Why are so many articles directed at project failure?  Shouldn’t we be writing more about successes?  Here’s the deal… most projects fail to some degree or another.  The reports vary somewhat, but if you check around you’ll find that various studies put the IT project failure rate somewhere between 62% and 75% depending on which study you look at.



If we just focus on what makes a good project, we’ll be stepping outside of reality and that’s not going to help the new project managers entering the field.  It isn’t going to help those of us experiencing frequent project failure either.



So what do we do?  Dwell on project failures?  No, but we try to learn as much as we can from them so that history doesn’t repeat itself.   That’s what I call ‘making the most of a bad situation.’



As I see it, there are two things we CAN do.  Look at some of the reasons why projects frequently fail.  And make sure we incorporate lessons learned into the project management process.  First, let’s look at why projects fail…



Lack of communication. I believe that communication is both the most important responsibility of the project manager and the biggest reason for project failures.  It’s the most critical piece of the project management puzzle and it’s something that many of us struggle to do well.  As a project manager, you must be ready to be the focal point of communication for your project and carry that task out well.



Poor project planning. If not enough time is spent up front in planning the project and getting a good schedule and the proper documents in place as well as mapping out the resource usage and the budget, then the project can get into trouble quickly.  Plan well up front and you set a positive and productive course for your project for the rest of its life cycle.  And remember, it will never be cheaper and you’ll never have more time to do the right project planning later on in the project.  Do it up front or your project may be doomed before it is even started.



Poor requirements. This is definitely linked to project planning.  Whether your project team is helping the customer with all of the requirements definition or if the customer has come to you with detailed requirements, they still need to be reviewed in great detail because missed requirements or poorly documented requirements end up costing the project budget infinitely more dollars down the road in re-work than it requires to just verify and drill down to more detailed requirements up front on the project.  Do it right the first time and you’ll greatly lessen the risk of having a project that gets halted when funds run out or the customer is just too frustrated to move on.



Weak leadership. Weak project leadership – meaning a project manager who can’t run a project well – is another major contributor to project failures.  The project manager must be a great communicator, a strong leader, an organized project professional, and have the dedication and stubbornness to make good decisions and stick to them.  If too many of these characteristics are lacking, the project may flounder or completely fail.



Lessons Learned