A UNIFIED APPROACH OF CSFS FOR SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES OF MEGA CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN PAKISTAN. AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION

Abstract

Purpose

Mega construction projects (MCPs) in developing countries are progressively challenged by cost overruns, delays, and governance failures, often curtailing from fragile accountability and disjointed project management practices. This research proposes and empirically tests a unified methodology that incorporates critical success factors, risk management (RM), stakeholder management (SM), human resource management (HRM), and controlling & feedback (C&F), with accountability (ACC) as a mediating behavioral governance tool to improve project success (PS).

Design/methodology/approach

An arranged quantitative, cross-sectional survey was applied to professionals involved in mega public infrastructure projects in Pakistan. The data were examined using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine both the direct effects of IVs on PS and the mediating role of ACC within the planned conceptual framework.

Findings

Results disclose that all critical success factors significantly influence PS, while ACC partially mediates the HRM and PS relationship. Particularly, the research presents a multi-dimensional construct of ACC which works not as a post-hoc reporting device but as a dynamic, intangible capability to engage uncertainty and align stakeholder benefits. These outcomes propose that accountability functions as a selective, rather than universal, mediating device and should be strategically fixed where its behavioral effect is strongest.

Originality/value

By inserting ACC into essential project functions, the model proposals a context-sensitive, ethically grounded framework capable of directing institutional volatility. This study contributes to both theory and practice by reassuming project governance through a behavioral views, proposing a reform-driven corridor for improving reducing corruption, transparency, and attaining sustainable project consequences in complex settings for developing economies.