Abstract Traditionally, a project should deliver agreed upon functionality on time and within budget. This study examines the mindset of software development project managers in regard to how they ‘define’ a successful project in order to arrive at a richer perspective of ‘success’ from the perspective of project managers. Senior management and members of the development team can gain a better understanding of the perspective of project managers regarding some of the aspects of their work and the project as a whole. Such understanding can facilitate better communication and cooperation among these groups. We investigated components of the developed system (project) in terms of some of the aspects of the delivered system (outcome/project) in order to place traditional measures of success in context with other organizational/managerial measures that have been suggested in the literature. We also investigated specific work-related items. These items have potential implications for the intrinsic motivation of the project manager. The consensus among the project managers who participated in our study indicated that delivering a system that meets customer/user requirements and works as intended through work that provides a sense quality and personal achievement are important aspects that lead to a project being considered a success.