Systems development projects are often intricate and complex. While working on these projects can be exciting and rewarding, it can also be challenging. If you work in information technology or project management, then you may benefit from learning about how to overcome common systems development project challenges. In this article, we explain what failed systems development projects are, list eight reasons why this may happen, provide suggestions to prevent these challenges, and share advice to help you overcome a systems development project failure if it occurs.
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What are failed systems development projects?
A failed systems development project refers to a finished software or hardware project that doesn’t meet the requirements of the customer or the business. It may also refer to a systems development project that remains unfinished due to a lack of resources or funding. Identifying common reasons why systems development projects fail can help you take proactive steps that help you maintain an accurate schedule, stay within budget, meet important deadlines, and provide value to your target audience.
8 reasons systems development projects fail
Here are eight common reasons systems development projects fail and suggestions you can implement to minimize risks:
1. Unclear requirements
Taking the time to understand what the requirements of a systems development project are is a critical step in the project’s life cycle. If you’re unclear about what features the system needs to have, it’s going to be challenging for your team to produce a successful product that provides value to your customers or your business.
Suggestion: Identify the needs of your end-user before your team starts working on the systems development project. Then create a list of the most important functions and features to make sure you include these requirements in the project design. Revisit this list throughout the development process to ensure your final product meets all of the necessary requirements.
2. Unaligned vision
Another common challenge teams face when working on systems development projects is a lack of alignment with key stakeholders. When this happens, team members may have a different list of objectives than project sponsors, which can lead to tension.
Suggestion: Work with team members and key stakeholders to develop a list of your top priorities for the project. You can also group different tasks or project features into categories, such as “must-haves,” “should-haves” and “could-haves.” Using this framework can help you ensure everyone understands what the most important tasks are, streamline communication and improve productivity.
3. Vague execution strategy
Creating a successful systems development project requires a detailed execution strategy. If the plan your team is working with includes vague details, is missing certain tasks or doesn’t include an established timeline, it may be more challenging to keep your project on track and ensure you achieve your key objectives.
Suggestion: Invest in a project management software program that can help you define each phase of your execution strategy, develop an accurate timeline and delegate tasks to team members. This can help you track your progress and ensure your team has all of the details they need to be successful.
4. Undefined target audience
Defining your target audience before you start working on your systems development project is important because it can help you determine what challenges your customers face and how your software or hardware can help them. Systems development teams that don’t have a deep understanding of what their target audience needs may develop programs that solve challenges their customers don’t need help solving.
Suggestion: Research your target audience by reviewing your customer’s previous purchases, gathering consumer data and analyzing market trends. Then use this information to develop a persona that represents each segment of your target audience. In addition to focusing on basic demographics, such as age and geographic region, try to identify what challenges your customers face. This can help you develop software and hardware programs that provide value.
5. Lack of communication
Lack of communication between departments and team members can create work silos that lead to misalignment. It can also increase the likelihood that team members may be working on the same tasks, which can slow down production.
Suggestion: Schedule a weekly huddle with your team to make sure everyone understands what tasks they’re responsible for and when they need to complete them. You can also ask team members to provide a report on what tasks they accomplished since your last meeting and if they have any suggestions for improvement. This can help you optimize your processes and stay on track.
6. Rigid scope
While it’s crucial to define the scope of your project before your team starts working on it, it’s also important to be flexible throughout the development process. Throughout the project’s life cycle, your customer’s needs and business requirements may change, so it’s important to update your project scope regularly.
Suggestion: Pay attention to industry and consumer trends that may influence your target audience. This can help you determine whether the scope of your project still makes sense. Adapting to changing customer needs and business requirements can help you develop a software or hardware program that is still relevant when you’re ready to launch it.
7. Undefined roles
Having undefined roles can lead to duplicate work and friction between team members. This can slow your processes down and make it more challenging to collaborate with each other effectively.
Suggestion: Try using the DACI framework to establish which team members have the authority to make decisions about specific parts of the project. This framework defines the following roles:
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Driver: This person is responsible for making sure everyone is aware of the decision they need to make, gathering information, asking questions and getting answers. While they don’t make the decision themselves, they do ensure the team arrives at a decision.
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Approver: The approver has the final say and chooses which decision is the most beneficial for the team. Once they’ve received the information they need from the driver, they have complete decision-making authority.
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Contributors: These are experts who help inform the decision-making process. They may provide supporting information or share their experience to help the driver and approver develop the best solution.
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Informed: This group includes anyone who is impacted by the decision, even if they weren’t a part of the decision-making process.
8. Over customization
While it’s easy to understand why a team may want to include several customizable features in their systems design, each new customized element requires valuable time to develop. Teams that over-customize software or hardware features may find it challenging to meet deadlines.
Suggestion: Focus on meeting the key requirements before working on customization requests. If your team has an idea to enhance or customize a feature, write it down and file it away for later. Once your team has met all of the key requirements for the project, you can revisit these ideas and determine which ones you have enough time to execute before the project deadline.
What to do if a systems development project fails
If a systems development project fails, there are several steps you can take to decrease the impact it has on your organization and optimize your processes to improve the outcome of future projects. Here are some tips to help you overcome a failed systems development project:
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Analyze the data: Review the project, gather important information and analyze your data to determine why the project was unsuccessful. Then share this information with your team to help everyone understand how to prevent similar situations from happening in the future.
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Ask for advice: Consider asking a trusted colleague to review the project and provide advice. Listening to an outside perspective can help you see the project as a whole more clearly and identify opportunities to make improvements.
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Take action: Consider what steps you can take to mitigate risks and decrease the impact the unsuccessful project may have on your organization. This might require reallocating recourses or communicating changes with key stakeholders to ensure your company remains profitable.
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Apply what you’ve learned: Once you’ve had time to review your project, make a list of the things you learned throughout this process. Taking the time to think critically about the challenges you face can help you prevent similar situations from happening in the future.
I hope you find this article helpful.
