5 ways to guarantee project failure
Pitfalls to beware
Project success requires sustained effort. It requires getting a number of things right. This is not easy; hence the vast literature and established methodologies like PMBOK and PRINCE2 on the topic. Project failure on the other hand, can be more or less avoided by focussing on a few critical factors. When we are well setup to avoid failure, we are automatically well setup to obtain success. Understanding causes of failure is in a way then a short-cut for increasing the chances of project success.
In this post, I look back at projects I’ve been involved in, and present five factors that guarantee project failure.
1. Weak sponsorship
Without strong executive sponsorship, a project has no chance of survival. In PRINCE2, an entire process, IP (Initiating a Project), is dedicated for such crucial foundational matters.
Without strong, engaged and visible sponsorship, a project will fail. No exceptions. This may seem obvious but it’s surprising how many projects start, and continue, with weak, ambivalent, or un-committed sponsors.
2. No plan
Project Management relies on planning, and tracking to plans. Despite what “agile” proponents, or those who decry “perfectionism” might say, this…
