The top five reasons why Project Management fails in IT organizations

Jul 22
07:22

2010

Dr. Joseline Edward, PhD

Dr. Joseline Edward, PhD

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The article summarizes the top five reasons why Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) approach fails in IT organizations.

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IT places a major role in today’s world.  E-commerce and various advances in IT have made significant impact on business operations.  Most of the scholars defined IT as the capability offered by software,The top five reasons why Project Management fails in IT organizations Articles hardware and telecommunication networks to deliver data in any form to individuals and organizations. Most IT projects are categorized into the following areas: (1) infrastructure, which includes new or improved technologies or processes, (2) maintenance and upgrades to existing systems, (3) new product development and the introduction of new distribution channels, and (4) research and development. An effective IT system and various IT related products can provide the infrastructure to facilitate the flow between processes and people in an organization. 

There has been more written about Project Management.  The framework defined by Project Management Institute (PMI) is a great way of managing projects in any organization.  But, this is not covering the entire IT. There are still a few of the organizations where this framework does not seem to fit.

In my personal experience I have found that IT organizations that addressed the factors that have been detailed below have used Project Management approach as a framework to meet the business goals and have achieved significant success.

Lack of executive support: This factor is most frequently cited reason for project management failure in many organizations. IT organizations will not be able to implement any approach without upper management support. In order to get their support, they must be well educated regarding the benefits of using project management approach and get them to show their involvement through positive reinforcement, recognition, and provide support as required.

Incorrect/Incomplete requirements: Most companies are overwhelmed by requirements from stakeholders of the project. Working with stakeholders to remove the requirements that does not support the stated goal of the projects could help you to successfully deliver the project on time and within the budget.

Lack of Project Management customization: Every company is unique. Factors such as internal processes, culture, Legal requirements, and the way IT is deployed in live environments vary from organization to organization. I would say enough Project Management is enough for success. Hence IT organizations should look at that perspective, and customize their approach to meet the business needs of the organization.

 Poor communication:  An IT system is a collection of interconnected subsystems that act towards a common goal. Communication is the oil that lubricates the subsystems to work together to meet the organization goals. Poor communication makes the subsystems act independently which could hinder the success of the project. Implementing processes and procedures at all levels to create a coordinated effort to improve communication can help a lot.

Lack of performance indicators: Performance measures enable an organization to monitor its progress towards goals in the short and long term. For example, let us say if a company performance indicator is “Increase customer Satisfaction”, a few project management performance assessment factors should be developed and linked to that performance indicator to measure how effectively this project management approach is contributing toward the organization goals and achievements. These assessment factors help you to fine tune the existing project to steer it towards the main objective.