The Attack of the Killer Assumptions

Why some projects go so badly wrong

The full text of the following article is available in .pdf format exclusively. Download the .pdf. An excerpt is provided below:

---

The high failure rate of systems projects takes a huge toll on a company’s ability to operate cost effectively and efficiently. Much has been written about why projects fail. Here we take a look at one of the factors that may be at the root of this persistent problem: the all-too-human practice of making apparently reasonable assumptions. Making assumptions in itself is not wrong. What turns assumptions into project killers is not declaring and communicating the basis of an assumption so that its authenticity can be verified.

George Edwards is a Senior Consultant and Strategic Specialist with LTC International.