Are most project failures avoidable?
Projects rarely fail because an organisation lacks expertise or data. More often, they fail because important knowledge already exists but is not shared, questioned or used at the right time.
These are unknown knowns: facts that someone holds but does not recognise as important, assumes others already know, or feels unable to raise. They can also be hidden assumptions—ideas that were once true, or are generally accepted, but no longer apply to a particular product, technology or regulatory situation.
This means many delays, wrong turns and costly surprises may be avoidable.
You might remember the Mars Climate Orbiter in 1999 which was lost because one team used imperial units while another expected metric units, sending the spacecraft too close to Mars. The necessary knowledge already existed, but it was split between teams and hidden behind the assumption that the data matched the specification. The real failure was not a lack of information, but a failure to connect, question and act on what was already known.
To avoid such catastrophic project failures, the key is to bring knowledge together, separate evidence from assumption and create an environment where people feel safe to speak openly. Structured workshops, cross-functional discussion and an experienced external perspective can help uncover risks that conventional risk registers often miss.
The aim is not simply to produce a longer list of risks. It is to make better decisions, strengthen the project and reduce unpleasant surprises.
What does your organisation already know that your project has not yet discovered?
Written by Dr Steve Bingham and Dr Mike Florence
To get free access to our interesting schedule of publications about high performing life science organisations, join our Community here.