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Project Failure
http://www.batimes.com/articles/a-business-analyst-s-perspective-seven-
reasons-for-project-failure.html
Written by Lavinia Mihaela Dinca, Monday, 04 April 2016 08:20
Statistics show that the real figures regarding project success are not at all
encouraging. Only 30% of projects are considered successful; the others are
challenged oroutright failures.
How does one determine if a project is a success? From a project management
perspective the answer is simple, the Holy Trinity - time, budget, and quality.
Reality indicates that things are more complicated. A good example is the
construction of Sydney Opera House. From a project management perspective,
this was one of the biggest planning disasters ever made. Initially budgeted at
$7 million, it ended up in costing $100 million.
On the other hand, when you think of Sydney, the Opera House is an iconic
building, immediately recognizable, placed on most tourist advertising leaflets,
and certainly a complete architectural success.
The factors of success for IT projects are the same Holy Trinity, with a twist:
quality should be defined from a business analysis perspective. Specifically, the
delivered project must be compliant with both stakeholders and current
business requirements. The last part is mostly overlooked because sometimes
the stakeholders requirements don't conform with reality.
Based on my experience as both business analyst and project manager, these
are my top seven reasons for project failure from a business analysis
perspective:
#1: Business cases are used ONLY to justify the need for the
project
I've met many project managers and business analysts who don't understand
the importance of the initial project pitch, the justification of why the project is
needed. All these people see this as a necessary evil to start the project, and
they treat it as such. The practice of the pitch translates to creating business
cases that make sense on paper to justify the money and project need.
Sometimes it's worse, the justification and business cases are valid, but the
analysts fail to see the importance, and they don't incorporate the
requirements in the project. This is why projects fail to deliver any business
value, even if they are considered successful.
Related Article: How Business Analysts Can Help Failed Projects
Succeed
Rule of thumb: all business cases must be covered by requirements.
Tagged under
Requirements
Facilitation
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