Funding development projects

by Peter Small


The main lesson learned from the dotcom boom and subsequent crash was that most IT development projects are impossible to value, plan or budget for. There are just too many unknowns.

Nobody can be sure how competent the technical developers are. Nobody can be sure how long a project will take. Nobody can know if a project will work efficiently after its finished. Nobody can predict total costs. Nobody can be sure what the return on investment will be, or, even if there will be one.

In short, investments in IT development projects can be a blind risk.

This article from the CD-ROM "Concepts and strategies" is a guide to controlling risks in IT development projects and devizing a suitable investment strategy that safeguards against loss.