#digital implementation

Have you ever wondered why some digital implementation projects fail? It could be from various problems, which cause failure in any project. A study by IBM found that around 40% of IT projects that are tight on budget, goal, and schedule tend to fail. This is brought on by the business because they fail to learn from previous mistakes and tend to have the same business operations in place.

It is not always easy to admit your mistakes, but when it comes to digital implementation projects there can be no margin for error.

That is the reason why we are going to be covering 5 of the biggest reasons why digital implementation projects have failed, and the lesson that came out from it.

Mistakes can be made on any project and by anyone, so never be complacent enough to assume that you will never make mistakes when handling digital implementation projects. No matter what the cause of the failure, you can always take some lessons from it so that you don’t repeat your mistakes.

Related: Digital Transformation Best Practices Management Guide to Digital Transformation

The Reasons Why Projects Fail

The age-old question of why digital implementation projects fail is down to various factors. You may think that you may know some of them, but let’s uncover them in detail so that you know the real reason why projects fail. 

Here are five reasons why digital implementation projects fail, and the important lessons you can learn from them: 

1. Failing to use a process

This is one of the most common reasons why projects tend to fail, and it is mostly because you believe that you don’t need to use a process because it doesn’t bring enough value. Skipping any process when you’re working on a digital implementation project can cause you a lot of problems. This happens on most projects because management tries to save time by cutting corners and therefore eliminating processes they think aren’t crucial. It is the simple things that matter when it comes to digital implementation projects because every process is important.

The Lesson: Always trust the process

It may seem unnecessary but to ensure success for your digital implementation project, you need to keep faith in the process. Even if that means taking more time, you should go through everything, from discovery, to estimation, and to QA processes. You need to protect the process and set a good example for everyone by making sure that they follow your lead.

2. Panicking when things don’t go to plan

It can be difficult to focus on the project when things don’t go to plan, but you shouldn’t panic, because it will only make things worse. There is nothing worse than losing control of the project, but you should remain calm when it seems easier to panic. If you lose control of the project, you will never regain it, and the entire project will fail as a result.

The Lesson: Keep going

When things aren’t going to plan, you should remain calm, and analyse the project. Investigate the problem instead of losing control, which will jeopardise the project.

3. Become Friendly with your clients

Being nice to your team and clients may is alright, but you shouldn’t go out of your way to become too friendly with them. This isn’t to say that if your clients or team become your friends there will be a lack of professionalism, but it can lead to you taking your eye off the prize. There have been instances where mistakes were let go because you were too friendly, or processes were ignored because you were too friendly with your team.

4. The Lesson: Stay professional

You need to be professional for the sake of the project, and if you can do that while being friendly then all the better. However, never compromise the project for the sake of your friendship with clients.

5. Not making tough decisions

When it comes to digital implementation projects you need to be tough so that you can properly dissect the project and ensure its success. At such times, you need to place the blame firmly at the feet of individuals that are hampering the project. You must make choices that seem difficult but are necessary for the sake of the project, because it will lead to your project going the distance.The 

6. Lesson: Stay on top of things

You need to keep your eye on the ball always, which means not becoming soft with certain individuals, because if you let your standards drop the project will fail.

7. Lack of communication

This is one of the most common reasons why projects tend to fail because lack of communication is a serious problem. You need to be an effective communicator if you want to ensure that your digital implementation project succeeds.

The Lesson: Always communicate