Let's be honest. You've known a few that have failed. The GartnerGroup estimates that 30% of IT projects never come to a fruitful conclusion. Depending on how you define “fruitful conclusion” others have set the failure rate much higher; as high as 85%! Gartner further estimates that an average of 51% exceed their budgets by 189% while delivering only 74% of the targeted functionality. That's pretty grim results and we can only expect that they will be worse in a challenging economy.
If you GoogleTM “Why do IT projects fail” you will find links to “The Top Ten Reasons,” “The Six Key Reasons,” and ten million more expert articles and essays on the subject. You will even find advice on how recognize and kill a failed project. But I believe that there is one reason that underlies all those listed; one cause at the root of them all.
The Root Cause
Most projects fail because they lack adequate buy in when they commence or the project manager fails to maintain it throughout the life of the project. I am using “buy in” in the colloquial form meaning “support.” With adequate support most of the reasons attributed to project failure are mitigated or avoided all together. Without it almost any reason will serve to kill a project.
It is not enough to simply have buy in; you must get the right people to buy in.
Who Governs IT?
I would never attempt to sell anything, any service or any product to any organization without first learning who governs IT. Neither would I attempt to manage any project there without this vital information. Too often a project is sold to the wrong people and when the going gets tough, the project is killed by those who should have been consulted first but weren't.
Asking may not help because few organizations have well-defined IT governance roles or, if they are defined, few in the organization know them. Sorry, it's true.
Successful project managers must get buy in from all those who govern every aspect of their project:
- IT Principles – how IT is used in the business
- IT Architecture – how IT is standardized and integrated
- IT Infrastructure Strategies – the people and equipment that supply IT
- Business Application Needs – the source of all IT value
- IT Investments – focusing IT investments on strategic priorities
Even with proper buy in at the inception of a project, the project manager must continually cultivate it. This is especially true in a challenging economy.
Maintaining “Buy In” in a Challenging Economy
Maintaining support for a project in a challenging economy is the same as any other time; it's just more important now than ever before. The rapidly shifting fortunes of organizations in a challenging economy will simply cause shifts in support to and from projects to occur more rapidly. Thus, it is especially important for project managers to keep their projects in full view at all times.
This may seem counterintuitive to some project managers. Many try to hide when the budget axe is being wielded. That tactic may have worked before when company coffers were flush with cash and credit. But, nowadays, you can run but you can't hide.
The best way to maintain interest in your project and support for it is to celebrate milestones. That's right; celebrate them! Make them more than a signature on a deliverable or a high level meeting. Use them as an opportunity to pass out the “attaboys” and remind stakeholders of the value of their investment.
Do not hide budget overruns. Use Earned Value Management to predict budgetary needs so that you can use milestone celebrations as opportunities to campaign for added resources while everyone is excited about your project.
About the Author
Jack Durish is the Interim IT Executive. He has almost 30 years experience planning projects, scheduling tasks, and managing teams in government and military operations as well as private industry. He is a creative problem solver with a proven track record of surmounting risks to complete projects on time and on budget.
Jack has helped organizations of all sizes including global ones discover and adopt creative technological solutions to real business problems. He has participated in every aspect of exploring emerging technologies, evaluating them, and deploying them. He has also aided in their adoption, training and motivating users to maximize the return on technological investments.
Jack is a skilled communicator. He is a published author of books both fiction and nonfiction as well as courseware and articles. He is an experienced lecturer in the boardroom as well as the classroom having mastered the ability to both instruct and persuade audiences of all sizes and types.
Jack now helps executives better understand and perform their roles and responsibilities as sponsors of successful projects.
Visit his website at http://www.ironlantern.com/
