Large projects are viewed as risky, yet organizations keep launching them.
Is size really a major factor in project failure?
What aspects of size should project managers monitor?
Research Methods
We used data from two surveys of experienced project managers, one from the UK and one from the US, to examine the impact of size on project performance.
Findings
Even small projects fail, at a rate of about 25%
Person-months is the main size element to monitor
Size is an issue because
Large projects increase the risk of volatility (changes in people, targets and external factors) and
Volatility leads to low levels of performance.
Recommendations
Keep the project size in the range of 250 person months
e.g. 20 people for 12 months or some other combination.
On larger projects, put resources in place to deal with volatility.
When faced with a very large or long project, do you modify your project management practices? Please give examples.
Have you managed a short or small project that failed to meet its targets or was not implemented successfully? Why did this happen?
