Identifying critical success factors and risks in the academic course development process through the application of project management methodology

Improving the educational process through evaluation requires adopting new concepts and approaches. In addition to the traditional methodologies applied in this field, such as observation or surveys, business methods are increasingly being implemented, including the Deming cycle or selected elements of project management methodologies. Their application allows for a holistic and unbiased view of the quality of teaching and learning. This article aims to illustrate and evaluate the usefulness of project management methodologies in identifying Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and risks in creating and evaluating academic courses. The subject of the research was the course “Creativity and Decision-making”, and the main method of the research, which was conducted in four cycles from 2020 to 2023, was the Deming cycle (PDCA). Data collection was based on data triangulation, including unstructured interviews with students and experts, as well as participant observation. Content analysis with a categorisation key was used to analyse the data, with the results presenting lists of extracted critical success and risk factors determining the quality of the course. The implemented procedure represents an innovative approach to the evaluation of academic courses, at the core of which is the creation and updating of two substantively opposing lists: the determinants of learning successes and failures constituting of a map of strategic control points, and a basis for the improvement of the educational process.