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After myriad studies into the main causes of project failure, almost every project manager can list the main factors that distinguish between project failure and project success. These factors are usually called Critical Success Factors (CSF). However, despite the fact that CSF are well-known, the rate of failed projects still remains very high. This may be due to the fact that current CSF are too general and don't contain specific enough know-how, to better support project managers' decision making. This paper analyzes the impact of 16 specific planning processes on project success and identifies critical success processes (CSP) that project success is most vulnerable to. Results are based on a field study, which involved 282 project managers. It was found that the most critical planning processes, which have the greatest impact on project success, are "definition of activities to be performed in the project", "schedule development", "organizational planning", "staff acquisition", "communications planning" and "developing a project plan". It was also found that project managers usually do not divide their time effectively among the different processes, following their influence on project success.

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