A Systematic Review of The Factors and Management Implications of Information Technology (IT) and System Development Project Failure

Abstrak

Information technology (IT) and system development projects continue to fail at alarmingly high rates despite advances in methodologies, tools, and governance frameworks. This study systematically reviews peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2010 and 2025 to identify the key factors contributing to IT and system development project failure and to propose management recommendations. A structured literature search was conducted using Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, applying a Boolean search string across both title and abstract fields. From an initial pool of 98 identified records, 63 were excluded based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, yielding a final set of 35 articles for full review and analysis. The findings indicate that project failure is influenced by four main categories: technical, project management, organizational, and human. Technical and project management factors emerged as the most dominant across the reviewed literature. Importantly, these factors do not operate in isolation; they exhibit significant interdependencies that collectively amplify failure risk. Based on these findings, management strategies are proposed, including strengthening governance structures, improving project planning and requirements engineering practices, adopting agile methodologies for requirements volatility, enhancing team competency through continuous training, and promoting active user involvement throughout the development lifecycle.