WATCH · Software Delivery_
70% of Software Projects Fail. Here’s Why Yours Will Too.
Saleem Beg · Founder, Teque
● 1:39 · Posted 5 months ago
KEY TAKEAWAYS_
- Failure comes from misaligned definitions of success, not technical problems
- "Small additions" compound into project death
- Most failing projects could be saved at week four — if someone speaks up
TRANSCRIPT_
70% of software projects fail. You've probably heard that statistic, but here's what nobody tells you. Knowing the number doesn't stop you from becoming part of it. So, what actually kills these projects. It's rarely the technology. It's almost never a lack of budget and is definitely not bad luck.
The projects I've watched die over 20 years share three things in common. First, nobody agreed on what success looked like. Everyone had a different picture in their head. The CEO wanted market share. The CFO wanted cost savings. The users wanted simplicity.
And nobody wrote any of it down. Second, the scope kept shifting, but the deadline didn't. Every small addition seemed harmless on its own, but death by a thousand scope creeps is still death. Third, nobody wanted to deliver bad news. Problems were obvious at week four, but didn't surface until month six. By then, the hole was too deep to climb out of. So, here is the
uncomfortable truth. Most failing projects could have been saved at week four, but someone would have had to say, "This isn't working out loud." The 70% isn't law of nature, is the result of predictable, avoidable mistakes. The projects that succeed aren't luckier.
They're just more honest earlier.
“This isn't working out loud, and someone would have had to say it at week four.”
Prefer to read? This take is also a written article.
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