People, Process, and Adaptation: The Mediating Role of Hybrid Project Management in the Success of Public Vocational Training Projects
Evidence from NAVTTC Skill-Development Projects in Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54938/ijemdss.2026.05.5.817Keywords:
critical success factors, project success, hybrid project management, mediation, psychological safety, vocational training, PakistanAbstract
In developing economies, public vocational training projects are often overspending and overscheduled, but the success criteria proven in private sector and western contexts do not necessarily apply to public agencies. In this study, the critical success factors (CSFs) that impact on the success of projects undertaken by the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) of Pakistan are identified and the impact of the project management approach (PMA) is tested between the identified CSFs. Five CSFs (team capability, customer (trainee) involvement, training and learning culture, psychological safety, and data quality and model validation) were measured, and PMA was included with a multi-dimensional measure of project success, in a cross-sectional survey of 185 NAVTTC project professionals. Data was analysed using SPSS for reliability analysis, Pearson correlations and Hayes' PROCESS (Model 4) mediation with bootstrapped confidence intervals. Data quality was the strongest single correlate with project success (r = 0.72, p < .01), while the other four CSFs were also all strongly and positively correlated with project success (r = 0.64–0.71, p < .01). PMA partially mediated every CSF–success relationship, carrying 39–54% of each total effect while significant direct effects remained. Ninety-three percent of respondents reported hybrid practices, and the combined model explained roughly 75% of the variance in success. The study takes CSF theory to an under-researched public vocational context, places adaptive project management at the core of the process linking human and technical factors to the delivered outcomes, and provides quantitative evidence for the agility of hybrid beyond the IT industry.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ezza Kainat Malik, Mohammad Ali
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