It seems like an easy enough question to answer. Projects are unsuccessful when they don’t work, when they don’t produce the outcome that was desired. Perhaps they are deemed unsuccessful if they are behind schedule and over-budget. But a project’s success, or lack thereof, cannot be measured by a calendar or calculator alone. You can deliver on time and on budget and still not be successful.

The following are causes and effects of unsuccessful projects. They can derail a project before it has a chance at success, and they can also be caused by a project that has already gone off the rails.

• Poor morale.  An unsuccessful project is one that has eroded the morale of the team, its sponsors, end-users, and other stakeholders. You might see high turnover on these types of projects, as well as lost resources.
• Lack of cooperation.  Individual, and even entire business units, shut down. They don’t cooperate. Sure, you can impose a solution and make people do what you say, but it is not a “success” by any means when people aren’t participating and engaged.
• Business process issues.  To successfully implement change, people need new business processes and they need to understand and buy into them. Unclear processes, lack of training, lack of engagement, lack of change management…these issues steal back any progress that has been made.
• Silos.  Silos impede open communication and stop the flow of ideas that is central to a centre of excellence approach. Cliques form, and there is no interconnectivity.

Ultimately, these issues are a result of a lack of homework. We want to spend 5 percent of our time on planning and 95 percent on delivery, but we have to spend more time upfront which includes, its business cases, its scope analysis, and the project charter Before we ever put work tools down and start detail planning, there has to be upfront planning around questions such as: What is our objective? What is the business case? What is the project charter? Who are stakeholders? What are their issues and objectives?

Are people happy? Do they know what they are supposed to do, and do they have the tools, information, and motivation they need to do it? This is exactly why ongoing project reviews are so important. You can find out how people feel and catch issues before they fester. You can get a sense of what people need and want.

Henry Ford said, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” A project’s success depends on everyone – the Steering Committee, executive sponsors, project managers, work teams, and stakeholders – moving forward together, knowing where they’re going, and wanting to get there.