Poor planning sinks IT projects

Lack of preparation responsible for two thirds of failures

Poor planning leads tio IT failures

Poor system specifications in the design and preparation stages of IT projects are responsible for the failure of two-thirds of initiatives, according to research published last week.

A lack of upfront and adequate definitions of technical and business requirements combined with poor design criteria and descriptions are derailing 66 per cent of IT projects.

Research conducted by Coleman Parkes for vendor Avanade says poor business understanding, bad selection of technology and insufficient funds also contribute.

‘While businesses can be tempted to blame the project delivery team for failure, this research shows that getting the basics right in the earliest phases is far more of a challenge,’ said Brent Kronenberg, director of enterprise service solutions at Avanade. ‘People skills are a major factor in IT projects, but good people need good processes.’

Tony Lock, programme director at analyst Freeform Dynamics, said: ‘Poor systems specification is a major challenge for companies assessing what the business needs and aligning it with what it thinks it wants.’