Table 1
Reasons for Contemporary System Failures
| Category | Examples |
| Communication | Ineffective outgoing communication |
| Ineffective listening | |
| Failure to effectively prepare the staff for the new system | |
| Culture | Hostile culture within the information systems organization |
| Hostile culture toward the information systems area | |
| No strategies to nurture or grow a new culture | |
| Underestimation of complexity | Missed deadlines and cost overruns |
| Lost credibility | |
| Scope creep | Failure to define and maintain original success criteria |
| Failure to renegotiate deadlines and resources if criteria do change | |
| Organizational | No clear vision for the change |
| Unintended consequences | |
| Ineffective reporting structure | |
| Staff turnover | |
| Staff competency | |
| Provision of a technical “fix” to a management problem | |
| Lack of full support of “boss(es)” | |
| Roles and responsibilities not clearly defined or understood by everyone | |
| Several people vying to be “in charge” | |
| Adequate resources not available from the beginning | |
| Failure to benchmark existing practices | |
| Inability to measure success | |
| Technology | System too technology oriented |
| Poor procurement | |
| Lure of the leading (bleeding) edge | |
| Inadequate testing | |
| Training | Inadequate or poor-quality training |
| Poor timing of training—too early or too late | |
| Leadership issues | Leader too emotionally committed |
| Leader's time over committed | |
| Too much delegation without control | |
| Failure to get ownership in the effort | |
| Leader's political skills weak | |
| “Lying” to get initial approval |
