Just Me - India

All of us know this statistic right ?

"More than 50% of all IT Projects fail. " Actually the percentage is probably even higher.

Well - come to think of it, this is the last thing you expect actually; because:

• It's one of the most modern industries.
• One of the most educated workforce drives it.
• Work itself is based largely on logic (business or otherwise).
• The biggest consumers of IT (and therefore the spenders) are themselves rich, successful, educated folks.
  

Inspite of these factors, the first mentioned statistic is true. Why should it be so.

Probably this is so because of the following:

• The technology is fast changing, and the adoption is quick; leaving little time for maturity.
  
• Can you imagine a Manager in Steel Industry who does not know about Steel/Iron/Ore/Boilers ? Can you imagine a Manager in Automobile industry who does not know about Motors/Engines/Combustion ? But, it is common for IT projects to be lead by Managers who are largely clueless about Sofware/Design/Programming/Architecture. (How do they judge what is going on in a project ?)
  
• Inappropriate amount of focus on two key building blocks of any project : Requirements AND Technical Solution. The first is "what to achieve", second is "how to achive". Any layman can tell you, you will fail if you get either of them wrong. So, it's common to find 'implementation/execution' in full-swing, while neither the requirements or the technical solution are identified clearly. It's like driving away to glory, without knowing your destination AND the route !! You know what glory you are likely to find under such circumstances...
  

Ofcourse there are multitude of other reasons that could be cited. The above ones seem to be very common.

Our chances of success are increased manifold if we adhere to : Basics and Simplicity. Irrespective of the industry !