Assessment of Successful and Failed IT Projects: Botswana Case Study

This report evaluates the success and failure of IT projects in Botswana, utilizing project measurement models. The study reveals that while many IT projects in Botswana have the potential to provide valuable functionalities, they often fall short of their full potential when assessed against theoretical success models. The report explores the factors contributing to project success or failure, including project management skills, top management support, client contribution, and clear business objectives. It analyzes current practices in Botswana and compares them with literature, highlighting the importance of project planning, risk management, and stakeholder involvement. The report also examines specific examples of IT project failures, such as the MALEPA system, and identifies early warning signs of potential project issues. Ultimately, the study emphasizes the need for effective project management, stakeholder engagement, and a clear understanding of project objectives to improve the success rate of IT initiatives in Botswana.

Running head: SUCCESSFUL/FAILED IT PROJECTS AND HOW THEY WERE ASSESSED
Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
Abstract
The objectives of the report are to evaluate DIT project successful or failure in Botswana
utilizing venture measurements models. A measurements show instrument is created and used to
investigate, and translate the information. The aftereffects of the investigation demonstrates that
lion's share of IT extends in Botswana that could be helpful in providing functionalities what's
more, best satisfactory. Tragically when the tasks are evaluated against hypothetical achievement
models as well as achievement assessment criteria accessible in the proper writing they are most
certainly not up to their maximum capacity, subsequently unsuccessful. In addition, the study
also uncovers that the variables adding to the success or failure of project in their organization
and is quick in order to convey utilitarian systems.

2Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................3
Literature analysis................................................................................................................3
Current practices..................................................................................................................9
Comparison of literature and current practice...................................................................11
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................15
References..........................................................................................................................17

3Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
Introduction
The purpose of the report is doing assessment of success or failure of IT projects. IT
deployment in domains helps empowerment of human capital as well as enhances the quality of
life. In the present report, ICT policy of Botswana is taken as case study for the study. The policy
has aimed creating the enabling environments and provides universal service as well as access to
the facilities of information and communication. In order to actualize the aims of the policies, the
government could embark on IT projects in the E-government in agricultural domain,
communication, education as well as health to mention. However, some of the projects remain
successful as several factors are associated with it. Moreover, appropriate principles and
techniques are neglected to apply. Thus, it is crucial to identify the factors and assess failure or
success of the project. The study includes literature review on the present topic, current practices
as well as comparison between those two.
Literature analysis
The types of failures can be involved in information system from the project in manager’s
view point regardless of the enterprise. On the other hand, changing environment of information
technology engages it makes IS decision (Miller et al. 2014). Thus, it is able to suggest that it is
recruitment for every organizations in order to have experienced IT professionals along with
information technology system that can provide accurate as well as timely information that can
gain advantages for making IS strategic decisions.
There is a report published by Standish Group International revealing gradual as well as
promising escalation in the success rate of IT projects. It is important to have global view of the

4Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
project statistics with heavier concentration. IT projects can be classified into three different
results that can be explained as followed.
Resolution type 1: It is considered as a task achievement when IT project are finished on
allocated time as well as inside spending plan, with all highlights and capacities as indicated. As
it were 39% of undertakings fell in this class.
• Resolution Type 2: It is project challenged while IT projects can be finished, yet are
over cost, over time, as well as without the majority of the highlights and capacities that were
initially determined. 43% of every single contemplated venture fell into the category of
resolution type 2 (Challenged) class.
• Resolution Type 3: It is an undertaking faired project while projects are completed or
drop at some point and consequently ended up plainly add up to misfortunes. A disrupting 18%
of every examined project fell into this class (Hesmondhalgh et al. 2015). Table 1 explains the
outlines the resolutions of IT achievement patterns
2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Successful 29% 35% 32% 37 39%
Failed 18% 19% 24% 21 18%
Challenged 53% 46% 44% 42% 43%
Table 1: Project resolution results from CHAOS
(Source: An et al. 2014)
As indicated by Standish Group International (2012) improvement in the success rate is
because of the accompanying variables: enhanced project environment and procedures,
compelling venture strategies, skilled work force, successful undertaking costing, apparatuses,

5Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
choices, enhancement, tending to of the venture inner and outer impacts and successful group
science. An IT project is fruitful on the off chance that it falls in one of the accompanying classes
of venture achievement;
• Tier 1 – Cicmil and Gaggiotti (2017) stated that the project can get success whether it
delivers that it conveys all or, on the other hand the vast majority of what said for degree, despite
the schedule or spending execution.
• Tier 2 – This type of project is success whether it can be conveyed that said it to make
plan or potentially inside the concurred quality standards.
• Tier 3 – This particular type of project is successful whether it conveys insider the
concurred spending plan as well as quality norms.
• Tier 4 – The project is success if it can convey on all concurred venture targets, be they
scope, plan, quality or results based on the objectives to be accomplished.
• Tier 5 – The project is successful if the products or services delivered by the project
make huge net esteem for organization after the venture is finished. An inside out investigation
and outline of different sources can be achieved from the literature (Neves et al. 2016).
Discoveries from their investigation propose that the best four generally basic achievement
factors incorporate: successful best management support, successful undertaking management,
change management and successful undertaking group interchanges. Moreover, the Standish
Group International (2010) referred to the main contributing elements towards venture
accomplishment to be. In this perspective, top Management support, client Contribution, clear
business destinations, passionate development, streamlining, lithe process, venture
administration ability, gifted assets, instruments and great IT framework. Additionally, support

6Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
from top management has been appeared to be the critical factor for IT anticipates (Seddon et al.
2015). IT project disappointment happen when the IT framework does not convey what is
required, in accordance with desires, inside the normal time and use. Different pointers of
disappointment are:
 When the system overall does not work as expected and its general execution is
problematic;
 If, on usage, it doesn't execute as initially proposed or in the event that it is so
client threatening that it can be dismissed by clients as well as underutilized;
 If, the cost of the advancement surpasses get any advantages on the system may
bring all through its helpful life
 Or because of issues with multiple sided quality of the system, or the
management of project and the data system enhancement is surrendered before it
is finished.
The factors of failure in IT projects
The key factors of IT project failure consists of lack of project management skill and
lack of support from IT department along with changed user needs, ineffective style of
leadership as well as project size and complexity. There are three most important factors that
believe in contributing in failures of IT project management as followed.
Arranging and Estimation factor: The factor alludes to initial cost as well as timetable
gauges are not reconsidered when more data ends up noticeably accessible as advancement in
projects. Moreover plans are not used properly or to manage the project forward, along these
lines making the task fail.

7Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
Deployment factor: The factor is caused by changes in project scope, wrong utilization of
undertaking strategy, big changes in the necessities as well as testing, as well as assessments are
inadequately achieved.
Human factor: Project managers are not properly prepared for procuring the necessary
abilities. Likewise, some of the managers are not ready in applying as well as putting hypothesis
of task manager into training (Taherdoost and Keshavarzsaleh 2015). Poor interchanges are the
cause for human factors that reason a task to fail.
The underlying or major reasons of IT project disappointments that can be classified in to
6 non specific types.
 Factors of project management
 Innovation factors
 Factors associated with top management
 Organizational elements
 Complexity/measure factors
 Process factors
In addition, factors associated with project like size as well as value, density of a project,
life cycle as well as emergency is also included in those. The factors identified with the
undertaking managers are inability to designate specialist, failure to exchange off, powerlessness
to organize, Perception of his part and duties and uncouth Commitment.

8Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
People related to poor specialized foundation, poor communication and powerless
inconvenience shooting and commitment are the major factor associated with it. The factors
identified with the organization such as lack of best management and powerless undertaking
authoritative structure, absence of useful managers' help and project success are included in it.
Factors are also: political condition, economic condition, social factors and technological
condition, client, competitors and subcontractors (Henry et al. 2014). Moreover, project
disappointment factors associated with the accompanying "Early Warning Signs (EWS): People
related to it making incorporate to it are the factor related to it. In addition, lack of top
management support, weak project manger is responsible for it.
There are no stakeholder involvement as well as participation, weak communication of
management group, team individuals absence of essential learning and additionally aptitudes are
the major factors for project failures. Moreover, process related to lack of document needs as
well as success criteria and no business case for the particular project are included in this. In
addition, no change control process and ineffective timetable arranging or potentially
administration, effective communication failure among partners and assets allotted to a higher
need project.
The most basic factors that could hurt the IT anticipate result must have a place with a
portion of the accompanying variables: Lack of best management sense of duty regarding the
venture, Poor client duty, inadequate client inclusion is included among the factors (Canato and
Ravasi 2015). The requirements not surely knew, inability to deal with the desire of clients,
changing extension, lack of abilities, new technology and not adequate staffing, lack of sense of
duty in the organization regarding a frameworks advancement approach, poor estimation

9Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
methods, inadequate individuals administration abilities, failure to adjust to change in business
and inability to deal with arrangement are the factors that are responsible for IT project failure.
Current practices
A contemporary agreement related to the project management needs to consider the
issues of acquirement, morals, expectations of stakeholders, communication, incorporation as
well as other similarly imperative parameters, which signify to be named as "project critical
success factors" (Briand et al. 2015). Botswana tries to execute an arrangement of task basic
achievement factors so as to address the culmination inside which government-financed
ventures.
The government of Botswana should assume a main part in building up the ICT
foundation as it is essential for effective government usage. It ensures that backbone of internet
backbone in country as well as the International Gateway is overseen successfully. In addition,
the management underpins improvement of fiber-optic system in order to be productive
broadband correspondence, and thus diminishes the rates for web access through ISPs. Along
these lines, the management is making an empowering condition for the reception of IT projects
in regular day to day existences of its residents as this is the begin purpose of e-government.
Aside from the officially delineated venture achievement factors, it is proposed that pivotal task
defense and enhancement be done from the beginning (Redondo et al. 2016). This should involve
the practical arranging and foresight, coordination, correspondence and administration traits of
boss undertaking pioneers and the task administration structures embraced by the association to
nature IT project management success.

10Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
In order to accomplish effective execution of IT anticipates in Botswana, the undertaking
must be recognized and bolstered by all partners for effective execution. The contributing
variables are vital to the accomplishment of undertaking in Botswana incorporate appropriate
project arranging as well as hazard management. There are several examples of failure of IT
anticipate in Botswana (Moll et al. 2015). One of the cases is MALEPA system. In addition,
MALEPA system is an online assessment program planned for processing as well as discharging
the Botswana General Testament of Secondary Education (BGCSE), Junior Testament
Examinations (JCE) as well as Primary School Living Examination (PSLE). On the other hand,
MALEPA system is experienced in the specialized issues as well as quality is traded off to keep
arrangement to the limitations in planning products. The "contraption" is introduced just two
months before the arrival of the hopeful outcomes. Henceforth the advisor, who composed the
program, professedly avoided the testing stage and went on to the execution arrange.
On the other hand, the new online system is loaded with several mistakes that could be
recognized at the stage of testing. This brought about Botswana Examination Board paying the
expert more than P40 million in order to settle the system every so often rather than the P1.7
million that it had planned for the delicate (Brandt et al. 2014). The reason behind MALEPA
system failure factors is all enunciated to poor estimation process, lack of effective project
management, poor task consultancy as well as inability to oversee the evolving degree. Another
fail project is the Livestock Information Innovation System Agricultural task (LITS). The failure
is credited to poor understanding of client necessities as well as poor management factors.
The temporary worker are enlisted to keep up hardware used for LITS exercises, for
example, steers developments as well as change of possession licenses are not able to convey
required quality support of Botswana government. Adjusted hardware is not joined through test

11Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
report and making it difficult setting up if the repaired gear is completely useful. The results of
the failed project are basic misfortune of the government income from Beaf (Gregory et al.
2015). Botswana Meat Commission anticipated a half billion Pula misfortune in income for the
initial 75% of 2011 also, a very nearly 50 percent fall in the throughput from 187,000 head in
2010 to under 100,000 head in the year 2011. The government esteems for cash is a worry after
another P137 million as well as P23 million has been spent on the advancement spending plan
and pilot project separately. The Department of Veterinary Services administration is rebuked for
the LITS IT anticipates disappointment Besides, Botswana Telecommunication Correspondence
(BTC) charging framework is a fizzled venture because of uncalled for venture arranging
strategies and inability to adjust to business change factors (Tan-Mullins and Mohan 2013). The
BTC amass lost piece of the pie due to the ensuing passage of versatile administrators in 2000
and the charging framework presented made questions which likewise discolored the BTC
picture. The arrangement of IDI consultancy organization took after buying the disputable P60
million charging framework prompted client departure and the generous misfortunes that the
organization encounter.
Comparison of literature and current practice
Factors that are responsible ICT/IT Project Success in Botswana need to be critically
analyzed. The respondents showed the undertaking achievement factors inserted in IT anticipates
they have been associated with to be;
 The capacity for addressing mechanical as well as specialized issues
 IT ability or usefulness
 Efficient execution methodology

12Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
 Capacity of IT in order to take care of the issue planned to settle
 User preparing, instruction as well as support
 Efficient task group responsibility
 Empowerment
 Requirements management
The participants are emphatically trusted that the components are essential as well as
substantial elements for accomplishment of Botswana IT projects (Redondo et al. 2016).
Notwithstanding a portion of the examinations laid out high effect factors that repudiate basic
achievement factors. It ought to be noticed that the majority of the predominant achievement key
factors set up with regards to Botswana are not on the administrative side, however a large
portion of them originate from the specialized point of view. The outcomes could be firmly
related to the achievement factors that are required to analyze.
Factors Contributing to ICT/IT Project
The prime factors of failure can be indicated as followed:
 IT framework failure to settle problems proposed to understand
 Utilization of specialists
 Poor task administration
 No dedication
 Lack of best management support
 Violation of spending imperatives
 Poor administration style
 Lack of partner association

13Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
The other major disappointment factors that respondents were in concurrence with are the
absence of responsibility from task group. The respondents shown that absence of responsibility
from particular task group, senior management had been the principle factor adding to
disappointments in their ventures as of late. In expansion, the utilization of experts likewise is a
primary factor that adds to extend disappointments in many associations. In spite of the fact that
this repudiates sees concerning disappointment factors illustrated in writing, a few investigations
in Botswana have poor consultancy among factors of disappointment (Taylor et al. 2015). The
discoveries of this study plainly show that the respondents are completely mindful of the
undertaking disappointment factors; in any case, satisfying different activities prerequisites is not
that essential as they would see it. A large portion of the members concurred that the item ought
to be created by clients' and not to client's necessities. Henceforth, the carelessness of major
components by the undertaking administration society in Botswana could be a sign of the way
that this general public has overlooked out and out the standards of the calling. On the off chance
that this ends up being the case, a progressive development is required to change the whole
mentality of venture administration calling in Botswana.
Experience of Project Managers related to the Success or Failure of ICT
Projects in Botswana
Amid interviews, members from every one of the associations concurred that undertaking
chief's experience is one of the primary factors that can rouse the venture achievement or failure
result. When underscoring on fruitful ventures, respondents showed that an effective task
director ought to have procured innovative abilities, space aptitude, and tremendous experience
including generally speaking IT encounter and in addition venture administration encounter. The
discoveries of this examination plainly propose that venture administrators who are less

14Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
experienced, and who have not been engaged with the a decent number of undertakings, and
have generally put in couple of years in senior administration position are probably going to
convey less effective activities (Hobbs et al. 2016). This investigations that venture
disappointments are related with absence of essential learning and experience by venture
directors. It is likewise ordinarily concurred by members that the majority of the unsuccessful IT
anticipates are the ones that were distributed enormous spending plans and a keep running for a
more drawn out time of time. This is past most task director's level of encounter and thus a
principle supporter of venture disappointment.
Meetings likewise uncovered that members discovered it hard to arrange a measure of
accomplishment. Their expressed estimation of undertaking achievement is unique in relation to
the metric model achievement esteem (Guy et al. 20103). For this situation senior supervisors
confirmed that they didn't utilize any measuring apparatus however depended on the venture
measurements of time and spending plan to assess the achievement measure.
The analyst rushes to take note of this couldn't be utilized to censure neither the
undertaking administration mastery nor the experience of the task supervisor in conveying
fruitful/coming up short activities. It is because of need of accord in the use of making typical
estimation of success or failure measure that unmistakably meant that the current framework for
evaluating as well as measuring incentive for getting success or failure of IT anticipates is not
adequate. Along these lines it needs further advancement and change.
Respondents concur that best administration support can decidedly rouse IT anticipate
achievement, this is not all that obvious in the greater part of the fruitful tasks in Botswana. In
any case, most members expressed that even in spite of the fact that best director's help is very

15Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
little of an impact, other task administration achievement systems like encouraging group
responsibility, creating venture administration strategies and strengthening support forms extends
necessities and prerequisites. Analyzing top administration impact towards the fizzled ventures,
members demonstrated that absence of top administration bolster is the key factor contributed to
failure of most of the activities they had been involved with. As an example, the situations where
the best management did not see the advantage of the IT system to the business provided such
undertakings of low requirement as far as asset designation (Tate 2016). It has been discovered
that comparable outcomes in their examination when they contended that top supervisors can
turn into an extreme venture disappointment factor.
When all is said in done, members know about the impact of best administration bolster
towards venture achievement/disappointment result. In any case, the majority of them wanted to
disregard it, be that as it may, relied upon other steady procedures they accepted could prompt
the venture achievement. Along these lines, this came about in the majority of the ICT/IT
anticipate coming up short.
Conclusion
In view of the findings of the study accompanying proposals as well as structure are
recommended for making fruitful ICT project that includes: top management support when it is
essential, clear definition, practical project objectives and top management that ought to have
knowledge in applying different management support procedures to specific industry as well as
culture. Project Managers need to be sufficiently prepared in order to convey more effective IT
anticipates Users need to be associated with each phase of the project life cycle. There are

16Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
requirements for project supervisors to understand and apply metric apparatuses in results of
project.
The future opportunities of the study ought to include: conducting a comparable report
with bigger specimens including more IT projects in Botswana and expanding quantity of
experts to be encountered. In addition, conduction of comparable investigation in several modern
projects (other than ICT/IT anticipates) so as to comprehend the effect of undertaking
administration in Botswana crosswise over multidiscipline and expanding highlights as well as
functionalities of the undertaking the metric model to incorporate designs along with expectation
abilities.

17Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
References
An, J., Quercia, D. and Crowcroft, J., 2014, April. Recommending investors for crowdfunding
projects. In Proceedings of the 23rd international conference on World wide web (pp. 261-270).
ACM.
Brandt, M.J., IJzerman, H., Dijksterhuis, A., Farach, F.J., Geller, J., Giner-Sorolla, R., Grange,
J.A., Perugini, M., Spies, J.R. and Van't Veer, A., 2014. The replication recipe: What makes for a
convincing replication?. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 50, pp.217-224.
Briand, C., Sablier, J., Therrien, J.A., Charbonneau, K., Pelletier, J.F. and Weiss-Lambrou, R.,
2015. Use of a mobile device in mental health rehabilitation: A clinical and comprehensive
analysis of 11 cases. Neuropsychological rehabilitation, pp.1-32.
Canato, A. and Ravasi, D., 2015. Managing long-lasting cultural changes. Organizational
Dynamics, 44(1), pp.75-82.
Cicmil, S. and Gaggiotti, H., 2017. Responsible forms of project management education:
Theoretical plurality and reflective pedagogies. International Journal of Project Management.
Gregory, P., Barroca, L., Taylor, K., Salah, D. and Sharp, H., 2015, May. Agile challenges in
practice: a thematic analysis. In International Conference on Agile Software Development (pp.
64-80). Springer, Cham.
Guy, A.J., Curnoe, D. and Banks, P.B., 2013. A survey of current mammal rehabilitation and
release practices. Biodiversity and conservation, 22(4), pp.825-837.

18Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
Henry, S.M., Van Dillen, L.R., Ouellette-Morton, R.H., Hitt, J.R., Lomond, K.V., DeSarno, M.J.
and Bunn, J.Y., 2014. Outcomes are not different for patient-matched versus nonmatched
treatment in subjects with chronic recurrent low back pain: a randomized clinical trial. The Spine
Journal, 14(12), pp.2799-2810.
Hesmondhalgh, D., Nisbett, M., Oakley, K. and Lee, D., 2015. Were New Labour’s cultural
policies neo-liberal?. International journal of cultural policy, 21(1), pp.97-114.
Hobbs, J., Grigore, G. and Molesworth, M., 2016. Success in the management of crowdfunding
projects in the creative industries. Internet Research, 26(1), pp.146-166.
Miller, K.A., Bell, T.P. and Germano, J.M., 2014. Understanding publication bias in
reintroduction biology by assessing translocations of New Zealand's herpetofauna. Conservation
biology, 28(4), pp.1045-1056.
Moll, P.G., Geli, P. and Saavedra, P., 2015. Correlates of success in World Bank development
policy lending.
Neves, F.G., Borgman, H. and Heier, H., 2016, January. Success Lies in the Eye of the Beholder:
The Mismatch Between Perceived and Real IT Project Management Performance. In System
Sciences (HICSS), 2016 49th Hawaii International Conference on (pp. 5878-5887). IEEE.
Redondo, E., Regot, J., Fonseca, D., Valls, F. and Giménez, L., 2016. One Picture or a Thousand
Words? Influence of Question Length and Illustration Support on the Success and Skip Rates on
Online Tests/¿ Una imagen o mil palabras? Influencia de la extensión de las preguntas y el
soporte gráfico en las tasas de éxito y abandono de las pruebas en línea. Education in the
Knowledge Society, 17(4), p.111.

19Successful/Failed IT projects and how they were assessed
Redondo, E., Regot, J., Fonseca, D., Valls, F. and Giménez, L., 2016, November. What is the
question?: impact of question length and illustration support on the success and skip rates of
preuniversity mock online tests. In Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on
Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality (pp. 91-97). ACM.
Seddon, P.J., Moro, D., Mitchell, N.J., Chauvenet, A.L. and Mawson, P.R., 2015. Proactive
conservation or planned invasion? Past, current and future use of assisted colonisation. Advances
in reintroduction biology of Australian and New Zealand fauna, pp.105-126.
Taherdoost, H. and Keshavarzsaleh, A.B.O.L.F.A.Z.L., 2015, August. A Theoretical Review on
IT Project Success/Failure Factors and Evaluating the Associated Risks. In 14th International
Conference on Telecommunications and Informatics, Sliema, Malta.
Tan-Mullins, M. and Mohan, G., 2013. The potential of corporate environmental responsibility
of Chinese state-owned enterprises in Africa. Environment, Development and
Sustainability, 15(2), pp.265-284.
Tate, D.M., 2016. Acquisition Cycle Time: Defining the Problem. Institute for Defense Analyses
Alexandria United States.
Taylor, M.P., Mead, M.R. and Holloway, M.J., 2015. Delivering Successful PMOs: How to
Design and Deliver the Best Project Management Office for Your Business. Ashgate Publishing,
Ltd..