Poor Communication Strategy as a Cause of IT Project Failure

What were the key reasons for the IT implementation failure? 

The success and the failure of an IT implementation project completely relies on the company and the project team members responsible for the integration of the system. Different reasons lead to the failure of all the IT projects despite the area of application. From the case study provided it is evident that one of the main problems that led t the failure of the implementation was the communication strategy that was employed for the project. Implementation of a project to become successful relies on the effective communication strategy that is adapted for the program. From the analysis of the case there was poor communication hence a number of operations were deemed to fail. Communication is important for the passing of the project requirement. This is the most essential part of the project here the case study failed to integrate effectively (Parmenter, 2015). This in most cases leads the implementation of the wrong functionalities which end up wasting the project resources and time. In the long run the requirement does not match the projects deliverables. Apart from the case study, there or other key reasons that lead to the failure of the implementation of IT systems. This include the proposed project time. Some projects are allocated very limited amount of time that affects the effective deliverability of the project requirement. Due to this the project ends up being rushed and in the long run the project fails (Kerzner, & Kerzner, 2017). This happens in most cases where the choose time line has not been efficiently calculated factoring in all the project variables. With this at hand, the project members tend to develop and implement the system in a rush trying to meet the deadlines hence fail to effectively deliver on the requirements. Another key reason for the failure is the poor implementation of the testing phase of the project. This is one of the most important part of the implementation of the project. Errors with the implemented system are captured at this point and the minute this is not the case then the whole project is deemed to fail.

In respect to the provided case, both parties are responsible for the failing of the project. An IT implementation project is a responsibility of both the team members in the development or the implementation of the project as well as the company implementing the project. This case for team works hence the failure of the project is recognized not as an error from a particular side but a failure from both team members of the entire project. The communication of the requirements of the project were to be covered by The Queensland Health but it seems that some of the details were not effectively covered. This was not a failure from the project developers or the body responsible for the implementation (Kerzner, & Kerzner, 2017). With this in mind, the other parties were also responsible for the failure since it was among their responsibilities to analyses the provided information and the understanding of the project.

Other Reasons for IT Project Failure

Implementation of a patient’s information management System by Agakan Health care is one good example of a successful health sector IT system implemented successfully. The heath sector in the year 2016 managed to carry out a complete patient management system implementation in the hospital. The system was to replace the old patient management procedure that was carried out in the hospital and introduce a new system which was more interactive and connected the hospital with its patients in a closer perspective. The project was launched in the beginning of the year where most of the work that was carried out was theoretical (Hornstein, 2015).  This identifies the first step to the success of the system, during this time the organization and the contracted IT firm were familiarizing with all the activities that the hospital was carrying out before getting down to the actual project. There was a clear communication of the system requirements for all the concerned stakeholders of the project. After this the hospital nominated a few of its employees in to the development team of the project. These members were to guide the other project mates in case they were deviating from the proposed requirements. With this, the system had been secured against deviating from the intended requirements. The project was then allocated enough time that gave room for continuous scheduled presentation on the progress of the project. This helped the hospital keep the constant check on the project and ensured that their requirements were being addressed (Hornstein, 2015). The project development team and the health center kept in touch throughout the entire project to ensure that the deliverables were being met. On the testing phase of the project, the phase was carried out extensively to try and root out any errors that may be with the system and also ensured the smooth implementation of the project to the hospital. With the above being addressed the project ended up a success a thing that many fails to achieve. 

There were different reasons that led to WorkBrain from being not utilized. As identified in the case, the implementation or the utilization of work brain ended up complicating the entire system. Implementation of this system meant the introduction of new requirement such as the connection between WorkBrain and SAP required the development of an interface that would facilitate the communication between the two this introduced the variable which complicated the system more. The other main reason was the huge number of employees that were in the health sector which was 8500 (Eden, & Sedera, 2014). This number made it hard for the WorkBrain functionality. The high number made the implementation of the project much complicated hence making WorkBrain less favorable.   

Case Study: Successful Implementation of a Patient Information Management System in Healthcare

With the current state of The Queensland Health project it is possible to give a few recommendations that can probably elevate the heath sector from their current state. This would be the implementation of the information system project. For them to successfully integrate the system, a clear understanding of the system requirements will be needed. This will help in the identification of the problem that will be solved by the system (Eden, & Sedera, 2014). Also, the development of the system and the implementation needs not to be rushed. Let the whole process be extensively covered to avoid any issues that may arise due to the less time allocated to address the problem. The testing phase of the system is also another important section of the implementation phase that needs to be addressed effectively. This also ensures that the implemented system meets the defined system requirements.

Social media for business

Research indicates that there is an increased adoption of social media and that it is shifting the way businesses operates. Currently what matters in business is not whether one should employ social media for marketing; the question is how to do it and what the best platform is. Social media is an expansive word employed to define the diverse virtual technology tools that allow individuals to connect through the internet by sharing information and resources. Sharing on social media takes different shapes including blog posts, posting photos and videos, audio files, links, and status updates. Furthermore, the various platforms also offer feedback mechanisms to make them more of an interactive forum. Initially, the aim was to have social media as a platforms where family and friends could share information, however with time social media has outgrown its initial purpose to become a tool that businesses can use to interact with their customers, interactions amongst employees, and interactions between the management and the employees (Media 2010).

The online community has become a culture on its own an effective and prolific innovator as well. In marketing, the online community has altered the rules of branding in terms of the kind of techniques that work and those that do not. The business community cannot underestimate the potential of social media as it has transcended from being just a want to become a need. Data collected in January 2018 indicated that there are 4.02 billion internet users representing almost 53% of the world population. The active users account for 42%, which is about 3.2 billion active users. The numbers alone are a manifestation of the potential held by social media and its ability to grow even further(Authors 2013).

The Potential of Social Media for Businesses

With such massive potential, it is impossible to ignore its potential especially in the marketing world. The massive adoption of social media and its promising potential for continued growth has become a treasure mine for businesses especially with increased competition and the need to continuously engage and interact with consumers. Print media and radio advertisement are slowly losing their relevance and social media aggressively replacing their roles in advertisement and consumer interaction platform (Success 2011).

The potential of growth offered by social media means that businesses ought to leverage appropriate social media networks for effective use. The aim is not just becoming a member of the various social media platforms available but it is because the target audience is most likely to be found in the various platforms. Purposefully consumers continuously interact with their preferred products on diverse levels. Having a social media presence increases the chances of the business to generate increased revenue and to better associate and interact with consumers on a whole new level (Reports et al. 2009).

It is the most recognized social media platform globally with over a billion users worldwide with an approximate 50% being active users of the platform. The platform is used to stay connected with friends and family, used for discovering new things as well as sharing things that matter. it offers a podium that can be used to connect with different people(Media & Sites 2010).

Facebook offers businesses an opportunity to have real-time interactions with customers and potential customers. Being free it allows businesses to receive real-time feedback and to engage with other potential clients (Hoffmann & Novak, 2012). Google often spot Facebook business pages offering businesses an opportunity to reach its customers. Moreover, for purposes of networking, internal and external communication, planning, and tracking events, and the promotion of products and services companies can use Facebook. As consumers spend more time on social media, the platform becomes a go-to source for products and brand information. Research indicates that posts relating to brand on Facebook attract 10.7% more subscribers than the brand existing subscribers. It was also revealed that 4.2% of all Facebook users who see a Facebook Page’s post engage with it differently; be it by reading a status, liking a post, watching a video or clicking a link(Title et al. 2012).

This social media platform allows subscribers to send and read a maximum of 140 characters messages commonly referred to as tweets. It has a limited number of characters that when properly utilized become powerful messaging tools. Twitter has approximately a billion registered users(Twitter 2011).

Twitter can be used by businesses to share brief information relating to their products or services. More so, twitter has proved to be an effective tool to quickly address emerging issues and issuing company position on certain social issues. The messages are brief and are easily understood.

Founded in 2006, YouTube allows its users to discover, watch, and to share videos. Through YouTube, people are able to connect, inform, and inspire others through videos. Furthermore it has become a distribution platform for advertisement content. It is the most sought after platform for video marketing. It is also used to share instructive videos on how to do certain things or how to perform certain tasks (YouTube , 2018).

Businesses can therefore get exposure by making interesting yet informative videos attracting many views. However, it is not enough to make a video; the video should be interesting, tasteful, and captivating (Hoffmann & Novak, 2012). The video should capture the viewers’ attention by invoking an emotional response from the viewer. It has gained its relevance in the business community because the content shared have a direct effect on the human experiences (Hoffmann & Novak, 2012). The key to having effective videos is making the viewing process to generate an emotional response(Media 2016).

It is the largest professional network with over 300 million subscribers in more than 200 countries. It is more of a platform meant for professionals by allowing them to connect, share insightful information regarding various professions, receiving updates on jobs, news, and people. The main purpose is for professionals to network and connect with other professionals in the same field or in different fields(Linkedln 2016).

The networks and the connections can help build and boost the relationship base of a business. Connections are significant because they open up new possibilities of other connections that can be tapped for business ventures. Members find jobs and pursue job opportunities but also get recommendations from their connections (Hoffmann & Novak, 2012). However, its nature requires users to have a professional profile as it offers an opportunity to make a first impression(United Business Media 2008).

It is an online photo-sharing and video sharing platform. Owned by Facebook, Instagram has over 150 million active users on a monthly basis. Images on Instagram can also be linked to Facebook and Twitter. People can comment on the shared pictures, it makes marketing relatively easier by generating a conversation. For example, customers or brand ambassadors especially those employing celebrity advertisements can have them post pictures using a product or a service and hashtagging the company in question(Instagram 2016).

Mainly used by users to source inspirations or generate ideas for various projects or interests. A majority of its users are mainly female. It has gained prominence through its unique approach in beauty of digital collections(Delo 2012). The idea behind it is for users to share beautiful and captivating images for others to admire. Users mainly use it for inspiration on photography, recipes, and unique ideas, amongst others. Businesses can use this to become a curator of a product, driving traffic back to their main website(Lee 2016).

In as much as Google+ has not established its place in the social media world, it offers its users quite distinct advantage compared to other social media sites in that it is owned by Google, the leading search engine. The advantage offered lies in the search engine optimization, Google favours content from its own members over and above other platforms. Having a business on Google+ can be rewarding when talking about search results and an account can definitely favour the outcomes. Another advantage is Google+ Hangout a live video messaging platform that allows users to send emails to other user’s even without knowing the users email address(McCracken 2005).

Blogs are simple websites used for posting information relating to particular topics or governed by various themes. Podcasts are audio files covering a wide range of issues; recently professionals use podcasts to state their own opinions. The greatest advantage offered by the blog is its capacity for interactions within the comment section. Blogging and podcasts allows the user to express ideas and opinions(Rifkin et al. 2010).

Blogs can be used by companies for internal communications and to offer content that can be read by its customers. The main challenge with blogging facing companies lies in creating quality content. The content found in blogs should not only be informative but also creative and should entice the reader to come back for more(Institute of Business Ethics 2011).

Approximately 17% of the world’s population purchases item, pay bills, or book for hotels or events online. Advanced economics such as the US, UK, South Korea, Sweden, Germany among others have the highest penetration of e-commerce and a majority of the population is increasingly making purchases or seeking services online. The highest users in these categories are aged between 18-34, interestingly this is the same category with a presence on various social media platforms. As such they are likely to make purchases with the influence of social media. A recent study done by Twitter revealed that one in every four new vehicles bought in the US were influenced by other Twitter users(Andriole 2010).

Conclusion

Through social media, businesses can create a multitude of ideas and theories with wide ranging effects. Social media is megatrend whose tentacles reach everywhere in all sectors of the economy. The continuous growth of social media bears both positive and negative impacts. Kaplan and Haenlein in their research indicate that information technology increases the user’s online social networking and information sharing behaviors. The internet influences how businesses are conducted and the interaction between the business and consumers. Social media is among the most popular internet services in the world(Title et al. 2012). Today industry players embrace the role of social media as a communication tool for marketing and strategic decision. Social media influences how a company interacts with the consumer and how consumers interact with other consumers, which is very instrumental in decision-making process (Hoffmann & Novak, 2012).

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