DOCTORADO
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Item Efecto de la Gestión del Conocimiento en la Relación entre Factores Críticos de Éxito y el Éxito de los Proyectos en Ecuador(2025-12-07) María Elizabeth Arteaga García; Alexandra Portalanza Chavarría,Objective: To discover the existence and nature of the relationship between critical project success factors and the project manager's knowledge management in project success in Ecuador. Methodology: Quantitative, correlational-causal, non-experimental, and cross-sectional research, using hypothetical-deductive reasoning. The study sample consisted of 629 participants who led or were part of project teams in Ecuador, who were surveyed between April 2024 and January 2025. The measurement instrument was adapted for the Spanish-speaking population of Ecuador. Exploratory factor analysis in SPSS 29 was used to validate the instrument, and Smart PLS 4 was used to evaluate the measurement and structural models. Results: Critical success factors and project success criteria were identified in the Ecuadorian context. From the evaluations of the measurement and structural models, three critical success factors (Technical Activities, Communication, and Monitoring and Feedback) and nine criteria for measuring project success were obtained, focusing on stakeholder satisfaction, the benefits received, and the use of the results achieved by the organization requesting the project. The four hypotheses that comprised the hypothetical model of this doctoral research were confirmed: H1: Critical success factors have a positive effect on project success. H2: Critical success factors have a positive effect on knowledge management. H3: Knowledge management has a positive effect on project success. H4: Knowledge management mediates the relationship between critical success factors and project success. The proposed model to explain project success, based on the constructs of critical success factors and knowledge management, has moderate explanatory power (R2 = .696) and low predictive power. Conclusions: This doctoral thesis proposes a guiding model for project managers to achieve project success in Ecuador. To this end, it suggests that during project management they: 1) effectively manage three critical success factors: Technical Activities, Communication, and Monitoring and Feedback; 2) evaluate project performance based on nine success criteria encompassing stakeholder satisfaction, benefits received, and client use of project results; and 3) incorporate into their work practices with the project team and stakeholders a commitment to knowledge management, particularly regarding knowledge sharing and application processes. While it is evident that other contextual or organizational factors, not considered in this research, can also contribute to project success, it is worth noting that no similar research was found within the Andean Community that contributes a validated and evaluated model to Project Management theory to explain project success by incorporating not only critical success factors but also all knowledge management processes. From a methodological standpoint, this study presents a measurement instrument in Spanish, fully adapted and validated for the Ecuadorian context, that incorporates three constructs of interest: critical success factors, success criteria (performance), and knowledge management (processes of acquisition, storage, exchange, and application). No instrument with similar characteristics was found in the reviewed literature. Regarding the implications for business management derived from this study: First, Human Resources departments have information to support the development and alignment of their project management training programs with topics relevant to their employees. And second, project-based organizations must have two capabilities to effectively manage knowledge: infrastructure (technology, organizational structure, and culture) and processes to encourage managers, team members, and other project stakeholders to share their individual knowledge so that it becomes organizational knowledge that can be used as an enabler for successful project management. Future research suggests replicating this study in other Andean Community countries or the rest of Latin America, and for specific types of projects, such as technology or construction projects. Furthermore, to delve deeper into the results, it is proposed to apply multi-group analysis techniques in future studies. This would involve comparative analyses of the evaluated model using categorical variables, such as the stakeholder's role in the project (Leader/Coordinator vs. Team Member), project size (small, medium, large), or beneficiary organization size (small, medium, large). This would help determine the contexts in which the proposed relationships between critical success factors, knowledge management processes, and project success are confirmed or refuted. Finally, more complex models could be explored, considering critical success factors individually, as well as knowledge management processes, to identify more detailed relationships between factors and processes and how these affect project performance.