Project failure can be subjective and may vary depending on the specific circumstances and criteria established at the project’s outset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the failure rate of IT projects?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
According to PMI\u2019s survey Pulse of the Profession conducted among organisations across the world over a span of 12 months:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 15% of all initiated projects were deemed failures,<\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\n 31% of completed projects didn\u2019t meet the original goals and business intent,<\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\n 43% of completed projects exceeded their initial budgets.<\/p><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n The reasons behind these situations may be both external and internal.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n External reasons<\/strong> are usually dependent on the ever-changing environment and they can affect some or all of the organisation\u2019s priorities. This, in turn, forces project objectives to change and adapt.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n Internal reasons<\/strong> on the other hand, are mostly associated with poor project management<\/a> \u2013 and this will be the main focus of this article, as project management is definitely something that is well within a company\u2019s reach, especially in terms of preventing a project from failing. <\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n Various surveys, researches and analyses of the reasons of IT project failures will all produce slightly different outcomes, but they will also share some common ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We can easily identify six of the most common causes of IT project failure.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Good collaboration and leadership are not possible without good communication<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the latter is very often fragmented, ineffective, taking place in a number of different places: via email, on the phone, in company chats, and in person. It may become chaotic, the procedures may be either unclear or nonexistent, and not all interested persons are always included in the conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a result, the entire project delivery is hindered and lacks effectiveness and clarity regarding project goals and requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Strategic Doing in IT project management<\/a><\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\n How to transfer a project to the support & maintenance team: best practices<\/a><\/p><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n Did you know that correcting errors and bugs in a launched project can consume up to 200 times more money than it would have if these were fixed before launching it in the first place?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without a thoroughly run phase to gather all initial requirements it\u2019s almost impossible to adequately define the scope of work for a project, <\/strong>estimate essential resources<\/strong><\/a> or even prepare a preliminary road map.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This causes a lot of reworking, blown budgets, and wasted time and frustration, which all leads directly to failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not only opportunities that count. Before starting any project, you also need to identify as many risks as possible, measure them, and then keep a close eye on them throughout project development.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Oftentimes, it\u2019s not about how big<\/em> the risk is, but what you know<\/em> about it so that you are totally aware of what\u2019s at stake and what price you may have to pay. The most dangerous threat to success is always unknown and, therefore, unpredictable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Smart risk management (or comprehensive roadmap for product development<\/a>) is the fundamental part of the successful project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Change is actually not a bad thing; in fact, it\u2019s a vital and inevitable part of any project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s only a matter of how you handle it and how much flexibility you can respond with whenever a shift occurs. This may pertain to basically anything: project requirements, current priorities, goals\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Poor change management conducted by inexperienced project managers can cast a shadow on one\u2019s ability to effectively run a project, causing work to halt and come to a sudden standstill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having clear procedures in place can save loads of time in IT project development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, it\u2019s not that common and team members often end up wasting their precious time trying to reinvent the wheel and thinking about how to solve problems that have already been solved.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Plus, when the simplest (though often time-consuming) recurring processes are not automated, this may delay the project further and even push it to the point of failure, as it significantly undermines project’s success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a mindset-related problem which usually comes from a lack of knowledge, overinflated ego, and poor soft skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Poor leadership combined with unrealistic expectations from a project manager, investors or stakeholders can lead straight to a disaster<\/strong> \u2013 and often sooner rather than later \u2013 as these are characteristics that leave little to no room for data-based actions and reasonable interpersonal cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lack of clear direction, vision, and decision-making can create confusion among project team members.<\/strong> Strong leadership is essential for guiding the project team, resolving conflicts, keeping the project on track and avoiding future project failures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s one thing that has to be stated outright: there\u2019s simply no such thing as a 100% surefire way to keep failure away. Your future success depends on too many factors you just don\u2019t have any control over, like economic trends, big industry changes, cutting-edge technology in software development<\/a> or moves that your competitors make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, you can increase your chances of success by simply:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n incorporating an adequate and consistent project management methodology <\/strong>(we believe in operational agility<\/a>, but there are also many other approaches, for example, the waterfall approach \u2013 each method has its own pros and cons);<\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\n hiring trained and experienced project managers with proactive approaches.<\/strong> These professionals are able to handle stakeholder requirements, manage project goals or complex tasks, set priorities and make the most of the team that they work with;<\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\n leveraging data analyses and progress tracking tools, <\/strong>which will help you stay open-minded and focus on continuous improvement.<\/p><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n You either have to adopt this general mindset from within your company or cooperate with an experienced IT partner who has a profound understanding of the importance of good project management techniques.<\/p> This way, you can flawlessly move through every stage: from gathering project requirements and initial planning to product development and deployment.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n Although it’s not easy, saving a failing IT project is possible. <\/strong>It requires a strategic and systematic approach to address underlying issues, re-align project goals, and regain control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you attempt to rescue a failing IT project consider conducting a project assessment, engaging stakeholders, realigning projects goals and objectives, developing a recovery plan and implementing agile project management<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
6 management-related causes of IT Project failure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Poor communication and collaboration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Here you can read more about the importance of communication in team building and project management:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
2. Inaccurate gathering of requirements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Unidentified risks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Poor management of changes and lack of flexibility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Lack of clear procedures and automation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
6. Poor project management leadership and unrealistic expectations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to prevent your IT Projects from failing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Future](\"https:\/\/www.future-processing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/how-we-deliver-communication_en.jpg\")
How to save a failing IT Project?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n