When Martin Cobb was CIO for the Secretariat of the Treasury Board of Canada in 1995, he asked a question which has become known as Cobb’s Paradox:
“We know why projects fail; we know how to prevent their failure – so why do they still fail?”
In a perfect world, every project would be “on time and within budget.” But reality (especially the proven statistics) tells a very different story. It’s not uncommon for projects to fail. Even if the budget and schedule are met, one must ask “did the project deliver the results and quality we expected?” True project success must be evaluated on all three components. Otherwise, a project could be considered a “failure.”
the failure of the projects can be summarized as follows;
POOR DECISION MAKING -Poorly timed decisions and too many stakeholders often delay or crush projects.
LACK OF CLEAR GOALS OR VISION– Failure to understand the why results in failure to deliver what the business needs
UNCLEAR REQUIREMENTS Unclear, vague and conflicting requirements can dramatically increase costs and time.
PROJECT TEAM ISSUES Poor team dynamic, lack of expertise, and poor management can often hinder success.
Quick wrap to succeed;
- Make agile decisions
- Form a common vision
- Define clear requirements
- Build your dream team
“A project is complete when it starts working for you, rather than you working for it”
Scott Allen
N@SUHNotes 