So, you’re looking to improve your business’ technology…that’s great! More effective solutions are critical to helping boost your success. However, it is important to acknowledge that these kinds of initiatives don’t always have the greatest record of success. Let’s examine why this is, and critically, what can be done about it.
How Many IT Projects Actually Fail?
To determine this, we need to specify what constitutes “failure.” In no uncertain terms, any project that doesn’t meet the objectives it was implemented to meet is a failed one.
The reasons for this failure can vary greatly: poor planning, unclear resources and objectives, a lack of communication, and unrealistic expectations are all just a partial list. We could go into how each cause specifically leads to failure, but we’d rather focus on how to overcome them and lead to your success.
So, back to the question at hand—how many IT projects fail to meet their intended objectives?
Would you believe me if I said 17%? What about 34%
What about 50%?
That’s right…about half of all IT projects will fail or be abandoned before they are completed, whether due to budgetary constraints, scheduling issues, infrastructure incompatibility, or any of the other reasons we mentioned and more.
Obviously, that’s a lot. A lot of wasted effort, time, and capital, all eaten up by initiatives that ultimately result in nothing gained for your business.
So, how can you prevent this?
How to Give Your Projects the Best Chance of Success
There are a few steps you can take to better ensure that your IT upgrades and other technology implementations are successful:
Be SMART About Your Goals - The SMART acronym stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Are the goals you wish to accomplish through your projects clearly defined and supported by empirical evidence? Can they possibly be accomplished in an acceptable time frame? Ensuring that your goals meet these criteria makes them inherently more apt to success.
Make Use of Technology - Today, there are many tools available to simplify the work that needs to be done to complete a project, either by helping you better manage it or by automating the rote work that goes into it. Using IT to help improve your IT may sound funny, but it is an effective strategy with a proven track record.
Stick to Your Plan - As you plan your project, make sure that you take the time to include elements like the available budget and resources needed to carry it out. Critically, once you’ve made this plan, you should not change it, as this will create discrepancies that could very well invalidate the entire project. If changes need to be made for whatever reason, make sure you again take the time to reevaluate your strategy as a whole.
Trust Us with Your IT Projects
We can assist you in planning and implementing IT projects of just about any kind. Find out more by giving us a call at (604) 513-9428.
