Why projects fail

I’m an expert on the subject of “Why Projects Fail”. This is because I’ve learnt the hard way. Learnt by having several projects that I either led or was a part of fail completely or come very close to failing before we were able to revive them and bring them to a successful closure.

The primary reason for project failure is client expectation. At the 2009 WA Annual Day, some of my colleagues depicted this issue extremely well in a play. The gist was that a client wants a Unicorn, he describes a horse, the developers design a pony and after a lot of to and fro modifications, a donkey is delivered.

In most projects, the client has a wish list, but this is based on his current knowledge. As the project progresses, the client begins to realize the zillion possibilities. And starts demanding and expecting those cool features. The development company that is working on a very tight time and cost schedule has a huge problem. Meeting the demands is not practical. Not meeting it, is impossible. And they are stuck between the proverbial Devil and Deep Blue Sea.

So how does one solve this problem. There are no easy solutions. But here are some of the things tried by us. With varying degrees of success.

1.
Get the client to describe requirements in writing. Need not be technical, but describes exactly what is expected from the system.

2.
Create a mockup of the system behavior, with a combination of mockups, flow charts and easy to understand explanatory notes.

3.
Have the client review the progress on a periodic basis. Ideally weekly, but at the very least twice a month.

4.
Have final users, test drive the system early on during the design and provide feedback.

5.
Make the client a development partner, and he has as much ownership of the project as you do.

6.
And finally, and this is important, keep your fingers crossed. Unlike marriages, Projects are made on Earth, but need a higher being to smile on you.