If I had input into this survey, I probably would have picked #4 for 1st place on the list. In what other order might you have imagined this list to appear? Marlene
Previously appeared November 26, 2008
Author:a guest post from Michael Krigsman of TechRepublic’s sister site ZDNet
A recent study highlighted the top five reasons IT experts who killed a project gave for terminating projects prior to completion. Check out the five reasons.
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/tech-manager/?p=643&tag=nl.e053
A survey of IT experts revealed 43 percent of their organizations had recently killed an IT project. The study, conducted by ISACA, an independent IT governance group, highlighted the top 5 reasons these organizations named for terminating projects prior to completion. Here’s the list, with my commentary on each issue:
1. Business needs changed: 30%
There are many conditions and situations where a business legitimately changes its requirements after starting a project. If the project no longer provides meaningful value, then it’s best to stop throwing good money after bad.
On the other hand, some organizations deliberately obscure a flawed project requirements process by claiming business needs evolved. Obviously, that’s unhealthy and a true sign of failure.
2. Did not deliver as promised: 23%
This is a typical expectation-setting problem: promise anything to get funding and worry about the consequences later. Shortsighted managers don’t realize that funding is less important than delivering substantive value. Failure is inevitable when managers don’t clearly identify and deliver business value.
In some cases, the project really did provide value, which the organization did not recognize due to communication problems. I recently blogged about one CIO seeking a publicist presumably to address this issue:
Many organizations take a CIO for granted when his IT department consistently delivers the goods without fanfare and attention; sadly, this human failing is all too common. In that case, PR might be a great idea, especially if the CIO isn’t a great communicator. Of course, the CIO should improve his communication skills, but that’s another story.



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