How to Avoid Failure of Software Project

A successful software project is completed on time and on budget, with all features and functions as envisaged. Challenged software project is completed and operational but it exceeds budget, time estimate and works with fewer features and functions than originally conceived. Impaired software project gets canceled at some point during the development cycle.

A research suggests that 16.2% projects are successful, 52.7% software projects are challenged and 31.1% are impaired software project.

One should concentrate on the following points to enjoy the success

User involvement
Executive management support
Clear statements of requirements
Proper planning
Realistic expectations
Smaller project milestones
Competent staff
Ownership
Clear vision and objectives
Hard working and focused staff
One should avoid the following reasons for failure

The development team did not posses the matching skill set and experience

Lack of involvement of users during the development process
Payment was not related to productivity
Frequent change in the development team
Absence of modular structure in design
Poor HR management
Lack of sense of ownership among the users
The changing needs and requirements of the users were not addressed
Lack of proper documentation
Lack of proper distribution of roles and responsibilities
Improper test planning
Poor requirement management
Poor data design
Improper choice of technology
Inadequate management support
Poor management vision
Poor project communication
Inadequate user training
Frequent change in the user team
System not user friendly
Conflict among stakeholder
All these reasons for failure can be categorized in to four different chunks

In house capability

The development team did not posses the matching skill set and experience, absence of modular structure in design, poor data design, inadequate user training, improper choice of technology

Client commitment

Lack of involvement of users during the development process, lack of sense of ownership among the users, payment was not related to productivity, conflict among stakeholders, frequent change in the user team.

Project management

Poor HR management, lack of proper distribution of roles and responsibilities, inadequate management support, poor management vision, poor project communication, improper test planning, Lack of proper documentation, frequent change in the development team.

Requirement Management

The changing needs and requirements of the user were not addressed, system not user friendly, poor requirement analysis and management.

All these points should be treated as a first step.

Prajakta Chandrakant Dhote, Jr Faculty IT in ICFAI National College, chandrapur, Maharashtra, India. At present doing research on Fuzzy Logic