Improving Project Success Rates with Better Leadership

April 29 from ProjectTimes - “Factual and anecdotal evidence confirms that IT investments are inherently risky. On average, about 70% of all IT related projects fail to meet their on-time, on-budget objectives or to produce the expected business results. In one KPMG survey, 67% of the companies who participated said that their program/project management function was in need of improvement. Why? A number of leading factors for project failure were suggested by the survey, including the "usual suspects": unreasonable project timelines, poorly defined requirements, poor scope management, and unclear project objectives. Granted, all of these factors can play a role in project success. But are they the cause or project failure, or just a symptom of some larger issue? In this article, we will discuss that the root cause for many of these common failure points is really the ability to lead projects, not just manage them…”

180 View – The article identifies missing leadership as the key reason for project failure and discusses the competencies required by leadership – 1) Leading courageously, 2) Influencing others, and 3) Acting with resilience. We agree that leadership is vital but we are not convinced that project management leadership is the primary driver of success or failure. Project managers are often middle management types or external consultants. The real power is usually found elsewhere. So it is vital that management demonstrate clearly their support of the project manager. The project manager may also not be able to select all the project team members or the amount of time they can spend on the project.