The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
State of California - California, USA
Project type : Payroll and benefits system
Project name : 21st Century Project (MyCalPAYS)
Date : Feb 2013 Cost :$254M
Synopsis :
As with many large organizations, the state of California has over the years built up a complex interconnected set of IT systems to support their daily operations. Managing multiple systems can ho...
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Why projects fail
What is Project Success?
"As Project Manager, juggling all of the balls is important, but keeping your eye on the right ball is the key to delivering truly successful projects" - RG
While understanding the causes of project failure is important, without a common definition of "success", there is no clear basis for differentiating a success from a failure. Clearly none of the projects in the Catalogue of Catastrophe can be regarded as great successes (some resulted in bankruptcies, many were cancelled before completio...
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US Department of Defense – U.S. Air Force
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Department of Defense - USA
Project type : Integrated supply chain and logistics system
Project name : Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS)
Date : Nov 2012 Cost :$1B
Synopsis :
When you have 5,400 high-tech aircraft to deploy and maintain, plus 330,000 active personnel to coordinate, you have a major logistics problem on your hands! To manage those...
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Boeing Commercial Aeroplanes
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Boeing Commercial Aeroplanes - USA
Project name : 787 Dreamliner
Project type : Commercial aircraft development
Date : Jan 2003 - Jan 2013
Cost : Additional $12B to $18B on top of original $5B cost estimate
Synopsis :
For Boeing Commercial Aeroplanes the week of January 14, 2013 has been a bad one. Images of firefighters tackling a fire onboard a Japan Airlines 78...
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The Bean Counter’s Blind Spot
Lesson learned: Be careful what you measure and how you measure it.
Category: Project objectives / Decision making.
The following post is a “Lesson Learned” that comes from the analysis of the failed projects documented in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” or from the experiences the editorial team have had working with clients around the world. The post is published here to spark discussion and help individuals and organizations think about what it takes to improve project success rates.
I can...
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Northern Rock Asset Management
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Northern Rock Asset Management - UK
Date : Dec 2012
Cost : £270M
Synopsis :
Sometimes, the devil really is in the details!
With a history dating back to the 1850's, Northern Rock Bank became part of the international news story when in late 2007 the company was engulfed in the sub-prime mortgage debacle. Triggering a "bank-run", panicked custome...
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Cheese and Onion – Frameworks for Analyzing Project Failure
When it comes to improving success rates, the commercial aviation sector has been one of the most successful. In 1930 taking a commercial flight was risky business. When you board a flight today, the chances of an accident taking your life is about 1 in 30 million. Through rigorous accident investigations and a willingness to challenge every facet of the problem, the industry has continually improved its safety record.
Sadly, success rates for the projects in today's businesses are far worse ...
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Sanctuary of Mercy Church – Borja, Spain
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Sanctuary of Mercy Church - Borja, Spain
Date : Aug 2012
Cost : Unknown
Synopsis :
Granted, this is the smallest project in the catalogue, but it is a good illustration of one of the most basic building blocks of a successful project: the need for people with the right knowledge, skills and experience! Ecce Homo (Behold the Man) by Elias Garcia Martinez w...
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Project Orca – 2012 US Presidential Campaign
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
2012 Mitt Romney Presidential Campaign - USA
Project name : Orca
Project type : Political campaign - Operations management system
Date : Nov 2012
Cost : Unknown
Synopsis :
The 2012 US Presidential election illustrates how the failure to properly test a key system can cause an embarrassing failure at a critical point in time. To help manage the logistics...
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Sinclair C5
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Sinclair Vehicles - UK
Project name : C5
Project type : Personal transportation device
Date : 1985 (filed under historical failures)
Cost : $12M, plus significant damage to the reputation of the Sinclair brand
Synopsis :
Sir Clive Sinclair was one of the visionaries who made personal computing a reality. Launched in 1980, his ZX-80 PC helped usher i...
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