Review: Why New Systems Fail

Peter B. Giblett — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:00:29 +0000

I have been talking to Phil Simon, who recently published a book “Why New Systems Fail“. He has been good enough to provide my readers with a preview of the first chapter.

Trying is the first step to failure – Homer J. Simpson

With more than 3 in 5 IT projects failing to realise their full potential failure is a large concern both in IT and the business. According to Simon “Organizations have been using major enterprise software for decades but… few have met their original goals and promise”. Yet we continue to use these systems. He paints a gruesome picture of a solution failure, yet each of the examples shown represent real-world problems, that tend to mount during implementation if not controlled.

Simon identifies a failure scale, of which the worst, “Unmitigated” is where an organisation spends a fortune implementing a system, then ultimately junks the system, reverting to the existing legecy system before going out shopping again. I have witnessed this a while ago when a former colleague and good friend called to tell me that his company had been axed by a client after spending $350 million on a new systems implementation. Within 2 years that same organisation was hunting for a new vendor and prepared to pay another insane amount for yet another system.

He also categorises another area of failure, the “Forthcoming Failure”. This is arguably the hardest type of failure to spot. If an organisation has met its goals then how can a system be considered a failure? Good question. Some other categories can impact the ultimate success of a system, including whether users actually adopt the new system or simply revert to their old ways, thus negating the benefits gained and painting an example where adequate testing should have avoided a costly law suit several years later.

The consequences of failure can ultimately impact the reputation of the software company and/or the solution providers.

Failure is NOT a given. Organizations often lack the necessary framework to minimize failure before, during, and after system implementations. “Why New Systems Fail” provides a framework with specific tools, tips, and insight from the perspective of a seasoned, independent consultant with more than a decade of related experience.

There are detailed case studies in the book and you will have to see the full book for these.

Further Information:

Phil Simon “Why New Systems Fail, Chapter 1”

Buy online at Author House for $22.95

Also keep up-to-date at Phil’s Virtual Soap box:

http://www.philsimonblog.com/

Perspectives & Strategy » System Failure

Review: Why New Systems Fail