We do this by:

• turning IT project failure - or potential failure - into a powerful developmental catalyst,

  because the failure of an IT project reveals weaknesses reaching far beyond IT.

• making ultimately failing IT projects deliver a solution,

  because IT projects generally fulfill business needs that have to be met... and the organization didn't prepare for a viable alternative.

• capitalizing on the financial, professional, relational and emotional investment that large IT projects always represent,

  because the intangible benefits of running a large project (better understanding of the business, improved cross-departmental or cross-hierarchical layers communication, development of a team spirit) can outweigh its tangible results (i.e. the solution delivered)

• addressing the organization's weaknesses that have ultimately brought the IT project in difficulty so as to achieve true synergy between IT and organization.

  because IT project failure is but a revealer of weaknesses calling for a holistic therapy encompassing IT, organization and business strategy.

Our approach to achieving those results is not methodological zealotry, procedural fanaticism, over-formalization, over-exploitation of the staff ...black magic

It consists in applying Strategic Simplification i.e. pruning all Pareto inefficient operational processes. This enables both process automation at a reasonable cost and improved manageability by the operational staff.

The pruning of the trivial many activities (i.e. the ones accounting for marginal business benefits - if any) yields the following benefits: 

• the market adjusts itself to the more generic product or service offering (this loss of specificity being compensated by higher quality, cost reduction and brand building)
• the trimming down of unprofitable customers, which of course requires an effort both on the business side (that has to adapt its requirements to a scope defined by business efficiency) and on the IT side (that has to adopt a more business minded attitude).
• the drop of Pareto inefficient activities and processes. (assessed from a market perspective

IT project failure is by no means a seldom or occasional issue. It is widespread and all-pervading as the statistics over IT project failure rate testify. A deeper look into those casualty records provides an appreciable insight into the causes of IT project failure.

Assisting our customers in managing IT projects in difficulty is important to us because IT project failure acts as a revealer of a situation calling for Strategic Simplification. This IT Cortex proprietary methodology puts the finality of IT projects in its right perspective. Projects have unique characteristics that turn them into fantastic organizations' health check. Defining the success or failure of a project is always ... challenging to say the least, given its far reaching implications into a commercial or public organization. The failure of a strategic project should always be considered as the failure of the entire organization. Its effects will not wither away by cutting off a piece of that organization (i.e. firing designated culprits). Only a holistic treatment of the whole organization will have some chance of success.

The consequences of IT project failure can be astounding and have far reaching repercussions as shown in a few examples provided.