Why Big IT Projects Fall Short of Expectations

Why Big IT Projects Fall Short of Expectations

Why Big IT Projects Fall Short of Expectations

By Dennis McCafferty

Why Large IT Projects Fail: Inexperienced Teams

Unseasoned teams often commit to aggressive milestones without a bottom-up plan to support them.

Why Large IT Projects Fail: Lack of Engagement From Key Stakeholders

Without sufficient buy-in from the business side-often due to insufficient clarity about essential project details-teams will struggle to acquire the resources they need.

Why Large IT Projects Fail: Unclear or Complex Requirements

A classic mistake: Pursuing development before all requirements are clearly defined, resulting in “requirement churn” and expensive redefinitions late in the process.

Why Large IT Projects Fail: Insufficient Attention Paid to Major Risks

Poor data quality, for example, can undermine a project. So can extending a project to multiple markets/nations without taking into account differences in processes, languages and regulatory environments.

Why Large IT Projects Fail: Inadequate Testing

When cycles such as development run past schedule, testing often gets shortchanged. This sets the stage for problems when the project goes live, as fixing problems becomes much more costly and difficult.

Best Practices: Break a Project Into Chunks

Reducing efforts into smaller, more piecemeal initiatives makes them more manageable. Try to minimize interdependencies among these ‘mini’ projects in the planning stage.

Best Practices: Get the Right Leadership in Place Early

You should recruit a project director who has experience with the work at hand, and can gain the trust of senior execs organizationwide.

Best Practices: Invest Time Upfront on Definitions

These definitions must clarify scope, business requirements, costs and benefits.

Best Practices: Select Vendors That Have ‘Done This Before’

Vendors with a track record on the project in question will be well familiar with the associated risks, and will be better positioned to deliver on targeted outcomes.

Best Practices: Promote a Culture of Openness

Through transparency, you engage stakeholders who now understand their roles and responsibilities, and are willing to commit to them.