While we assist some of our customers in taking all necessary steps to enhance the synergy between IT and organization - and therefore preventing IT project failure - we are equally happy to assist other customers in:

1. turning IT project failure - or potential failure - into a powerful developmental catalyst,

   because the failure of an IT project reveals internal weaknesses reaching always beyond IT

2. making ultimately failing IT projects deliver a solution,

   because IT projects generally fulfill business needs that have to be met. Moreover the whole organization has often relied on them being met without preparing themselves for any viable alternative.

3. capitalizing on the financial, professional, relational and emotional investment that large IT projects always represent,

   because the intangible benefits of a large project (better understanding of the business, improved cross-departmental or cross-hierarchical layers communication, development of a team spirit) can outweigh its tangible results (i.e. the solution delivered)

4. addressing the organization's weaknesses that have ultimately brought the IT project "in difficulty" so as to achieve true synergy between IT and organization.

   because IT project failure is but a revealer of weaknesses calling for a holistic therapy encompassing IT, organization and business strategy.

Our approach to achieving those results is not:

It consists in applying Strategic Simplification i.e. pruning all "Pareto inefficient" operational processing. This enables both process automation at a reasonable cost and improved manageability of the business processes by the operational staff. 

The "trivial many" activities (i.e. the ones accounting for marginal business benefits) that are being cut down are translated by: 

This, of course requires an effort both on the business side (that has to adapt its requirements to a scope defined by business efficiency) and on the IT side (that has to adopt a more business minded attitude). All activities have to be assessed from a market perspective before being pruned according to the 80 - 20 rule.

IT project failure is by no means a seldom or an occasional issue. It is widespread and all pervading as the statistics over IT project failure rate testify. A deeper look into those casualty records provides an appreciable insight into the causes of IT project failure.

Assisting our customers in managing IT projects in difficulty is so important to us because IT project failure act as a revealer of a situation calling for Strategic Simplification. This IT Cortex proprietary methodology puts the finality of IT projects in its right perspective. Projects have unique characteristics that turn them into fantastic organizations' health check. Defining the success or failure of a project is always tricky given its far reaching implications into a commercial or public organization. The failure of a strategic project should always be considered as the failure of the entire organization. Its effects will not wither away by cutting off a piece of that organization (i.e. by firing a few designated culprits). Only a holistic treatment will have some chance of success.

The consequences of IT project failure can be astounding and have far reaching repercussions as shown in a few examples provided.

Should you have any comment or question on those issues, do not hesitate to contact us.

Ó IT Cortex