Despite huge advances in the Project Management the metrics surrounding project failure has been disturbing for decades .What could be the prime causes of project failure?Please share your experience. Saving Changes...
The response through above posts has been encouraging,however,sharing of personal experience,as PM or stakeholders, on past or current Projects will provide good leads to the Project failure -Causes and remedies. Saving Changes...
James DonIT Assurance and Delivery| Academic Researcher & ConsultantUnited Kingdom
I am currently doing a global research into root causes of project failure. I think the prime causes of project failure is based on several key interdependent factors that have a material impact on one another.
The following are the 14 key areas that can contribute to project failure if not properly managed and addressed during the life-cycle of a project.
Project Mission/Objectives
Requirements
User Involvement
Technical Expertise
Planning
Schedule
Budget
Scope
Technology
Leadership
Communication
Monitoring & Control
Risk Management
Project Management
By the way, you are welcome to help complete the research survey material below on the above topic and I'll share the results of the statistical analysis afterwards
The prime causes of project failure differ from an industry to another. For instance, in government projects (non-profit organizations), communications and stakeholders management are the primary areas that need more focus to increase the project success where overlooking them increases the project failure. In some industry (i.e. telecommunications), cost, quality management is the primary factors to the project success. Saving Changes...
Bob PatrinoConsultant/Senior Technical Project Manager| TamazariNewport, KY, United States
In my experience the primary reason for projects not meeting objectives is because the objectives were never clearly defined. If you don't ask this simple question, "what does success look like?" then you will never achieve it. We tend to get all wrapped up in process, methodology, the ways we will measure variances, etc. All the hard skills and none of the soft skills. Saving Changes...
Each prpject failure has its own story and it depends on industry and project type. I agree with Bob's comment.
To add some thoughts on project failure roots from my experience:
- No expectation management
- Organisational change management not in place / fully under-estimated
- Contract and project needs not aligned
- Missing training and preparation of people from line management joining project environment
- Missing early visualisation of project results / end-users do not understand what they really get (too much emphasis on paper stuff)
- and yes, communication and underestimatation of the importance that projects are done by people working together (see Bob's comment) Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
There are not project failures in general. There are "bad" metrics to measure project success. I have debate this for years. When you analyze the metrics to determine if a project fails or not you will see that the used metrics are related to the product not the project. Saving Changes...
Bob PatrinoConsultant/Senior Technical Project Manager| TamazariNewport, KY, United States
I have never seen a project fail because of bad metrics. I have seen projects on the brink of failure because they were measuring the wrong things. Houses don't fall because the carpenter used the wrong size hammer. Metrics are merely tools. Saving Changes...
