Why Projects Fail Paperback – September 12, 2013

This is a very detailed, high-quality guide dedicated to "Why Projects Fail". It is full of interesting photos, pictures and messages/principles that accompany, emphasize and illustrate each point being made, to really drive them home. Naturally there are numerous facts and statistics regarding company project success rates, including a non-exhaustive list of failed projects of some of the big brands (Nike, McDonalds, Ford, Virgin etc), and the reasons why they failed, such as cost overrun, software errors, insufficient training etc.Even the "big boys" make mistakes, which the smaller company can learn from. The scale of the problem may be different but the principle is the same. I bought this as I needed to do some research for the company I work for, and it has certainly surpassed my expectations and given me a huge amount of insight and knowledge into this particular area.It is full of relevant information in the 16 chapters, for example the failure rate, main elements of project failure, reasons for project failure - followed by a few chapters of specific real case studies in failed projects, how they failed and the reasons why. Chapter 16 is titled "How to prevent project failure", and is followed by a Bibliography at the very end.This is a very impressive and professionally presented book. The quality is excellent and I highly recommend this for anyone who requires information on this subject!

While going through several project implementations at work, with mixed results (no failures, just speed-bumps), I saw this book, and became interested in the way that different projects are started, implemented, and sometimes, fail.This was a fascinating read, that didn't skimp on the details! It laid out quite a few projects implemented by multi-million and -billion dollar companies, and how and why they failed. It lays out the different ways that projects can fail (budget being one, and the most prevalent), and how these risks could have been mitigated.It was a fascinating look, full of charts and graphics to both explain the ideas plainly, and keep you interested. And I am pleased to say, this definitely did both for me. Recommended!

I enjoyed this book because it felt new. This book covers (pretty much exhaustively) the types of risk you may encounter in any new project, in a concise and readable manner. I got this book by chance, but now intend to get more by the same author, as I like his style and the way in which he presents information. Rather than just being theoretical, this is a book which uncovers failed projects of familiar brand names of large public and private companies from all over the globe. I have found this book to be a great help when thinking around project risk and how best to audit a project. It also offers great insight around the project lifecycle and how best to ensure a smooth and successful project.

Why Projects Fail is loaded with TONS of useful advice and examples on the failure of projects, as a senior project manager myself I have recommended this book to several of my associates as the knowledge found in here by Shauchenka truly is that powerful.If you're involved in project related work, or are just after an fascinating read then this is the book to get!

The book helped me in recognizing some of the grey areas in the projects i handle. Case studies are very detailed

This is not a book about the problem of project failure. but a very good summary of the issue and the reserch done into its cusess and effects.

A bit of a re-hash of previous materials, with plenty of errors thrown in on the grammar side (Kindle edition). The highlight and reason I bought this book were the case studies, which were interesting enough but didn't go into enough detail for my liking.