSFs) and their interrelationships amongst each other with project
success in international development. This was proven to be of utmost importance in
evaluating the weights and alternative strategies which many studies failed to consider.
Practical and Social Implications– Practical implications include a set of
recommendations to aid agency project managers to undertake and prioritize in order
to better ensure project success.This research hopes to serve as reliable study, source
and recommendation for aid agencies which are undertaking various aid projects with
severe constraints such as lack of resources, experience or knowledge.
Originality, Value and Contribution – Few papers have attempted to compare
and determine the relationship and degree of influence of the key success factors of
aid agency projects. The study hopes to serve as a catalyst for more aid-related project
management literature in the future.

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