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  • Writer's pictureHoor Sheraz

Top reasons “Why IT Projects FAIL”

Updated: May 29, 2023


Common reasons include:

  • Lack of commitment from the management.

  • Cost-saving Techniques.

  • Inadequate Planning.

  • Choice of Technologies.

  • Lack of Control Over Scope Creep.

  • Overly-optimistic Project Staffing Issues with the Project Schedule.

Lack of commitment from the management


Occasionally, management will-fully abdicates all responsibility for IT initiatives to the technical team because they believe they lack the necessary IT knowledge of the management's lack of interest as a result of this way of thinking, the technical team is given more latitude in making judgements.


What's tricky in this? Since technical teams often have a poor understanding of commercial objectives, they may unknowingly work against those objectives when given the flexibility to make decisions on their own.

The management must give IT projects the proper attention and get regular project status reports from the team. If your technical team can't explain what they're doing, they might not be doing it correctly.


Cost-saving Techniques


When it comes to spending, every firm wants to save money. It feels fantastic, but it might end up costing you more if you use a cost-cutting strategy to your IT initiatives. Inadequate and limited finances for your initiatives will result in the hiring of significantly less experienced resources. Initially underfunded initiatives are delivered late, beyond budget, and frequently lack features or have quality difficulties. The lesson is straightforward. Set aside enough money to hire the proper individuals for the project. Budget for hiring all resources needed for the success of IT initiatives. IT projects require more than just developers; you also need business analysts, testers, and a project manager.


Inadequate Planning


Many IT initiatives are launched without a clear grasp of the scope and expected outcome. Any project would fail if the goals were unclear and everything was handled haphazardly so always REMEMBER that a successful project does not just mean "delivery of the final software product," but also generating the intended project outcome within the time frame and budget constraints. Inadequate planning causes various issues with the project, including:

  1. When the scope and goal are unclear.

  2. Uncertainty about duties and responsibilities.

  3. Inefficient resource utilisation Unavailability of resources.


Choice of Technologies


Why are so many large business IT projects failing?


Major reasons:

It's because:
  • Businesses lack the requisite talent.

  • CEOs fail to support large-scale technology initiatives.

  • Most business cultures are anti-technology, despite rhetoric to the contrary.

Not because:
  • Companies are unable to describe the challenges they are attempting to tackle.

  • Companies are unable to define the appropriate requirements, control scope creep.

  • Companies are unable to manage project.


Lack of control over scope creep


What's the Deal with Scope Creep?

Scope creep is a terrible thing that may happen on every project, squandering money, lowering satisfaction, and causing the projected project value to not be realised. Most projects appear to suffer from scope creep, and both project teams and stakeholders are frequently upset by it. Why does an effective method of managing scope appear to evade us?


What project professionals (project managers and business analysts) can do about the most typical causes of scope creep. Problems and their symptoms are provided from the perspective of a project sponsor, while remedies are presented from the perspective of the project team. This one-of-a-kind combo gives participants with fresh insights and approaches to scope control that can be used to any type or size of project.


Scope creep: Adding additional features or functions of a new product, requirements, or work that is not authorised (i.e., beyond the agreed-upon scope).


Change on projects is unavoidable as is the Danger of scope creep. Perhaps this is why managing scope creep is so difficult.


Scope creep occurs just as a result of changing needs.

The crucial factor is whether or not the alterations are authorised.

Scope creep does not occur if an increase of scope is approved.


How Does Scope Creep Happen?

On a project, scope creep can occur in a variety of ways. Sponsor executives typically may not want to be engaged in every decision. As a result, project teams create them. Because some change requests are or appear to be minor, project teams act on them rather than following a formal change management procedure. A rigid or time-consuming change control mechanism may also lead to unauthorised scope expansions.


The project team may seek to surpass expectations and give "more value" by introducing unrequested functionality for a variety of reasons.


Overly-optimistic Project Schedule

We've all been in a position when a manager or leader makes a commitment to a customer and imposes a deadline for the project. There might be a variety of causes for this. For example, the employer believes that the project should be done by a specific date, or the customer wishes to enjoy his vacation and desires that the job be completed before that date.


To fulfil arbitrary deadlines, project managers create excessively optimistic timetables. An excessively ambitious schedule puts enormous strain on the team and is despised by the team members. Team members may go above and above to accomplish their deliveries on time, but any delay in one item has a negative impact on the others. As a result, such a timeline drives the project towards project monitoring and control issues.

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