Why Most IT Projects Fail—And How Citizen Development & Vanguard Virtues Can Change the Game

Alethia-
Oct 9
2 min read

We've all witnessed it—or perhaps lived through it.

📉 The IT Project Death Spiral:

The client shares a bold vision (with vague details).
The Business Analyst attempts to translate that vision, often without firsthand operational experience.
The Developer codes something they think matches the requirements.
The Tester identifies gaps—too late in the process.
The Client responds, “This isn’t what I asked for.”

The cartoon illustrating this scenario. While it elicited some chuckles, behind every laugh lies a reality of wasted time, overrun budgets, and frustrated teams.

The Stark Reality of IT Project Failures

Recent data paints a concerning picture:

Approximately 19% of software projects result in complete failure, with 49% facing budget overruns.
A 2025 report indicates that 42% of businesses have scrapped most of their AI initiatives, up from 17% the previous year.

High-profile failures include:

The 2024 Delta Air Lines disruption, where a faulty software update led to the cancellation of over 7,000 flights, affecting 1.3 million customers and costing Delta over $500 million.
The British Post Office scandal, where IT system faults led to wrongful accusations against sub-postmasters, causing significant reputational and financial damage.

These examples underscore the critical need for a paradigm shift in how we approach IT projects.

Embracing Citizen Development

What if the individual building the solution:

Has direct experience with the operational challenges?
Doesn't require a Business Analyst because they are the business?
Can build, test, and implement the tool themselves—streamlining the entire process?

This is the essence of Citizen Development and one of the reasons I became a Certified Citizen Developer Early

By empowering non-technical employees to create applications using low-code or no-code platforms, organizations can:

Accelerate solution delivery.
Reduce miscommunication.
Enhance user adoption rates.

The adoption of citizen development is on the rise:

61% of companies either have or plan to have functional citizen development initiatives.
Gartner predicts that by 2025, citizen developers will outnumber professional software developers by a factor of 4:1.

The Imperative of Robust Governance

However, with great power comes great responsibility.

Without proper oversight, citizen development can lead to:

Shadow IT: Unmonitored applications that pose security risks.
Single Points of Failure: When only one individual understands a critical application, the organization becomes vulnerable if that person departs. When you do not have governance setup and let things go for too long you might not even know what's going to break when that user leaves the company.

To mitigate these risks, organizations must establish:

Clear governance frameworks: Ensuring all applications meet security and compliance standards.
Training programs: Equipping citizen developers with the necessary skills.
Collaboration channels: Facilitating communication between IT and business units.

Partnering with Vanguard Virtues

At Vanguard Virtues, we specialize in:

Implementing citizen development strategies tailored to your organization's needs.
Establishing governance structures that balance innovation with control.
Training teams to harness the full potential of low-code and no-code platforms.

Don't let your organization be left behind in the digital transformation journey.

📞 Contact Vanguard Virtues today for a consultation and discover how we can help you navigate the evolving IT landscape with confidence.

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