Business and IT still world’s apart

Poor ties between IT departments and businesses are the major source of IT project failure according to a survey of IT managers released by consultancy Unilog. It also found only 10% of IT managers always appoint a business sponsor at the outset of an IT project and 100% had experience of a project that failed to meet all its objectives. While IT managers are now avoiding common implementation pitfalls, the firm projects are still failing because they have inadequate input from business managers. Key concerns of IT managers are over inadequate links with business managers (32% of companies over £250m turnover), expectations not properly set and inadequate project scoping (both at 20%). “IT managers are getting frustrated,” explains Camille Libosvar, managing director of Unilog UK. “But then so is the business when an IT project fails to deliver. Yes, IT is there to support the business, but it shouldn’t be a one way street. “Business managers must be involved from the outset and this teamwork must continue throughout the length of the project. We need to dispel the myth that IT projects are the sole concern of IT managers – they are business initiatives and should involve all levels within an organisation.” The survey also givers some indication of resource wasted by companies due to failed IT projects. Two thirds of those surveyed disclosed figures for poor projects against budget, and 18% indicated that they came in between 51 and 100% over.