Global managers fail to criticise poor project management

A third of corporate IT projects fail to perform against expectations, new research claims.

According to a report from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), 43 per cent of organisations say that their business managers and the board simply accept IT problems as the normal state of affairs. This attitude is especially common in Europe (44 per cent) and Asia-Pacific (48 per cent).

Common problems cited included overrun on time (62 per cent), budget (49 per cent) and higher than expected maintenance costs (47 per cent). In addition, one in four companies said that they find business users are reluctant to adopt the new systems once implemented.

The research, which surveyed 800 middle and senior IT managers in large companies across eight countries worldwide, was carried out by Dynamic Markets on behalf of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Markets covered included the US, UK, France, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore and Sweden.

"Businesses should look at how their partners operate before signing on the dotted line," said N. Chandrasekaran, chief operating officer and executive director, Tata Consultancy Services.

"They should consider longevity of partnerships, repeat business, and organic growth of relationships. Financial credibility and global reach are also important in today's world economy - ultimately what businesses should look for is the ability to provide the right services at the right cost in the right timeframe."