Project Failure

It is widely accepted that up to 80% of organizational projects fail to satisfactorily meet all the criteria of a successful project. Typically, the most noticeable aspects of failure are to do with cost and time over-runs.

The impact of project failure on an organization may appear minimal when viewed from the perspective of a single project, but the cumulative effect across all projects often represents a substantial impact – especially in the areas of additional costs and lost opportunities.

Of even greater importance is understanding the failure due to a project not delivering its claimed benefits.

A projects often fails to meet its business case, sometimes to the extent that the business case turns negative!

Increasingly, as projects are the preferred vehicle for organizations to meet their strategic goals, failed projects lead to failed organizations. Conversely, ensuring project success is being seen as a strategic advantage – possibly the most critical factor separating demonstrably successful organizations from the pack.