Information systems failure: Identifying the critical failure factors

Despite the extensive literature surrounding the area, IS failures continue to occur with some regularity, imposing significant costs on the organizations involved. This article is an attempt to break this cycle of failure by identifying patterns of factors associated with IS development failure and proposing a predictive structure. The research analyzes six failed information systems developments and identifies a set of common factors that were associated with the occurrence of IS failure. It is proposed that these factors, termed Critical Failure Factors, may be applicable to all IS developments and may be used to predict and prevent IS failure occurring and capture the important lessons that may otherwise be lost. Copyright © 1997 Cognizant Comm. Corp. All rights reserved