Overcoming ICT project failures - A practical perspective

In today's global economy, exploiting competitive advantage, increasing market share, enhancing efficiency, reducing costs and eliminating bureaucracy are becoming common objectives on the agenda for business owners and organizations. Through the proper implementation and adaption of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) projects, organizations are recognising the ability to realise such goals more effectively. Notwithstanding the strategic recognition of implementing ICT projects however, the ICT industry is consistently faced by a high level of ICT project failures, which is of deep concern to all the business owners, board of directors as well as project managers. The motivation of this paper is to critically analyse the performance of ICT projects whilst establishing the various factors leading to such situations. This is achieved by undertaking a comprehensive and holistic review of prominent reports on a multitude of scenario cases together with in-depth identification of effecting issues leading to reported failures. To add value to the current research a number of suggestions are finally presented that, together with the implemented project management strategy, will assist in ensuring a successful ICT project delivery.