Leadership failure is also often cited – although in our experience we find client personnel committed to change but under-resourced for the goal established. There also exists inherent conflicts in the consultant driven IT spend model that also play into failures.  These conflicts go to the heart of how software firms and offshore resources drive projects. In short success demands:

- In-depth planning at a detailed functional and transactional level
- Analysis of the impact on people within the organization required to support testing, learn new systems and continue in their day-to-day responsibilities
- Successful execution in stages (phase or decision gate)
- Avoiding “rosy” and overly optimistic goals 
- Avoiding the pitfalls of project bureaucracy
- Understanding that standardized IT systems are useful if you have standardized processes – but core business processes are rarely standardized
- Realistic budgets and timelines.