This document discusses reasons why projects fail and what must be done to succeed. It identifies five key reasons for project failure: 1) the true measures of success are not defined, 2) path dependency is not understood or managed, 3) the organization lacks the capability to deliver the project, 4) there is ineffective business leadership and project governance, and 5) there are execution gaps and deficiencies. It emphasizes that projects must focus on defining and delivering benefits and value, and that the business must be equipped to perform its roles for the project to succeed.

1. © Totally Optimized Projects 2016
CIO Executive Council webinar
Why projects fail
Jed Simms & Alex Chapman, Founders
and creators of TOP®

2. © Totally Optimized Projects 2016
Why projects fail
And what you must do to be successful!
Jed Simms & Alex Chapman
© Totally Optimized Projects 2016

3. © Totally Optimized Projects 2016
Why projects fail
Everyone has an opinion
But who has done the research?

4. © Totally Optimized Projects 2016
‘Failure’ is not ‘success’
• Success is defined in business terms
“Success is the full delivery of the
desired business outcomes, benefits and value in
the business after the end of the project when
everything is working just right.”
• Any compromise, gap or deficiency in delivering this measure of success
equals failure.

5. © Totally Optimized Projects 2016
1 The true measures of success are not defined
and therefore, not targeted or delivered
The TOP® Value Equation™

6. © Totally Optimized Projects 2016
2 Path dependency is neither understood nor managed
Path Dependence
“explains how the set of decisions and options possible at any point
and for any given circumstance is limited by the decisions one has
made in the past, even though past circumstances may no longer be
relevant.”
Every decision you make, determines what you can and cannot do
both now and in the future
1.
We have one complete accurate
timely central electronic “source
of truth” used for checking for
signature and authority data,
accessible country wide, for all
customers and accounts. We
remove signature and authority
cards from the branches.
2.
All the processes which use or
maintain signature and authority
data, are simplified and
standardized.
3.
We use a single standard check
encashment process, with flexible
business rules and limits, which is
easily and correctly applied for all
account or customer types,
especially for Institutional and
High Net Worth individuals. We
eliminate the Parent/ non-Parent
branch processes.
4
Verification checks for overnight
batch processing are done by the
Check Processing Centre (CPC) ,
using the same “source of truth”
without need to refer to the
branch.
5.
All staff who require it have online
access to up-to-date signatures
and authorities for all their
accounts from their desktop.
Complex authorities for
institutional accounts are tailored
to allow the staff member to see
just what they need to complete
the transaction correctly.
6.
Branch Service Staff can quickly
and easily check signatures in the
background, without the
disruptions of locking up or leaving
their desk or having to switch
applications. This encourages
them to apply checks consistently
according to documented bank
policy, or even just when they
have concerns.
7.
Time currently wasted in
branches maintaining hardcopy
authority cards, checking them for
encashments or servicing
requests for signature/authority
information from other parts of the
bank is reallocated to better use,
either to identify customer needs
and cross-refer opportunities or to
increase Customer throughput or
used for other value-adding
activities in the branch.
8.
All customers are welcomed with
the same consistent professional
service regardless of whether they
attend the parent branch or
another branch or which system
their account is held on.
9.
The signature display software is
integrated into the TELLERSYS to
allow tracking of signature
checks, so we can encourage
compliance and target training
needs. This is consistent with our
principles that the application has
“everything that you need”.If we start here
We can
get to here
“Signature & Authority Check” Outcomes Roadmap v14 - final
Consistent data & processes
Easy access to Authority & ID
Consistent usage
Customer service

7. © Totally Optimized Projects 2016
3 The organization does not have the ‘capability’
to successfully deliver the project

8. © Totally Optimized Projects 2016
4 Ineffective business leadership
(inc ineffective project governance)
Project or
Program
Project
manager
Strategy
Business
results
Sponsor/
Executive
Business
outcomes
Benefits &
value
Project
Governance

9. © Totally Optimized Projects 2016
5 Execution gaps and deficiencies
Start
The starting point
from which you are
changing
Current
state
Clarification
To clarify and
confirm where you
are and what you
don’t know
Clarify
Activities
To prepare the changes and then
implement them to realize the
outcomes
Prepare Implement
Outcomes
Clear, specific and
measurable definitions
of what you want to
achieve – your
measures of success
Future
state
Activities
To ensure the end
state is sustained
and is able to be
developed further
Sustain

10. © Totally Optimized Projects 2016
6 Insufficient focus on benefits and value
Project Delivery
Benefits
delivery
Outcomes, benefits and value delivery

11. © Totally Optimized Projects 2016
Bottom line: To succeed you need to equip the
business to perform its roles

12. © Totally Optimized Projects 2016
“It really is that simple”
© Totally Optimized Projects 2016
Strategy execution • Value Delivery • Made Simple
www.TotallyOptimizedProjects.com