Why IT projects still fail
Executive Take
AI is now a new failure trigger, not just a fix. Teams that speed up coding with AI but don't add reviewers or change managers will ship faster mistakes, not faster wins.
Executive Summary
CIO.com surveys project experts on why IT projects still fail. PMI's 2026 Pulse of the Profession report finds 31% of complex projects miss their full intended benefits. Experts cite 12 causes, including weak project management, unclear success metrics, poor prioritization, no business owner, slow decision-making, and unchecked AI outputs.
Why It Matters
CTOs and CIOs are pouring resources into AI-driven projects without fixing basic ownership and decision-making gaps. HR and change leaders should note that poor change management, not bad technology, is named as the top reason projects fail.
Bizquad Perspective
Most leaders think AI will shrink project risk, but this piece shows AI is quietly adding a new failure mode: fast, confident, wrong output with too few humans checking it.