If we delivered a project on schedule, on budget and on scope but customer was not satisfied, Is this project a success or a failure? Why?

At face value all seem to be hanky Dore, project delivered to schedule, scope and on budget, if I were you I'll drill down further on communication,  Where was the client during implementation,   and what happen to quality?

You will most probably find that the customer was unsatisfied long before the project was complete, and the key to his dissatisfaction is communication.

  There is a disappointment; probably some of the desired outcomes were significantly violated. Accordingly it classified as: PARTIAL SUCCESS OR COMMITMENT SUCCESS

A project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to achieve a particular aim and to which project management can be applied, regardless of the project’s size, budget, or timeline. (PMBOK® Guide,2000). 

Project feasibility study /Planning were not proper, which led to non-satisfaction of customer. Therefore project was completed successful, it was planners fault who failed to judge current market requirement.

Failed Project. Because, in general terms and with the data that you give us, the quality of the project have not been satisfied according to the requirements of the customer.

The answer can not be a simple yes or no. it would depend on how much the customer is important to your organization for future buisness. Also why the customer is not happy needs to be probed; if its a matter of misplaced expectations, then may be the customer needs to be educated. Ideally this should have happened during the course of execution of the project and by the time the project matured, the customer should have had a fair idea what he should (or more importantly should not) be expecting from the project. On the other hand if the customer is not happy because of some unwarranted demands not having been met, then the top management needs to be brought in picture for business stratagy level decision making on whether or not to stay engaged with the customer of such a nature.

If you are the counsultant office for the owner

itis your responsability

if the project run as the time schuale , it will completted on time

regards

hassan qutb

the answer  is NO, the project is failure

yes, Project managers are expected to manage the main project constraints (scope, time, cost and quality). but even if the PM were able to deliver on time, within budget and meet scope specifications may not necessarily perceived to be successful by key stakeholders.Besides time, cost, scope and quality,PM's need to include other criteria to satisfy stakeholders and deliver business results like Stakeholder satisfaction, Meeting objectives, Meeting governance criteria ... etc 

I feel it is important to understand the clients needs upfront. It could be that what the implementing company had in mind and what the the client had in mind was completely different.  It is up to the project manager that he/ she and the client are on the same page about WHAT needs to be delivered and how. Communication is key. 

You have a bad communications, you must look down what is the problem customer, because this project not completed yet

You must always look at customer, seeks customer satisfaction, this is the main issue, if customer not satisfied this will directly reduced your market shares, customer should be first, without customer satisfaction your will not have the good willing nor realizing your targets.

All projects, products or services with lack of customer satisfactions are seeking an improvement, we can not say it is failed, but we can say there is someting wrong need to be solved out, as its all within budget and scope.

Thanks.

Not necessarily failed, there are conditions. We can not judge a project success or failure merely by mood of the customer, if he is happy then we are successful otherwise not. 

When you say project is delivered on scope (besides cost and schedule) then ideally it means all the aspects/processes of the project were deliberatedly considered and later on validated. Since customer is not happy, so further investigation is required. If there is something what customer had not communicated earlier may need for CR or in other case refer to ICC.

However, if the requirement documents are not followed by project team and quality is not upto the required level of customer that means scope is not fully met. Then it's a failure.