Why Software Fails?

As per everyone’s knowledge, there are several reasons for which project might fail, as mentioned in a list
in the provided analysis report. Touching a few of them, let’s assess the reasons why these factors became
a part of the list of reasons of project failure:

1. Unrealistic or Unarticulated Goals: No one wants to set unrealistic expectations, but it happens
all the time. Clients will always want their project delivered yesterday, at the lowest cost and
highest quality. You don’t want to disappoint, so you assure them that everything is possible,
including delivering yesterday (Very LOL). Voilà, you have just set unrealistic expectations. When
the project will eventually get delayed, the client will be unsatisfied and angry. Even if you are
very excited about the upcoming project, don’t commit to an end date until you understand
exactly what the client needs and what you’re expected to deliver.

2. Poor Communication: Effective communication is valuable in the workplace for so many reasons.
It creates a healthy environment for employees, helping them to work efficiently but it also
creates a strong relationship with clients and stakeholders.
The problem with internal communication is that employees don’t know how to talk openly with
each other, while working on the same project. Everybody wants to finish on time, everybody
wants to deal with as few problems as possible. When a problem occurs, things remain unsaid
until it’s too late. Whatever their reasons might be, this jeopardizes the project. When
communicating externally, management is not transparent with the client.
They always say that everything is okay so that the client doesn’t become concerned. When things
get out of control, the client is faced with an even bigger failure and sometimes there’s nothing
they can do about it. Poor communication within your team and with your clients is why projects
fail, your employees become frustrated and your clients unhappy.

3. Unclear Requirements: Not going through a complete planning exercise with your client before
you start building is a guarantee for failure. After you have a clear image of what the client needs
you have to see how that compares to their initial expectations so that you can offer them realistic
solutions that fit their budget and time frame. At the beginning of the project we are so eager to
get the client’s business that we oversee a lot of details that will eventually come back to bite us.
The devil is in the details — and not understanding exactly what the client needs will lead to
disappointment because the outcome will not meet his expectations.
Try to communicate more in the first phase of the project and ask as many questions as you need
in order to have a clear understanding of the project.

4. The Absence of a Good Project Manager: Every team, no matter how skillful, needs a good project
manager. Without one, work becomes chaotic and team members get confused. Not having a
strong management guiding the team leads eventually to a mediocre product that is delivered
too late.
 A good PM has to monitor, control, estimate and plan everything from beginning to end but it
takes more than that to be successful. A good PM brings your team and client together and keeps
them on the same page.

5. Not Investing Enough Time and Money in your Team: Not knowing your team’s strengths and
weaknesses can make you task the wrong people with solving the wrong problems in the wrong
places. Empowering your team members by allowing them to play to their strengths can make
the difference in the success of the project.
More so, not listening to your employees’ needs makes them feel ignored, unimportant and
frustrated. When this happens, their work ethic declines and their output gets worse.
Many managers believe that employee trainings are a waste of time and money. These types of
courses and meetings help teams get along better and understand their industry better, thus
helping the company deliver better.
Keep in mind that not knowing what and how your team works, not listening to your employees
and not investing in trainings can cause the failure of much more than one project.