Gartner, one of the world’s most respected IT think tanks, says “75 percent of all IT projects fail.”
Most of my clients beg to differ. But I ask them to think a little deeper.
First, let’s define “failure.”
Gartner uses the most restrictive definition, the industry-accepted “project triangle” that assesses projects within three critical parameters: Cost, time, and quality. Let’s talk about those.
Cost:
When you started this project, did you really know what it would cost? 
If you outsourced the entire project, perhaps you did.
But chances are you use some outside resources, and some internal resources. Most project managers assume that internal resources are more cost-effective – and in general, they are.
But while project managers require external vendors to document every move to ensure the final bill matches the bid price, in-house staff are rarely held to the same standard – so those costs aren’t factored into the actual cost of a project. Without oversight, expenses can spiral out of control.
Time:
Lacking the ability to measure or control the true cost of a project, most managers focus on what they can measure: Time.
“We have to have it done by April 15, no ifs, ands, or buts!” Or “If this isn’t ready by July 1, that delays the ERP rollout, and the entire company will melt into a molten pool of flesh, steel, and blood by August 15.” That sort of thing.
As an outside consultant, I’ve seen this over-emphasis on deadlines over and over again.
But I know deadlines are over-emphasized because, when I tell a client, “We can do this by April 15, but we’ll need to put four consultants on the project, and it will add $75,000 to the bid,” the project magically develops a later deadline.
Quality:
Well, of course.
But perhaps quality should be defined by “deliverables,” those features and functions the project must deliver.
When cost and time are limited, project managers backpedal their demands and ask, “Well, what CAN we get done in that time period?” Or “What will that module add to the cost?”
Quality is tougher to measure than time and cost, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important. Unit testing, System Testing, User Acceptance Testing, final sign-off; all are legitimate measures of quality.
Did the Project Fail?
So, back to the original question.   Did the project fail?
According to Gartner, success is measured by setting cost, time and quality before the project, then assessing whether the project delivered.
But if you only measure success against parameters set before the project begins, it’s a wonder the “failure” rate isn’t 100 percent.
 IT management has much of the ownership here. We don’t properly measure costs, we often ignore internal costs, we over-emphasize time, and then modify our schedule only when presented with real project costs. And finally, we rarely develop the details necessary to truly assess the success of a project by measuring deliverables.
Acknowledging that 75 percent of all IT projects fail is a first step in bringing that rate down. And with C/D/H, you can bring most projects in on time, on budget, and with the features and functions you need.
Contact our project managers to learn how we can deliver a successful project triangle to you.