Frank WintersPhotographer and ConservationistSandwich, Ma, United States
In your experience, what are the primary causes of project failure? I have my personal top ten list, what's yours? In particular, what can be done to improve the abysmal success rate of IT projects? If we solve this conundrum, let's move on to world peace! Saving Changes...
I strongly dislike the term 'cradle-to-grave' - I don't know why, it just rubs me the wrong way. Does anyone know where it originated? What's wrong with end-to-end or beginning-to-end?
Just sounding off.. Saving Changes...
Frank WintersPhotographer and ConservationistSandwich, Ma, United States
Cindy,
Its probably the "grave" part especially associated with a cradle! -- it is a pretty rough term. We need another one to replace it, for sure. Ideas anyone?
Cheers,
Frank Saving Changes...
Darrell MarkhamSr. IT Project Manager| Tyler TechnologiesBrentwood, Ca, United States
It sounds like something that came from either the military or General Electric (they handle both ends and almost everything in between - grin). The latest phase I have heard being used is Lifecycle. Darrell Saving Changes...
Hi, just a comments to the "10" reasons for project to fail. The 10 reasons in the list are all related or pointing towards the PM. I just want to point out, that it is not always the PM's lack of ability, but also the organization structure behind. If other PM's are using the same resources for other project, then it will quickly become a fight between PM's for the resources, if not organized and managed properbly, and may the strongest win. Another situation, you are the lucky winner of a cross functional project and in the project board, to senior VP's with 2 different opinions of how this should be done are fighting a battle to have the other take the heavy resource load to thier domain. These were merely just 2 other reasons for a project to fail. Lack of resources and a wrong constalation of people in the project. Saving Changes...
Frank WintersPhotographer and ConservationistSandwich, Ma, United States
Hi Claus -- thanks for your comments -- I think you are correct in stating that there are more reasons for failure than the ten in the series! But I take exception to the comment about all the reasons pointing to the PM.
For example reason # 3 -- "Poor Leadership and any and all levels" points to the quality of leadership throughout the organization. The two about misalignment are my attempts to address the culture needed to support projects. Many times failures are caused by other factors than simply an inexperienced or poorly trained PM -- not all are to be put at the PM’s doorstep.
But I still maintain that the PM is the most critical factor. This is probably a controversial position to take, but its mine and I’m sticking to it!
You point out that the team is of critical importance; I agree. My advice is don't manage projects that are not adequately staffed, if you can avoid it. And -- estimate with the actual team that will do the work upper most in your mind. There is a vast potential for differentiation among differing teams -- it is the PM and her/his team that in the end makes project work feasible.
It’s been fun writing about the causes of project failure. Some day maybe I'll tackle a more difficult subject -- like the causes of success, for example!
Hi Frank,
I enjoyed the series very much. Thank you. Of course, there are plenty of reasons why projects fail. However, I am sure many of us have these experiences where technical people become accidental project managers; selected on the basis of their technical expertise. They are expected to deliver the outcomes without any formal management or project management training. There has to be a radical mindset shift on the part of senior management that project management is more than just showing the gantt charts on powerpoint slides during progress meetings. The challenge for project management today is that needs to be understood not juz by the practitioners but all stakeholders. This would probably help improve the chances of success. Cheers, Terence. Saving Changes...
Frank WintersPhotographer and ConservationistSandwich, Ma, United States
Hello Terence, Thanks so much for expressing your enjoyment of the series, I appreciate hearing such kind words. I agree with you that senior management does not understand project management. In fact they generally don't know good advice when they hear it so any potential remedy is not easily applied. The techie who gets promoted is a victim of the Peter Principle -- roughly "In large organizations people tend to get promoted to their level of incompetence." Of course this is a little unfair because the techie in this case might have been fine at higher levels of technical responsibility but when promoted to PM is actually lifted from a domain of comfort into one he or she is ill prepared for. This is just poor management pure and simple. Unfortunately the burden rests with the PM (again!) it is important for career and sanity protection that when offered a promotion to PM the individual must consider -- "am I personally qualified to take on this responsibility? Do the managers promoting me plan to give me the training and support that the position requires? Is the organization supportive of the PM function or is it an impossible task in our organization?" Not every promotion is good news! Thanks for reading and commenting. Best regards, Frank Saving Changes...
I am doing a thesis at the moment that is attempring to link stakeholder management and communications management as the key reasons for IT project failure. I am keen to get IT managers/project managers to participate in my study and have developed a questionnaire that I would like to get out to as many people as possible. If you are interested in participating (results will be sent to all participants) please fill in and return the attached file. Saving Changes...
This is a VERY simple question to answer. THE #1 reason most projects fail is a BADLY initiated project reflected in a woefully inadequate Project Charter, which sets in motion most of the bad decisions that follow that are equally the result of incompetence by those involved.
Think about it, friends. The best plans cannot possibly insulate the project from the needless and usually unidentified bad decisions that are rooted in bad decisions that were the basis for the plans in the first place. Bottom line: incompetent practice by unprofessional people assigned the role of project management, but not qualified to perform the role correctly, which only leads inevitibly to the usual result of projects that fail if the definition of failure is not managing projects that perform as planned with constant and ridiculously mismanaged variations from the baselines setup as the frame of reference against which perfomance is measured and execution is pursued.
Want projects to succeed? Let a professional manage them! Otherwise, except the alternative consequence with complaint! Saving Changes...
This does seem to be a question that can be answered simply...in fact, there seem to be dozens of perfectly legitimate, supportable, honestly simple answers! Poor quality of the PM, requirements, charter, staff, etc. are all strong cases for project failure, and it seems there is no shortage of other reasons. It makes me wonder if we're asking the wrong question. We can all identify causes of project failure, but are there specific things that cause project success? Can the World's Greatest PM overcome the World's Worst Requirements? Can a superior project charter overcome meddlesome Top Management? For the projects that succeed, what's driving their success? Maybe this is a topic for another discussion, but I thought it might be worth considering. Saving Changes...
