Independent research shows that conventional (and we mean the main stream methods) do not consistently deliver projects on time, to budget or scope. On average 4 out of 5 projects fail on any one of these criteria. Standish and other research firms find that this is true across all projects and cultures
| The Standish Group | PDI Survey |
| 75% of completed projects are late | 91% finished late |
| Average cost overruns are 189% | 51% come in over budget |
| Average time overruns are 222% | 63% overload resources |
| 30% cancelled before they finish | 33% didn't meet expectations |
| 39% of projects with budgets over US$10m failed |
Why is it that after nearly 50 years of focussed attention toward improving project outcomes we are still getting these undesirable effects?
What is claimed is that projects fail because they do not rigorously follow the PMI project management body of knowledge. But many projects do and still fail?
The problem is not that people are poorly trained, or projects have insurmountable technical issues or difficult clients. Projects fail because current project management methods fail to correctly handle either the uncertainties that cause disruptions, the complexity inherent in most projects and the pressure to work on many projects at the same time.
