Failed IT projects: is poor IT governance to blame?

Today organisations both in the private and public sectors rely on Information Technology (IT) solutions and continue to make significant investments enabling business via IT. The increase in investment in IT is due to the demand for more efficient and cost-effective delivery of products and services. The dependency on IT and the increased level of investment in IT have motivated a wider accountability focus on strategic technology initiatives. Therefore, organisations have experienced a complex mix of political, organisational, technical and cultural shifts requiring far-sighted management and governance of IT. Throughout the last decade, systems, processes, standards and best practice frameworks have been developed to facilitate effective IT governance. However, a large number of IT initiatives fail to deliver. Gaining value from technology deployment via effective IT governance remains a key concern of management. This paper presents the outcome of the analysis of four IT deployment cases studies. The analysis of the four case studies demonstrated a strong connection between project failures and inadequate governance practices.