The document discusses common reasons why IT projects fail to be successful. It notes that only about 1 in 3 projects are successful according to statistics from the Standish Group. Some key reasons for failure discussed include lack of senior management support, inadequate staff involvement, unrealistic expectations, failure to properly plan for change management, and not properly accounting for the human factors. The document provides several case studies that illustrate different types of project failures and lessons that can be learned from them.

1. by Peter Flory
Independent Consultant and
Research Fellow at Brunel University
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2. 16%
31%
Success
Challenged
Failure
53%
Ref: Standish Group
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3. 21%
37% Success
Challenged
Failure
42%
Ref: Standish Group
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4.  Oh, no we’re not!
 We still have roughly only a one in three chance of a
successful project!
 WHY?
 There is no such thing as an IT project!
 There are only Business Projects!
 And that means an equal measure of:
◦ People
◦ Processes
◦ Technology
 Forget this at your peril!
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5. NfP CRM encompasses all the processes that
enable the organisation to fulfil its social mission by
acquiring and retaining customers (funders, service
users, volunteers and suppliers alike) and
facilitating a two-way exchange of high quality
customised products and services that best fit their
needs and criteria, in return for compensation
which may or may not be financial and which may
or not be tangible.
My academic definition!
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6. “NfP CRM is the process of doing good by
attracting and keeping customers (funders, service
users, volunteers and suppliers alike), being nice to
them and giving them what they want! (Money
comes into it but only as a means to an end).”
My understandable definition!
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7.  It is not an IT System; it is a complete organisational
philosophy
 It’s a whole way of working
 It’s all encompassing
 It’s relevant to the entire organisation
 Your “customers” are everyone you come into contact
with (and more!)
 So it’s about you and everyone else in your
organisation, what you do, how you do it and the tools
you use
 …and the database is just one tool!
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8. The 8 Principles of CRM
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9. or
“Communications” “Nuts and bolts” “Clever stuff”
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10. People
Processes
Technology
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11.  Case 1 – Poor management
◦ 3 CRM systems in 5 years!
◦ System 1; trustee, smarmy salesman, staff ignored
◦ System 2; another trustee, no proper requirements spec
◦ System 3; a third trustee, consultant, staff involvement
◦ Success at last
 Case2 – Staff “too busy”
◦ Bespoke development
◦ Project Manager did the testing
◦ Implementation
◦ Staff rejected the system
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12.  Case 3 – “Smoke and mirrors”
◦ Half price system, impressive demonstrations
◦ Chairman overruled staff
◦ 2 years of developments
◦ They now have a unique bespoke solution!
 Case 4 – Procedures and the “big picture”
◦ Effective selection process
◦ Old spreadsheet quicker than new system
◦ One department never used system
◦ No “single supporter view”
◦ No resolution
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13.  Case 5 – “The boss knows best”
◦ Staff preferred product X – simple, friendly
◦ Director preferred product Y – modern, whizzy
◦ Purchased product Y, Half the staff used it and half didn’t
◦ Director left - chaos, recriminations
◦ No resolution
 Case 6 – “Where’s the data?”
◦ Selection returned 360 records, expected 3000
◦ Data entered in different ways
◦ System allowed multiple data entry methods
◦ No standard clerical procedures resulting in a complete mess
◦ Hired a DBA for 6 months to clean up the mess – he is still there
three years later!
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14.  Case 7 – Politics and data silos
◦ Effective selection process, all staff involved
◦ One department - “their” data and “their” contacts must be
completely shielded from other departments
◦ Result – hugely complex system and bureaucratic
procedures to provide the “single supporter view”
 Case 8 – Change management
◦ New system implemented in a large organisation which would affect
150 staff
◦ Of the 150 jobs involved; 30 disappeared, 100 changed and only 20
remained the same
◦ The changes not all applied 3 years later when a another new
system was proposed
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15.  Case 9 – “The dinosaur”
◦ Large organisation, many years, many millions of
pounds, bespoke system
◦ Three full-time systems analysts!
◦ Advised to buy package, ignored advice
◦ More years, more millions, bought packaged system!
 Case 10 – No-one in control
◦ One of “the usual suspects” was chosen
◦ Implemented one department at a time
◦ Second department wanted the entire system table structure
altered to suit the way they worked
◦ Took nearly 4 years to fully implement a packaged system!
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16.  Case 11 – Lack of knowledge
◦ System worked fine, everyone happy
◦ Key staff member left and the system stopped working
◦ No-one knew how to keep it running properly
◦ System rapidly fell into disuse and was finally abandoned
 Case 12 – Inexperience
◦ Consultant did requirements, client chose supplier
◦ Client “I’ve chosen X”, Consultant “You’ve made a big mistake”
◦ Client “They are British, round the corner and the cheapest”
◦ 12 months later the consultant’s phone rang and a familiar voice
said “Please help me sue my supplier”
◦ Result - No court case, purchased new system
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17.  Case 13 – Pigheadedness
◦ Chief Executive chose a system for the staff
◦ Staff couldn’t make it work for them,
◦ Staff requested a change of system
◦ Chief Exec refused – “make it work”
◦ Staff didn’t use it and developed their own Access and Excel systems
(and the Chief Exec never knew!)
 Case 14 - Procedural changes
◦ New system, new procedures to be more efficient
◦ One department refused to change their procedures
◦ Hired extra staff to cope with the extra workload “necessitated” by
the new system
◦ Extra staff cost £50,000 per annum
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18.  Case 15 – Out of control
◦ Bespoke development
◦ Fixed price contract for £24,000
◦ Spent £90,000
◦ Finally bought one of the usual suspects!
 Case 16 –
◦ Very small charity bought product Y for £20,000 (+ £3,000
annual support)
◦ Used a fraction of it
◦ Replaced it with product Z at £2,000 (plus £750 annual
support)!
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19.  Case 17 – “My system doesn’t work”
◦ On at least 20 occasions I have been told by a client “My
system is rubbish, it doesn’t work and I want you to help me
choose another one” AND I have convinced them to stick with
what they have got!!
◦ Upon investigation the problem/s turned out to be one of:
 Hadn’t upgraded to the latest version
 Incorrect configuration
 Didn’t know the required facilities already existed
 Lack of training
 Not using it correctly
 Unnecessarily convoluted procedures
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20. People
Processes
Technology
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21.  Get the right people doing the right job
 Project Sponsor (preferable the Chief Executive)
◦ Full support, can bang heads together when necessary
◦ Allocates a sensible budget
◦ Doesn’t interfere!
 Project Manager (preferably internal)
◦ Competent, strong-willed, with the right experience
◦ Dedicated
 Staff (ALL staff who will be affected)
◦ Involved in the entire process from beginning to end
 External support (if needed)
◦ Consultant, project manager, temporary staff
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22.  More about people in general
 Organisational inertia
 People fear and resist change
 Management must provide -
vision, enthusiasm, environment for learning and
success
 Staff involvement at all times
(specification, selection, configuration, testing, operati
onal changes, review)
 Need to manage expectations
 Need to communicate, communicate, communicate
 Seek and take advice
 Full training and full support at all times
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23.  Process review
◦ Always, always do a review of current processes
◦ Work with supplier to map them onto the new system in the
most effective manner
◦ Be prepared to change!
 Change management
◦ New systems ALWAYS means new and changed processes
◦ This is a whole subject in itself and it must be handled
sensitively
◦ Encouragement, enthusiasm, support and training
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24.  Get the requirements right, what is
important, detail, detail, detail
 Get the selection right, don’t just buy the cheapest
 Make infrastructure changes if required
 Effective project management
 Testing, testing, testing
 Training, training, training
 Proper change control procedures
 Manage your supplier – don’t let them manage you!
You?
Supplier? Athena Consultants 06 June 2012 24

25.  Remember - technology rarely fails but people often do!
 They often:
◦ Have unrealistic expectations
◦ Don’t specify what they want properly
◦ Don’t carry out due diligence
◦ Don’t realise the true scale of the project
◦ Choose the system and then sit back and expect it to “just
happen”
◦ Are overly protective of “their” area and “their” data
◦ Are afraid of and actively resist change
Sort that lot out and you will have
a successful project - GOOD LUCK! Athena Consultants 06 June 2012 25

26. And if you need any help….
who are you going to call?
 Peter Flory
 E-mail: peter@athena.org.uk
 Tel: 0118 986 6623
 Mobile: 07860 451 830
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