5 common reasons why IT projects fail (And how to avoid them)

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5 common reasons why IT projects fail (And how to
avoid them)
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• Youre preparing to start a new IT project. While
  youre excited about the positive changes and ROI
  the project will deliver, youre also concerned.
  What if its delayed, the budget explodes, or it
  becomes a fiasco? The truth is, IT project
  failure is a real, serious risk. In fact,
  according to a Project Management Institute (PMI)
  report, the percentage of IT projects that fail
  is 14. If that doesnt sound too bad, the same
  PMI report also notes that 43 of projects go
  over budget, 49 are completed late, and 31 fail
  to meet their goals. 
• Thankfully, you dont have to guess what kind of
  unexpected pitfalls lie ahead. In our experience
  managing countless IT projects, weve identified
  some common reasons why IT projects fail. The
  good news is, they can be bypassed with a little
  planning. Here are five to be aware of and how to
  avoid them. 

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Pitfall 1 Undefined scope blows the budget out
of control
Which parties and team members will be involved
in your project? What are the deadlines and
deliverables? How much ROI will the project
return? All these questions should have clear
answers that are defined before you start. In
other words, you need to know where youre going
before you get there. Failure to do so is a
recipe for scope creep overblown budgets and a
project that doesnt deliver.
Solution
We recommend flat fee projects, instead of paying
hourly. This forces all parties to clearly think
through the planning. Also, consider the big
picture as you scope the project, including
technical delivery and how the completed project
will affect end users and your systems. How will
the changes integrate with your existing systems?
How will they affect end users daily tasks?
These are important questions that should be
answered ahead of time because theyll help keep
your team in a proactive, rather than reactive,
state once the project is underway. 
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Pitfall 2 Mixing IT support and project teams
While its not uncommon for the IT support team
to lend a hand with projects, dont allow it.
Why? Human nature Project teams are proactive
and planned while support teams are reactive and
used to taking immediate action. If a server
fails, your support team must drop what theyre
doing and attend to it quickly. Its their job.
And if they have project responsibilities,
breaking away to put out IT fires will cause
delays.
Solution
The solution to this problem is simple. Create a
dedicated team for your project and keep it
separate from your support team, no matter how
tempting it may be to combine them. If you still
feel shorthanded, consider hiring IT contractors
or a managed service provider to help with the
project. 
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Pitfall 3 No leadership team
IT projects typically have many parties involved.
There is the IT team, vendors, the clients team,
stakeholders, and more. A common reason why many
IT projects fail is a lack of oversight for all
the moving parts. With no one steering the ship,
theres no clear direction on daily and weekly
tasks, no one to answer questions, and no one to
be accountable for the project deliverables. In
other words, project failure is much more likely.
Solution
Designate an IT project manager who has the time
and skills to lead the project. They should be
responsible for incorporating all parties into
the planning, defining their roles, setting and
monitoring milestones, and keeping everyone on
task once the project begins. In general, this
project manager will oversee the project with the
goal of achieving its ROI targets.
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Pitfall 4 Change management during the project
IT projects can take months or even years to
complete. For this reason, its not uncommon for
a change in management to happen during the
project. When this occurs, it can be quite
disruptive, especially if it affects the project
leadership team, which can impact the quality,
cost, and duration of the project. What can you
do to prevent this? 
Solution
As management changes are common, the key is to
expect one. Before your project kicks off,
prepare a review and approval process for a
management change. Define roles and how any
changes will be incorporated into the project.
Usually the people are someone on the client
side, on the IT service side, and on the project
delivery side. By laying out this plan in
advance, everyone (including vendors, the
internal IT team, and third parties) will know
how to react if and when a management change
occurs.  
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Pitfall 5 Inconsistent and poor communication
Projects involve many people, so effective
communication is critical to keep everyone
coordinated. Without it, miscommunication can
slow down the project or derail it altogether.
Solution
Establish a communication channel and ensure
everyone knows whats expected of them in the
coming weeks. At the outset, check if there are
any coordination errors or general problems that
need to be addressed. Also, think about
communication as a process. PMI suggests the 5Ws
and 1H of communication Who, What, Why, When,
Where, and How. In other words, who needs to
communicate what information at what time and
where, for what reason, and how. 
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The easy way to avoid IT project failure

• When youre new to managing IT projects, the fear
  of failure can be scary, especially when you know
  the kinds of statistics mentioned at the
  beginning of this article. But as you now see,
  many of these pitfalls are common and can be
  avoided with smart planning. 
• If youre looking for an easy way to prevent
  failure, why not trust an expert? Leverage IT has
  decades of experience navigating IT projects and
  weve learned countless lessons along the way.
  Leverage our knowledge to ensure the success of
  your next project. Contact us today.

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THANK YOU

• Leverage IT Consulting