Who Killed Your Project

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Who Killed Your Project?
James Johnson Chairman
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Cobbs Paradox
We know why projects fail. We know how to
prevent their failure. So why do they still
fail? Martin Cobb Treasury Board of
Canada Secretariat November 7, 1995, CHAOS
University
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Objectives of CHAOS Research

• Scope of Application Software Development
• Project Failures
• Major Factors that Cause Software Projects to
  Fail
• Key Ingredients that Can Reduce Project Failures
• Internally Funded -- Pure Research

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Methodology

• Started in 1994
• Research over 50,000 AD projects
• Surveys
• Focus Groups
• Personal Interviews
• Group Therapy Sessions
• CHAOS University
• Other Studies

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CHAOS Research

• The results of our CHAOS research are the most
  widely quoted statistics in the IT industry.
• These statistics have influenced government
  changes
• GSA canceled 14 Billion in projects
• Basis for Clinger-Cohen Bill
• Creation of UKs OGC
• The CHAOS Chronicles is a report produced by The
  Standish Group outlining why IT projects succeed
  or fail.

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Top 10 Reasons for Success

• 1. User Involvement
• 2. Executive Management Support
• 3. Clear Business Objectives
• 4. Optimizing Scope
• 5. Agile Process
• 6. Project Management Expertise
• 7. Financial Management
• 8. Skilled Resources
• 9. Formal Methodology
• 10. Standard Tools and Infrastructure

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CHAOS 2004 Survey Results
Resolution of Projects
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CHAOS Research Studies
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Average Project Labor Cost
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Cost Overruns
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Cost Overruns
Post-Internet
Pre-Internet
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Over Ambition

• A strong desire to execute a significant project
  to gain fame, fortune, or power through the
  impact of over reaching goals.

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Over Ambition

• Risk assessment
• Prioritize requirements
• Freeze requirements
• Improve communication
• Staged deployment

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Arrogance

• Unwarranted overbearing pride evidenced by a
  superior manner toward superiors, peers and
  inferiors.

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Arrogance

• Concurrency
• Compensation
• Consensus
• Conciliation
• Contingency

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Ignorance

• The condition of being unaware, uninformed,
  uneducated and/or unsuspecting about the project
  and stakeholder goals, directions, details,
  issues and opportunities.  This condition is
  often coupled with apathy. 

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Ignorance

• Everyone Buys-in
• Educational Forums
• Steering Committee
• Communication Platform
• Risks

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Abstinence

• The act or practice of refraining from
  participation and contribution in the project.

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Abstinence

• Require
• Reinforce
• Regular Recur
• Remove Replace
• Review Reevaluate

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Fraudulence

• An action intended to deceive deliberate
  trickery intended to gain an advantage or to
  avoid confrontation.

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Fraudulence

• Public Execution
• Ethics Training
• Transparency
• Standard Measurements
• Formal Change Management

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No Mystery

• Acknowledgement
• Transparency
• Accountability

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100 Points for Success

• 1. User Involvement
• 2. Executive Management Support
• 3. Clear Business Objectives
• 4. Optimizing Scope
• 5. Agile Process
• 6. Project Management Expertise
• 7. Financial Management
• 8. Skilled Resources
• 9. Formal Methodology
• 10. Standard Tools and Infrastructure

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