Prioritizing critical failure factors of IT projects with fuzzy analytic hierarchy process

Abstract

The role of Information Technology (IT) systems is critical for organizations in different sectors to increase their performance and profitability, hence, to achieve the strategic goals. However, failure rate of IT projects is still high despite the development of theories, methodologies and frameworks of IT project management in past decades. The aim of this paper is to (1) identify critical failure factors (CFFs) for IT projects, (2) classify CFFs based on their original source, and (3) prioritize CFFs using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP). Findings provide project managers and practitioners with a framework that contributes in proper planning the project from the start. Trying to diagnose and solve the highly ranked CFFs minimizes the possibility of IT project failure. Results show that the main factors of project team and planning are the highest impact factors on IT projects performance, and critical failure factors (CFFs) of unstable organization environment and poor communication and reporting between project stakeholders are the most CFFs among all CFFs that impact significantly on IT projects and lead to projects’ failure.The role of Information Technology (IT) systems is critical for organizations in different sectors to increase their performance and profitability, hence, to achieve the strategic goals. However, failure rate of IT projects is still high despite the development of theories, methodologies and frameworks of IT project management in past decades. The aim of this paper is to (1) identify critical failure factors (CFFs) for IT projects, (2) classify CFFs based on their original source, and (3) prioritize CFFs using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP). Findings provide project managers and practitioners with a framework that contributes in proper planning the project from the start. Trying to diagnose and solve the highly ranked CFFs minimizes the possibility of IT project failure. Results show that the main factors of project team and planning are the highest impact factors on IT projects performance, and critical failure factors (CFFs) of unstable organization environment and poor communication and report...