PROJECT MANAGEMENT | STRATEGY & LEADERSHIP | VALUE DELIVERY | THE NEW MINDSET

Published July 2026 | Execultant Consultancy Blog | Info@execonsultancy.com

Measuring What Matters to Stakeholders: How the M.O.R.E. Framework Measures Success through Value Delivery

By Esmeal T. Sheriff | PMP, MPM, BsBA, CAPM, CMgt, SMC | Owner/ Senior Principal Consultant

What if the project you delivered on time, within budget, and fully within scope was still considered a failure?

Project success is evolving—and so must the way we measure it. In today’s dynamic delivery environment, the traditional view of success defined by scope, schedule, and budget is no longer enough. The Project Management Institute’s M.O.R.E. Framework—Manage Expectations, Own Success, Relentlessly Reassess, and Expand Perspective—reshapes how project teams define and deliver outcomes by placing stakeholder‑perceived value at the center of project success.

In the first two blogs of this series, we explored how the M.O.R.E. Framework reframes planning, alignment, and value delivery using the Senior’s Life Mobile Application case study. We examined how stakeholder expectations evolve, how value becomes the anchor for decision‑making, and how project teams must adapt their approach to ensure outcomes remain meaningful and worth the investment.

This third installment focuses on a critical question:

“If stakeholder perceived value defines project success, how do project managers measure success from initiation through delivery?”

To answer this, we will explore how the M.O.R.E. Framework predicts success, how measurement systems must evolve, and how project teams can use data, insight, and disciplined reassessment to deliver outcomes stakeholders truly value.

Measuring Success: From Triple Constraints to Performance Themes

For decades, project success was judged by the Triple Constraints—scope, schedule, and budget. Delivering within these boundaries meant success; deviating from them signaled risk or failure. But this view measures activity, not impact.

The M.O.R.E. Framework shifts the focus from internal performance to external value. Success is defined by whether stakeholders perceive the outcomes as worth the effort, cost, and organizational investment. PMI reinforces this shift through performance themes and predictors of success, which emphasize:

Outcome‑based measures
Customer and stakeholder satisfaction
Quality and requirements achievement
Employee experience and safety
Social and organizational impact

This shift is illustrated clearly in the Senior’s Life project. Consider the contrast between a traditional metric and an M.O.R.E.‑aligned measure:

Traditional Metric	M.O.R.E.‑Aligned Measure
“Complete 250 user surveys in 30 days.”	“Gather feedback from 250 senior users to ensure features reflect real needs and deliver meaningful value.”

One measures a task. The other measures impact—the core of stakeholder‑perceived value.

Setting Up Measurement Systems: Tools, Processes, and Delivery Approach

Measurement begins with selecting the right delivery method or developmental approach. The traditional delivery method or approaches emphasize detailed planning and baseline adherence. Agile methods prioritize incremental, iterative delivery and continuous feedback. Hybrid approaches blend both, offering structure with flexibility. The chosen method determines how progress is tracked, how feedback is integrated, and how value is measured.

In the Senior's Life project, the team adopted a hybrid approach. The schedule and budget were fixed, requiring a full project plan. Yet the nature of software development demanded agility, allowing features to be released incrementally and validated through continuous user feedback. This combination ensured predictability while enabling rapid learning and refinement.

In the Senior’s Life project hybrid approach is characterized by:

A full project plan with fixed schedule and budget
Agile principles for iterative feature delivery
Continuous user feedback through sprint‑based UAT cohorts

This ensures predictability while enabling rapid learning and value refinement.

Delivery Method Measurement Comparison

Attribute	Traditional (Waterfall)	Hybrid	Agile
Primary focus	Baseline adherence	Plan + incremental value	Flow of value
Progress tracking	% complete vs baseline	Milestones + increments	Story points / throughput
Schedule control	Gantt, critical path	Gantt + sprint boards	Burndown / burnup
Cost control	Budget vs actual; EVM	EVM + sprint cost	Cost per SP; burn rate
Scope control	Formal change requests	Controlled sprint windows	Backlog grooming
Quality	Phase gates	Continuous + gates	CI/CD; automated tests
Risk	Register + plans	Register + sprint reviews	Risk burndown
Feedback	Milestone reviews	Demos + reviews	Sprint reviews, rapid User Acceptance Testing
Metrics	CPI/SPI, milestones	Mix of EVM + velocity	Velocity, cycle time
Tools	MS Project, ERP	Project + Jira	Jira, DevOps, dashboards
Cadence	Monthly	Bi-weekly	Per sprint
Reporting owner	PMO / PM	PM + PO	Scrum Master + PO + Team

Senior’s Life Mobile Application — Current Project Baseline & Status

Three months into implementation, the Senior's Life Mobile Application shows how measurement supports value delivery. The project team now has a clearer understanding of the requirements, has defined the scope, and has established schedule and budget baselines. The project sponsor, a powerful and influential stakeholder, has requested a status update.

📌 Project Overview (New Scope of Work)

The project began with a nine‑month schedule, a $675,000 budget (including contingency), and a plan to deliver 390 features totaling 1,170 story points. With a two‑week sprint cadence and a team of six developers, throughput was estimated at 20 features per sprint, or 60 story points (SP).

The following table summarizes the project's baseline:

Category	Details
Project	Senior's Life Mobile Application
Total Budget	$675,000 (including $135,000 contingency)
Monthly Budget	$75,000
Schedule	9 months (39 weeks)
Sprint Cadence	2‑week sprints → 20 total sprints
Team	6 developers
Throughput	10 features/week → 20 features/sprint
Story Point Size	3 SP per feature
Total Planned Features	390
Total Planned Story Points	1,170 SP
Budget per Story Point	~$577.78/SP

📁 Scope Breakdown by Product Area

The scope breakdown across product areas reflects a balanced distribution of effort:

Product Area	Planned Features	Avg SP	Total SP
Medication reminders	70	3	210
Emergency alerts	50	3	150
Health tracking	60	3	180
Appointment reminders	40	3	120
Family connectivity	50	3	150
Accessibility & UI	40	3	120
Onboarding	30	3	90
Nutrition tools	20	3	60
Event storage	15	3	45
Analytics & telemetry	15	3	45
Total	390	—	1,170 SP

🎯 Most Valuable Product (MVP) Features Delivered

The project's MVP features—medication reminders, emergency alerts, basic health tracking, appointment scheduling, family connectivity, and accessibility settings—have already been delivered. This early progress ensures that the most critical outcomes are validated early, reducing risk and strengthening stakeholder confidence.

Medication reminders (voice‑enabled)
Emergency contact & alerts
Basic health tracking (voice-enabled)
Appointment reminders & calendar sync
Basic family connectivity
Accessibility settings

📅 High‑Level Sprint Plan

Sprint Range	Focus
Sprint 0	Setup, CI/CD, prototypes
Sprints 1–6	130 features delivered; early UAT cohorts
Sprints 7–14	Core flows, connectivity, accessibility polish
Sprints 15–18	Integration, performance, accessibility hardening
Sprints 19–20	Final UAT, fixes, release prep

✅Definition of Done (DoD)

Every story accepted into Done must meet all the following:

Code complete and peer reviewed.
Unit tests passing and automated.
Integration tests passing in (CI) Continuous Integration.
Accessibility checks (contrast, font size, screen reader basics) passed.
Small cohort validation (sprint‑level user check) completed with no critical blockers.
Documentation updated (user help, release notes).
Deployed to staging environment (CD) Continuous Delivery.

📊 Progress to Date (Month 3)

After 13 weeks—equivalent to 6.5 sprints, the team delivered 130 features, totaling 390 story points. This represents roughly one‑third of the total planned work. The project remains aligned with its schedule and budget expectations, and early user feedback has validated the importance of core features such as medication reminders, emergency alerts, basic health tracking, and accessibility settings.

Metric	Value
Weeks elapsed	13
Sprints completed	6.5
Features delivered	130
Story Points completed	390 SP
% of total SP delivered	33%
Budget used	~$225,000 (approx.)

Integrated Scope Update

Development 1: The voice-enabled feature was limited to essential app functions due to budget and schedule constraints, deviating from the product owner’s original vision.

Development 2: The team’s plan to test with 250 senior users added four weeks and used the entire 20% contingency reserve.

Development 3: The sponsor moved the next client project up by three months, increasing pressure on the team’s bandwidth, focus, and transition timeline.

Development 4: With a clearer scope definition, the team has updated its estimates, established schedule and budget baselines, and implemented a system to measure progress, prompting the sponsor to request a three-month status report.

The Role of Metrics in Value Delivery

A strong measurement system increases the likelihood of project success—but only when the data reflects what matters to stakeholders. PMI defines three layers of performance measurement that help teams move from raw data to meaningful insight:

1. Work Performance Data — captures the raw facts: hours spent, features delivered, story points completed, and UAT tests executed. Example:

○ 1 month = 4.33 weeks; 9 months = 39 weeks; month 3 = 13 weeks.

○ Team throughput = 10 features/week.

○ Planned total features = 39 weeks × 10 = 390 features.

○ Features delivered to date = 13 weeks × 10 = 130 features.

○ Budget at Completion (BAC) = $675,000 (includes contingency).

○ Contingency = 20% of BAC = $135,000; this has been consumed by UAT.

○ UAT cost = $135,000 and schedule impact = +4 weeks.

○ Assume baseline spending was linear with schedule (for PV calculation).

2. Work Performance Information — Interprets the data, revealing variances, trends, risks, and forecasts.

Example: Assumptions used for calculations

Planned Value (PV) budgeted cost of work scheduled at 3 months:

Earned Value (EV) — budgeted cost of work performed (based on features delivered):

Actual Cost (AC) — actual money spent to date:

Baseline spending to date (assumed equal to PV) plus UAT contingency draw:

· Schedule Variance (SV):

· Cost Variance (CV):

· Cost Performance Index (CPI):

· Schedule Performance Index (SPI):

· Estimate at Completion (EAC) (typical formula using CPI):

· Estimate to Complete (ETC):

3. Work Performance Reports — communicate insights to stakeholders, enabling informed decisions, governance, and early issue resolution.

EVM snapshot (used for charts): PV = $225,000; EV = $225,000; AC = $360,000; SV = $0; CV = -$135,000; CPI ≈ 0.625; SPI = 1.0; EAC ≈ $1,080,000.

Interpretation: The project is delivering on schedule (SPI = 1.0) but is significantly over budget (CPI = 0.625). If current cost performance continues, the forecasted total cost is $1.08M, implying a funding gap of $405,000 relative to BAC. This is driven primarily by the unplanned UAT expense that exhausted contingency. Using SPs ties effort and value to relative sizing, enables reliable velocity measurement, and supports EVM mapping to budget.

Other cost drivers (not emphasized on this project) may include labor, materials and supplies, hardware, licensing fees, workspace needs, direct team expenses, and miscellaneous project costs.

Recommended Actions:

Stakeholders value clear, logical reports that support informed decisions, but they also expect those reports to be solution oriented. A project manager should not only summarize project status, issues, and risks, but also provide practical recommendations. Reports that pair accurate insight with clear next steps build stakeholder trust, reduce decision-making effort, and enable faster action and feedback.

These are the recommendations based on the current project status:

· Re-baseline and get sponsor approval - Present updated baseline (MVP, sprint plan, phased UAT, budget per SP) and request formal approval for scope tradeoffs or additional funding to cover the remaining Budget at Completion (BAC).

· Phase UAT and reduce large‑cohort cost – Move more validation into sprint cohorts; reduce the size/cost of the final cohort. Negotiate cost sharing with partners (senior centers, health orgs).

· Protect MVP value - Defer non-MVP features to post-MVP release; keep voice-enabled features for highest-impact flows.

· Plan transition sprints - Reserve 1–2 sprints for knowledge transfer and handoff to mitigate sponsor’s schedule change.

· Invest in automation - Increase CI/CD and automated accessibility tests to reduce manual UAT rework and cost.

Metrics help teams stay on track, but metrics alone do not prove value. Stakeholder‑perceived value emerges only when project activities align with what stakeholders care about most. A project can be on schedule and under budget yet still fail if the outcome does not meet stakeholder expectations.

The M.O.R.E. Framework reinforces this truth by requiring project teams to look beyond internal performance measures and assess external impact. Managing expectations, owning success, reassessing relentlessly, and expanding perspective help teams keep stakeholder-perceived value at the center of every decision.

Tools That Support Value-Based Measurement System

Several project management tools help teams measure success, control delivery, and connect progress to stakeholder value:

· Change Log: Tracks approved, pending, and rejected changes so the team can manage scope and understand how changes affect value delivery.

· RACI Chart: Clarifies who is responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed for key decisions, deliverables, and value outcomes.

· Issue Log: Documents issues that may affect project outcomes, assigns ownership, tracks resolution, and records impact.

· Communication Log: Captures major communications, meeting notes, stakeholder updates, and status reports to maintain alignment and transparency.

· Benefits Realization Management: Defines, tracks, and verifies targeted benefits throughout implementation and after completion to confirm strategic value.

· Requirements Traceability Matrix: Links requirements from definition through design, development, testing, and delivery so nothing critical is missed.

· Kanban Board: Visualizes workflow across stages such as To Do, In Progress, Testing, and Done, helping the team reduce work in progress and improve flow.

· Risk Register: Identifies, assesses, monitors, and manages risks so mitigation actions remain visible throughout the project.

· Quality tool: Statistical sampling, Checklist, Quality Audit, Fishbone (Cause & effect) diagram.

· Review Delivery Method Measurement Comparison table above.

Predicting Success Through PMI’s Performance Themes

PMI’s Maximizing Project Success report defines performance themes as broad measurement categories that help teams clarify success early and design a project-specific measurement system. PMI identifies several themes that consistently predict project success across industries and delivery methods, with sustainability and social impact ranked highest because projects that deliver measurable social benefit are more likely to be seen as worth the investment. Other themes include:

Customer Satisfaction
Quality & requirements achievement
Employee experience
Safety & risk intelligence

Senior’s Life aligns strongly with these themes because its purpose is social value — supporting dignity, independence, and safety for aging citizens. In the M.O.R.E. Framework, defining this value early is not idealism; it is a practical strategy for achieving measurable success.

Improving the Chances of Success through Performance Levers

PMI’s Maximizing Project Success report defines Performance Levers as the actions, capabilities, and conditions that improve the likelihood of project success. PMI identifies more than 50 levers that strengthen outcomes, including project team resilience, an engaged sponsor, clear requirements, effective schedule and roadmap management, ongoing monitoring and delivery feedback, customer value alignment, strategic alignment, fit-for-purpose tools, organizational support, project manager influence, and project manager acumen. This table shows the performance levers that align with the implementation of Senior Life Mobile Application project.

#	PMI Performance Lever	Why It Aligns with the Senior’s Life Mobile Application Project
1	Focus on delivering customer value	The project is centered on senior users’ needs—voice-enabled medication reminders, emergency alerts, accessibility features, and simple navigation. Every sprint includes UAT with seniors to validate real-world value.
2	Well‑established performance measurement system to align and guide decisions	The team uses story points, sprint cadence, throughput metrics, baseline tracking, and UAT feedback loops. These systems ensure decisions are based on measurable progress and stakeholder value.
3	Clear and well‑defined project goals and objectives	MVP features are clearly defined and tied to stakeholder-perceived value. The scope breakdown (390 features, 1,170 SP) provides measurable, structured objectives aligned with senior needs.
4	Effective resource management	With a fixed budget, fixed schedule, and a team of six developers, resource allocation is critical. Throughput planning (10 features/week) demonstrates disciplined resource management.
5	Agility/flexibility in the approach to the project	Although the project has a fixed plan, the team uses agile principles—incremental delivery, sprint cycles, continuous feedback, and iterative refinement—allowing rapid learning and adaptation.
6	Well‑managed stakeholder/customer expectations	Stakeholders include seniors, caregivers, product owners, sponsors, and business teams. The project manager balances expectations around voice activation, login simplification, and UAT expansion through structured communication.
7	Effective management of project quality	Quality is maintained through continuous testing, sprint-based UAT, integration testing, accessibility hardening, and final UAT cycles. This ensures features meet senior users’ functional and accessibility needs.
8	Alignment of major stakeholders	The project aligns diverse stakeholders—seniors, caregivers, product owners, sponsors, business units, and release teams—around the shared goal of delivering safety, independence, and usability.
9	Effective communication and coordination among related parties	Coordination is required between developers, testers, caregivers, senior users, product owners, and release teams. Regular sprint reviews and UAT feedback loops strengthen communication and alignment.
10	Organizational commitment to project success	The sponsor and business team support the project because its success enhances organizational credibility and future client work. This commitment is a major performance lever driving project momentum.

Not every project needs every lever. The M.O.R.E.-aligned project manager must identify the levers most relevant to the project’s context, stakeholders, and strategic goals. When organizations and project managers make these choices deliberately and apply them with intention, they greatly improve the likelihood of delivering outcomes stakeholders see as lasting and valuable.

“The M.O.R.E.‑aligned project manager selects the levers most relevant to the project’s context and applies them intentionally.”

The Responsibility of the Project Manager and Team

Delivering stakeholder‑perceived value requires discipline, collaboration, and continuous alignment. Project teams must define success criteria upfront, not after planning is complete. They must establish measurement systems that inform decisions throughout the lifecycle, monitor performance consistently, and integrate risk assessment as a continuous practice.

PMI’s Power Skills—communication, leadership, empathy, and collaborative problem-solving—are essential to turning technical delivery into meaningful outcomes. A project manager may understand the schedule, but without the ability to read stakeholder dynamics, trust can quickly erode when execution becomes difficult. Leaders who communicate clearly, listen actively, and engage stakeholders meaningfully are better positioned to shape stakeholder-perceived value. To measure success effectively when delivering that value, the project manager and team must:

Defining success criteria collaboratively
Establishing robust measurement systems
Monitoring performance with discipline
Integrating continuous risk assessment
Practicing PMI’s Power Skills: communication, leadership, empathy, and collaboration

These skills transform technical delivery into meaningful outcomes. They are not optional, they are essential.

The Responsibility of Executives and Senior Leaders

Executives and senior leaders share responsibility for project success. When project managers are included early in strategic planning, they can align delivery with organizational intent and stakeholder expectations. High‑performing organizations treat value delivery as a shared accountability—from the C‑suite to delivery teams.

The M.O.R.E. Framework is not only a project manager's tool; it is an organizational mindset. When embraced at every level, it makes project success more consistent and achievable.

Conclusion

Measuring success in modern project management requires more than tracking tasks—it requires understanding what stakeholders value and aligning delivery to those expectations. The M.O.R.E. Framework provides a practical, human‑centered approach to defining and delivering success through stakeholder‑perceived value. When project teams measure what matters, reassess continuously, and expand their perspective beyond the triple constraints, they increase the likelihood of delivering outcomes that are meaningful, sustainable, and worth the investment.

This is the future of project success—and the path forward for project managers committed to delivering real value.

Key Takeaways

● Success is measured by stakeholder-perceived value — not just scope, schedule, and budget.

● M.O.R.E.-aligned metrics focus on impact, not just task completion.

● Measurement systems must be established clearly and upfront, not retroactively.

● Continuous reassessment through sprint-level feedback and Definition of Done criteria keeps value delivery on track.

● Expanding perspective connects project outcomes to broader social and organizational impact.

References

Project Management Institute. (2021). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) and the Standard for Project Management (7th ed.). Project Management Institute.
Project Management Institute. (2021). A system for value delivery. In PMBOK® Guide (7th ed.). Project Management Institute.
Project Management Institute. (2024). Maximizing Project Success: Elevating the Impact of the Profession. Elevating the Impact on our World. Project Management Institute.
Project Management Institute. (2022). Pulse of the Profession: Delivering value in a transforming world. Project Management Institute.
Project Management Institute. (2023). PMI Talent Triangle®: Power Skills for Modern Project Leaders. Project Management Institute.

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