Why do IT Projects Like the BBC’s £100m Attempt Fail?

why-IT-projects-like-BBC-100M-pound-failed-digital-projectThe BBC’s decision to abandon its high profile Digital Media Initiative throws the spotlight once again on beleaguered chief information officers and chief technology officers.

Like the attempt to centralise health records in the NHS, the BBC’s project was a high-profile plan that came under scrutiny because it was financed from public funds.

In my experience, it makes no practical difference whether projects are in the private or the public sectors – things can, and do, go wrong anywhere.

And, with the pace of technology change, projects need to be delivered faster than ever to ensure the solution isn’t obsolete before it’s even gone live.

No IT project is ever kicked off without a great deal of scrutiny and a watertight business case, otherwise they’d all be doomed to failure from the start.

But the alarm bells need to start ringing quickly when quality issues start to appear, budgets begin to overrun, and schedules start to slip.

People become disenchanted, staff turnover increases, and a once-grand design can lose continuity and sense of purpose. If there’s one thing I swear by, it’s that morale is critical among a project team.

When things start to get blown off course, there are plenty of ways to rescue an IT project. As with so much in life, it’s not about avoiding mistakes – it’s about having the know-how to remedy them – and quickly.

I've been lucky to work with many bold and visionary CIOs and CTOs over the years. Their desire to break new ground and to inspire their project teams is why I love working in this business.

The scale of the BBC’s ambition remains something that should be applauded.

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