William WiliamsProject Manager| W3src ConsultingCanyon, Tx, United States
Much time and attention is given to top ten lists and iterative discussions abound on the subject, "Why do Projects Fail?"
Studies of failure have a certain utility and disaster stories make for popular reading, however studies of success may offer a road map--a positive direction. Avoiding pitfalls is one thing, in other words, but nothing beats knowing the right path.
So, let's turn the question around: Why do Projects Succeed? Saving Changes...
You may want to check Paul Naybour's post on the "Why do projects fail" discussion.
He suggests:
1) Outstanding vision and business case (it was a really good idea)
2) Fantastic leadership linked to the vision
3) Simple governance structure i.e. one person is the driving force..
4) Focus on quality (above time). Many of the projects finish late, but still make a huge return for the organisations investing in them.
I think that's a pretty good start.
I would add:
5) Continuous validation (it wasn't only a really good idea when we started, but it still is) Saving Changes...
Rakesh Mukundray ShahSenior Project Manager| Emids TechnologiesBangalore, Karnataka, India
Plan -> Doing -> Verifying -> Acting leads to Success in Project. Saving Changes...
William WiliamsProject Manager| W3src ConsultingCanyon, Tx, United States
When projects fail and the cause is known, we plan to avoid that specific action/inaction under similar circumstances in the future. Then in our next project, something different goes wrong resulting in failure again despite avoiding the previously determined pitfalls. This process may iterate infinitely. In fact it is iterating all over the world right now.
The five points from Michiel Roosjen are indeed a "pretty good start" in planning for success. However, if all five are well executed, could the project still fail?
I suggest the answer may be, "Yes." What do you think? Saving Changes...
Jerry MulenburgRetired| Mulenburg-QuixoteFairfield, Ca, United States
I think first, you need to clearly define the terms success and failure. The Standish Group does this in the Chaos report but I don't think those are the best definitions. Saving Changes...
