The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
IBM (International Business Machines) - USA
Project type : Organizational performance improvement and strategic realignment
Project name : Roadmap 2015
Date : 2010-2014 Cost : Unknown
Synopsis :
Most of the projects noted in the catalogue were aimed at producing some form of product or tangible deliverable. IBM’s “Roadmap 2015” initiative is a little dif...
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Failed private sector project
Sinking of the RMS Tayleur
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
White Star Line
Project name : RMS Tayleur
Project type : Passenger ship
Date : 1854 (filed under historical failures)
Cost : Unknown
Synopsis :
The sinking of the White Star Line's Titanic on her first voyage is one of the world's classic disaster stories. What few people know is that the Titanic was not the first passenger liner sailing under the White St...
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Avon Products
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Avon Products - Canada
Project type : Product sales and ordering system
Project name : The "Promise" project
Date : Dec 2013 Cost : $100 to $125M
Synopsis :
Ding-dong - Avon calling. According to reports, a significant number of the Avon sales team in Canada will no longer be pressing any doorbells. One of the world's most established direct sales compan...
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J.C. Penny
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
J. C. Penny Company Inc - USA
Project type : Nationwide merchandise pricing strategy
Project name : Fair and square
Date : Nov 2011 - May 2013 Cost : Contributor to $1B loss
Synopsis :
Know thy customer is the marketer's prime directive. Understand your stakeholder's is the Project Manager's corollary. J.C. Penny is a national level department store chain in the U...
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J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Project type: Financial risk analysis tool
Project name: New Synthetic Credit VaR (Value at Risk) Model
Date: Sep 2011 (project) - Apr-Jun 2012 (operational failure)
Cost: Approximately $6B
Synopsis:
Sometimes the mightiest of the mighty is humbled by the meekest of the meek. Microsoft Excel may not be the most grandiose sof...
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British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB)
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) Limited – Middlesex, UK
Project type: Customer Relations Management system
Project name: Sky CRM Project
Date: Jan 2010 court case concluded Cost: £265M
Synopsis:
2010 marked the end of another chapter in what is reputed to be IT's longest and most expensive court battle: the battle between BSkyB (a digital televi...
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Airbus – A380
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Airbus SAS - France
Project name : A380
Project type : Commercial aircraft development
Date : Dec 2000 - Oct 2007
Cost : $6.1B in additional costs due to project delays*1
Synopsis :
I've often written about decision-making in the project environment and how the decisions made in a project shape the outcomes the project achieves. Often when a project ...
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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 ...
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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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