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Case Study of Project Failure

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Case Study of Project Failure
The aim of the failures method

Introduction:
The aim of the Failures Method is to investigate some identified failure to learn what aspects of the situation may have led to the failure occurring. The investigation consists of comparing “ideal” models against the real-life failure situation. This comparison is expected to reveal discrepancies between the two, highlighting areas of concern. These discrepancies can then be interpreted in relation to the failure situation and conclusions can be drawn. (West, 1998) Investigating whether failures can be avoided, or reduced by some degree, is certainly a worthwhile effort. Studies suggest that most IS project disasters are avoidable (Heerkens, 2002). Many times, warning signals occur long before an information systems project has begun to fail. History has shown that software projects are far more likely to be successful if they are highly focused and built upon well-understood technology (Heerkens, 2002). There are many writers who tell us why projects fail. For instance, (Field, 1997) tells us that “projects fail too often because the project scope was not fully appreciated and/or user needs not fully understood.” (Hulme, 1997) tells us that “MIS projects and associated procurements take place in an environment characterized by the following: Lack of management continuity and an incentive system that encourages overly optimistic estimates of the benefits that can be attained from doing the project.” And (Leicht, 1999) tells us that high user expectations can actually be the cause of project failure. (Hoffman, 2003) tells that projects fail because of poor alignment between IT departments and business users. Project managers too often act as “process cops and report compilers and loose sight of what they 're supposed to be doing - to make sure projects are running effectively”. Hodgson (2002). Tells us “projects fail - that 's the fact of life. Too many fail because the average project is like an iceberg -



References: Ackoff, R. L., (1994), It is a Mistake! Systems Practice, Vol 7, pp, 3-7. Anil, Iyer and Thomasson, David., (1991). “An Empirical Investigation of the Use of Content Analysis to Define the Variables Most Prevalent in Project Successes and Failures”, Proceedings of the 1991 PMI Annual Seminar/Symposium. Richard, H., (2003). “eGovernment for Development Success and Failure Rates of eGovernment in Developing/Transitional Countries: Overview” IDPM, University of Manchester, UK. Richard H., (2000). Development Informatics Working Paper Series, Failure, Success and Improvisation of Information Systems Projects in Developing Countries, Published by: Institute for Development Policy and Management, Manchester, UK. Braa, J. and C. Hedberg., (2000). Developing district-based health care information systems. In Information Flows, Local Improvisations and Work Practices, Proceedings of the IFIP WG9.4 Conference 2000, Cape Town, South Africa. Kitiyadisai, K., (2000). The implementation of IT in reengineering the Thai Revenue Department. In Information Flows, Local Improvisations and Work Practices, Cape Town, South Africa. Baark, E. and R. Heeks., (1999). Donor-funded information technology transfer projects. Information Technology for Development, Vol 8(4): pp, 185-197. Moussa, A. and R. Schware., (1992). Informatics in Africa. World Development, Vol 20(12): pp, 9-11. West, D., (1998). The systems Failure Method and its Potential Use in Information Systems Analysis: Computing and Information Systems, Vol(5),pp 135-38. Heerkens, G. R., (2002). Project Management. New York: McGraw-Hill. Leicht, Michael., (1999). “Managing User Expectations.” University of Missouri St. Louis e-publication. Field, T., (1997). “When bad things happen to good projects”, CIO magazine, Vol. 11(2): pg. 54-59. Hulme, M. R., (1997). “Procurement Reform and MIS Project Success”, Journal of Supply Chain Management, Winter 1997; 33, 1; pg 2. Hoffman, T., (2003). “Value of Project Management Offices Questioned”, Computerworld. Hoffman, T., (2003). “Corporate Execs Try New Ways to Align IT with Business Units.” Computerworld. Hodgson, I., (2002). “Keeping Your Head Above Water”, Conspectus: The IT report for directors and decision makers. E-Commerce software, pp, 30-31. Linberg, K., (1999). Software Developer Perceptions about Software Project Failure: a case study: Journal of Systems and Software, 49(2-3), pp,177-192. Gray, C.F, Larson, E. W., (2005). Project Management, The managerial process, 3rd edition, New York: McGraw-Hill. Ulanoff, S. M., (2007). The theory and practice of online learning, 2nd edition, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

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