Topic: It can be a thin line between project success and failure
Description:
Management and Science:
You should select a pair of similar projects, one of which is considered to be a success and the other a failure. Choose projects about which there is plenty of publicly available information. This can be in the form of books, on the internet, and in the news media about such projects. The project may be recently completed, still under way, or finished some years ago so its full impact can be seen. Do not choose projects which are not finished yet.
You should consider the following questions for each project:
• Was the strategy clear that the project was aiming to help achieve?
• How was the project sponsored, paid for and governed?
• Were the estimates of the economic and other benefits the project would bring realistic? (Did it achieve the promised benefits?)
• Were the right stakeholders identified and properly involved?
• Were the estimates of the time and resources to do the project realistic? (Was it finished on time and on budget?)
• Were the technical and people challenges of the project properly understood?
• To what extent did cultural factors affect how well (or badly) the project performed?
• Were the project risks properly identified and managed?
• Were there unexpected problems during the project and how were they dealt with?
• In your opinion, what lessons can be learned by comparing the two projects?