Available from Amazon (paperback and ebook) and from Lulu.com (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-291-71758-7
IT projects are hard - and they frequently fail
Barely a week seems to go by without another report of a struggling or failed IT project. And these are just the ones that make it into the news. In this book, Mark Seneschall, an experienced IT projects professional, seeks to explain why IT projects so often prove so challenging, why they are so prone to failure, and how to negotiate the complexities encountered and maximise the chances of success. As such, the book is essential reading for anyone intested in, involved in, or contemplating becoming involved in, IT projects - and other similar organisational change initiatives - of all shapes and sizes.
In a Nutshell...
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IT projects are complex, multifaceted undertakings, and involve much more than just the IT - as well as choice and judgement
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BUT - there is a widespread tendency to regard them as primarily technical initiatives which are 'just about the IT'
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As a result, much of the complexity inherent in IT projects is frequently underestimated or ignored
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This all gives rise to a common pattern where organisations of all sorts and all sizes embark on overly ambitious and highly complex IT projects where the likelihood of success is small
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The outcome is the high proportion of such projects which struggle or fail
Some recent IT projects in the news...
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British Army on-line recruitment project – 2 years late, and may lead to the Ministry of Defence spending an additional £50 million on an alternative
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President Obama’s ‘Obamacare’ healthcare reforms - imperilled by technical problems and poor website performance
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BBC Digital Media Initiatve - cancelled at a cost of £100 million
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‘Universal Credit’ welfare reforms - introduction delayed due to IT problems