Project Success or Failure

It is important to take note that the writer will be written a synopsis of the company, and the company must be from the U.S

Project Success or Failure

Success or failure in any endeavor is usually determined by numerous factors—some foreseeable and controllable, others not. It’s generally agreed that a good plan, executed well, often results in success. But sometimes, good plans go awry due to sheer happenstance. For example, most sports fans have seen a team’s seemingly brilliant game plan rendered useless by an unfortunate injury to a key player. When that happens, any chance for success is often contingent on the response and leadership of the team’s coaching staff in adjusting the plan.

Similarly, more than a theoretically good plan is needed for projects to be successful. Success or failure often results from the steps taken or not taken by project managers and other key staffers during the course of the plan’s execution. Utilizing your research on factors leading to success and failure of projects, choose a company that is regarded as a model of successful projects in the United States of America. Now, imagine yourself as a project manager for this company.

• Write a brief synopsis of the company, focusing on a particular successful project.

o What specific actions did the leaders take that led to success?

o What qualities did the leaders display that demonstrate a model for what the best project managers do?

• Cite two reasons why this project might have failed if not for the leaders’ management approaches.

o You should reference at least two scholarly resources from your research on causes of project failure.

Resources

Readings

• Cooke-Davies, T. (2007). Project success. In P. W. G. Morris & J. K. Pinto (Eds.), The Wiley guide to project, program & portfolio management (pp. 226–249). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

In Chapter 10, the author discusses the elements of successful project management, outlining typical criteria for success at three different organizational levels. The chapter, as a whole, sets up a framework for thinking and talking about project success with the objective to advance the art and science of project management.

• Abbas, T. P., & Sanavullah, M. Y. (2008). Chaos: The root cause of project failures. ICFAI Journal of Computer Sciences, 2(2), 66–79.

The authors assert that chaos is inherent in the field of software engineering (SE) despite impressive advancements. The study attempts to identify the major factors that prevent appropriate remedies and points to flawed SE practices as the root cause.

• Flinders, K. (2011, September). Just say ‘no': How to save your IT project—and career—from failure. Computer Weekly.