First, let's define best practices in project management. These are techniques or methodologies based on research and numerous successful projects, resulting in delivered systems that exceed expectations. According to the American Productivity and Quality Center, the three main barriers to adoption of best practice techniques are:

Lack of knowledge of business processes: Project teams are reluctant to take the time to document the current processes, both automated and manual. How you can determine future processes if you are not familiar with how the current ones work?
Limited desire to make necessary changes: Insurers who do not embrace changes in the industry and who insist on doing things the way they have always done them often cause their own failures. Change is inevitable. How an insurer adopts the changes in methodology says a great deal about their views on technology and their definition of best practice.
Unskilled technology resources: New technologies require IT professionals to keep pace with developments in the industry. Gone are the days when an IT development team knows only its area of expertise. Modern technology requires broader, skill-based developers who are experienced in integrating applications to different delivery platforms and who understand, at a minimum, how the software fits into the environment.

Taking this a step further, even if all of these barriers have been overcome and project teams have adhered to best practices, they still seem to miss the mark in delivering products and platforms that meet expected results.

Special Reports /

Can IT projects fail when following best practices?

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