Michael Ajitsingh
02 January 2016
PM4530

Unit 2 Assignment 1: Project Success and Failure Factors

I believe that the following 10 reasons are the most common causes of project failures in general, and likewise doing the opposite will likely contribute to project success.
1. Ambiguous Requirements
Ambiguous and unclear requirements are a prefect recipe for disaster for any project. Even worse, the longer it takes to get the ambiguity or confusion resolved, the costlier it gets. Ideally, such concerns should be addressed during the project planning stage as any spillovers to subsequent stages can be fatal to the overall success of the project. Ambiguous requirements also leads to a higher probability of scope creep throughout the project’s lifetime.
2. Poor Stakeholder Involvement
A project’s success is the collective responsibility of all stakeholders. If any of the primary stakeholders’ shy away from their responsibilities, it can put the project’s future in jeopardy. Stakeholders’ influence on a project is massively influential. If stakeholders only get involved during the latter stages of a project, it can lead to significant delays and additional costs to cater to their change requests. Also stakeholder involvement gives a higher probability that the project will be a success because the stakeholders will be happier and more satisfied with the final results and any issues jeopardizing the project will likely subside with the proactive involvement of the stakeholders.
3. Unrealistic Expectations
While it’s important for stakeholders to collaborate for a project’s success, a “please all” approach which sets unrealistic expectations will only lead to problems. Project Managers are often under severe pressure from clients and senior management to get projects delivered as quickly as possible. Compromising quality to cut down on time doesn’t work and is