Reasons Why Projects Fail
Reasons Why Projects Fail
By Tom Carlos PMP In a perfect world, every project would be "on time and within budget." But reality (especially the proven statistics) tells a very different story. It 's not uncommon for projects to fail. Even if the budget and schedule are met, one must ask "did the project deliver the results and quality we expected?" True project success must be evaluated on all three components. Otherwise, a project could be considered a "failure." Have you ever seen a situation where projects begin to show signs of disorganisation, appear out of control, and have a sense of doom and failure? Have you witnessed settings where everyone works in a silo and no one seems to know what the other team member is doing? What about team members who live by the creed "I 'll do my part (as I see fit) and after that, it 's their problem." Even worse is when team members resort to finger-pointing. Situations similar to these scenarios point to a sign that reads "danger." And if you read the fine print under the word "danger" it reads, "your project needs to be brought under control or else it could fail." When projects begin to show signs of stress and failure, everyone looks to the project manager for answers. It may seem unfair that the burden of doom falls u pon a single individual. But this is the reason why you chose to manage projects for a living! You 've been trained to recognise and deal with these types of situations. There are many reasons why projects (both simple and complex) fail; the number of reaso can ns be infinite. However, if we apply the 80/20 rule the most common reasons for failure can be found in the following list: Undefined objectives and goals Lack of management commitment
Poorly managed Lack of a solid project plan Centralised proactive management initiatives to combat project risk Poorly defined roles and responsibilities Team weaknesses Poor communication Overruns of schedule and cost Scope creep Ignoring project warning signs
By Tom Carlos PMP In a perfect world, every project would be "on time and within budget." But reality (especially the proven statistics) tells a very different story. It 's not uncommon for projects to fail. Even if the budget and schedule are met, one must ask "did the project deliver the results and quality we expected?" True project success must be evaluated on all three components. Otherwise, a project could be considered a "failure." Have you ever seen a situation where projects begin to show signs of disorganisation, appear out of control, and have a sense of doom and failure? Have you witnessed settings where everyone works in a silo and no one seems to know what the other team member is doing? What about team members who live by the creed "I 'll do my part (as I see fit) and after that, it 's their problem." Even worse is when team members resort to finger-pointing. Situations similar to these scenarios point to a sign that reads "danger." And if you read the fine print under the word "danger" it reads, "your project needs to be brought under control or else it could fail." When projects begin to show signs of stress and failure, everyone looks to the project manager for answers. It may seem unfair that the burden of doom falls u pon a single individual. But this is the reason why you chose to manage projects for a living! You 've been trained to recognise and deal with these types of situations. There are many reasons why projects (both simple and complex) fail; the number of reaso can ns be infinite. However, if we apply the 80/20 rule the most common reasons for failure can be found in the following list: Undefined objectives and goals Lack of management commitment
Poorly managed Lack of a solid project plan Centralised proactive management initiatives to combat project risk Poorly defined roles and responsibilities Team weaknesses Poor communication Overruns of schedule and cost Scope creep Ignoring project warning signs