Abstract
Small to medium enterprises are a vital part of the global economy yet have a high rate of failure, especially during the start-up phase. While research has explored the variety of causes which could lead to start-up business failure, very little to no research has been done on potential techniques which could increase the rate of success of start-up businesses. This study aims to be an initial exploration of the possibility that the use of project management techniques could influence the chances that a start-up business could succeed. A comparison of the causes of failure and environments of projects and start-up businesses is used to draw an analogy between the two. This allows for the consideration that start-up businesses could be treated as a special type of project, and that project management techniques could be applied to impact the success of start-up businesses. While success is difficult to quantify and evaluate, in this context it refers to survival of the business to the point of stability...
M.Ing. (Engineering Management)