In general, the situation has not improved in the years since that report. The Year 2000 effort was a major success for the technology community and the business community. It stands as a stunning example of what can be done with committed people and resources working together. In that massive world-wide effort, people were able to focus their energy on the task at hand and did accomplish a very challenging goal. The many lessons learned from that effort need to be applied to more projects in the future.
Some projects start out doing all the right things, then get into trouble.
Successful projects seems like a well-oiled machine arriving on target, within budget and meeting user expectations. A process for keeping the team energized and motivated A committed Executive Sponsor with the time and energy to be the project's champion. Unrealistic expectations Lack of executive support Changing requirements and specifications Lack of planning. A key responsibility of the Executive Sponsor is to provide high-level guidance to the implementation team and to be the project s champion within the organization. The sponsor must be constantly encouraging the team, yet watching for potential bumps in the road that might derail a project.