The BBC DMI Failure and the Underlying Reasons Attached with It - Essay Example

There Are Many Projects Known To The Public, Which Have Received Attention By The Media Because Of Their “Perceived Failures”. Select a Well-Known Project and Conduct Research into Its “Perceived Failures” Table of Contents Introduction 3 Critical Analysis of the BBC DMI Failure and the Underlying Reasons Attached With It 3 Recommendations Pertaining To the Application of Effective Project Management to Avoid Any Failures 8 Conclusion 11 References 12 Introduction The acceleration of new and latest knowledge has given way to the increased complexities in project management framework, which often increases chances of its failure, primitively due to managerial fallacies (Attarzadeh, 2008). In this context, BBC’s ill-fated Digital Media Initiative (DMI) can be illustrated as a best-suited example. DMI was an engineering project financed by BBC and launched in the year 2008 by BBC. This particular project aimed at the modernisation of the corporation’s production by designing a connected network between the digital productions along with the media assets to assist staff members when sharing, developing and using videos and/or audio materials (BBC, 2013). Unfortunately, due to the lack of proper planning and confusion, the project was eventually closed in the year 2013 even before being completely functional, owing to BBC’s management board’s perceived failure (Charette, 2013). Emphasising this particular instance of project failure, this study intends to discuss about the reasons behind the failures of project management by comparing with the various relevant literature studies based on the similar aspect. Additionally, the study will also reflect about the recommendations on the basis of the effective project management theories. The study will also focus on the implementation of the effective project management for deriving positive outcomes and reduce the increased rate of project management failures. Critical Analysis of the BBC DMI Failure and the Underlying Reasons Attached With It BBCs DMI project failure depicts managerial confusions along with the improper planning framework as the principle reasons for project breakdown. Accordingly, it has been observed that failure in having a proper understanding of the project, but the execution team as well as the manager was another reason accountable for the failure of the DMI project. On further note, the BBC’s Chief technology officer, Mr. John Linwood was dismissed due to the failure of the DMI project, indicating a major proportion of liability to be held by the management team of the project for the loss company had to bear in consequence. The project, DMI, was developed with a view to reduce the inefficient use of video tapes by BBC staff, which required new in-house tools to be developed. The entire plan concentrated on the formulation of a new in-house tool to support the system, which was regarded as the ‘online digital achieve’. However, the entire system was noted to have crashed down in the year 2013, when the Director General of the BBC Tony Hall admitted about his fault. Through further investigations, the management revealed that the prime reasons behind the failure of the DMI project was insufficient knowledge of the BBC executives as mentioned by Amyas Morse, the head of the National Audit Office (NAO). As was conveyed, the BBC executive lacked in gaining sufficient grip on the latest techniques of the DMI. Observably, the executives also failed to take into account the independent assessments with regard to the entire system efficiency of DMI. This scenario reflects about the problem of confusion along with improper planning that ultimately resulted in the failure of the entire DMI project (BBC, 2013). On further note, the problem associated with the DMI project failure was regarded as the confusion with regard to the technology and the system based on the use of two vital keywords, i.e. ‘digital achieve’ and ‘archive database’. Furthermore, DMI failure was also found responsible due to the governance system fallacies inherited with the project management framework. Factually, it was determined that the entire setup and planning of the DMI project was ambiguous, which apparently indicated towards the deficiencies observable in the project planning stage. For instance, no individual was appointed to maintain the accountability of the entire process and integrating the initiatives together to support the entire project management framework and ensure the attainment of the project initiation objectives, i.e. to assist staff members in developing, sharing and using audio-video contents (BBC, 2014). In the views of Nelson (2007), Information Technology (IT) failures have gained momentum in recent years. Observations in this regard have revealed that out of three, two IT projects usually fail due to improper planning and lacking adequate ability to gain a proper understanding of the key terms associated with the IT projects. In addition, the executives were also observed to have failed to understand the project requirements, which contributed to the overall project planning weaknesses (Nelson, 2007). According to Nelson (2007), four vital aspects of the project management, i.e. people, process, product and technology, are essential to ensure success of any project. On further note, it has been determined that people play an important role in executing any kind of project. Correspondingly, process resembles the management strategies along with the application of the latest technologies in order to gain momentum with regard to the effective completion of the project. It also includes the value chain method to ensure effective resource allocation to the various facets of the project management framework. Time and cost are the other two factors involved in the project management process. Product also frames an important part of the project management process. Additionally, technology is regarded as the prior element that assists in the completion of the project. Supply chain management (SCM) being a technology within the project management process ensures proper planning and execution of the project. The SCM mainly includes the chain of responsibilities along with the control (Nelson, 2007). In the similar context, the team of the DMI project failed to appoint a leader, who would have channelized the entire project by being responsible and accountable for the outcomes and thus ensure its successful completion altogether (BBC, 2014). Schmidt & et. al., (2001) also advocated about the software risk that can be mitigated to reduce project management failure risks. Accordingly, it has been determined that by identifying the underlying threats causing hurdles in the success of project management, management shall be able to derive positive outcomes through the successful completion of the project planned (Schmidt & et. al., 2001). In the similar context, in the case of DMI, the executives were reported to have failed identifying the underlying risks associated with the execution of the project. The risk of scarce knowledge and inadequate knowledge about the subject, i.e. DMI, were thus accounted as the basic reasons for the failure of the project. In this respect, it was further explained that risk management is an important factor with regard to the project management process (BBC, 2013). Accordingly, it can be asserted that by identifying the risk, it could have become easier to frame counter measures for mitigating the risk factors, which led to the perceived failure of the project in BBC. As discussed in case of the BBC’s DMI project failure, there was no designated person appointed for being accountable and responsible for the entire setup and the project process implying to its overall limitations in terms of project planning, especially concerning its techniques. This further led to the faults in the project execution and implementation phase, causing perplexities in defining the team and the member roles subsequently (BBC, 2013). In the view of Lewis (2001), it has been determined that inadequate planning pertaining to the execution of a project is responsible for its ultimate failure. In this regard, it has been further explained that the people involved in a project work tends to apply ready-fire-aim approach with a view to complete the project before time at an accelerated speed (Lewis, 2001). In the similar context, the BBC executives failed to implement the scheduled timeframe that have provided them with an understanding about the effectiveness of the during the execution phase. Lack of knowledge attached with the project management process resulted in the ‘perceived failure’ of the DMI project (BBC, 2013). Lewis (2001) also presented the view that scheduling can be regarded as another factor that plays a major role in the execution of the project in a successful manner. Therefore, limitations in scheduling the project also contribute towards the overall failure of a project. Scheduling can accordingly be regarded as the major tool that assists a team in gaining momentum during the completion of the project. It is important as it assists in gaining knowledge about the objective of the project and hence, operates towards building team cohesion and reducing perplexities, which may increase the possibility of financial losses to be faced due to the project and ultimately, result in its perceived failure or closedown. In addition, the application of scheduling as the tool also assists in accomplishing the entire breakdown of the project (Lewis, 2001). In the similar context, it can be assessed that DMI project failed, as proper scheduling was not designed during the project initiation phase (BBC, 2013). As discussed above, confusion in team responsibilities, improper planning, ineffective team management and lack of know-how regarding the implementation of technologies among others were the underlying reasons responsible for the failure of DMI project in BBC. The reliability and viability of the given reasons responsible for the product failure can be justified by citing certain examples. For instance, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was a Business System Modernisation project launched in the year 1999, with a view to upgrade the infrastructure of the IRS. In this respect, the reasons behind the perceived failure of the entire project were accounted in context of improper planning by the team leaders responsible to manage the entire project. It has been further conveyed in this regard that the project framework designed was quite complex, inhibiting the efficiency of the management team to control its execution in the most beneficial and profitable manner. Consequently, the project failed due to lack of improper knowledge and leadership qualities (Nelson, 2007). A similar instance, it apparently viewable in the case of DMI project initiation in BBC, where lack of know-how about the technology among the people and the deficiencies associated with the planning of the process became the major reasons for its perceived failure and ultimate breakdown. Recommendations Pertaining To the Application of Effective Project Management to Avoid Any Failures As discussed, the primary reasons for the failure of the project management, it can be determined that by applying an effectively planned management process, the DMI project would have succeeded. In accordance with the effective project management, there are various processes involved in it, which must have been considered as vital to ensure success of the entire project. As suggestible, following these processes, the BBC executives might have achieved success with regard to the DMI project. It has been further accessed that the success of a project depends upon various factors. In this regard, the factors included are considerable in terms of having a realistic objective, compensation, a clear and definite framed goal, profitability, market availability and implementation process among others. In this respect, it can be determined that the by designing appropriate strategies in relation to the aforementioned project management process, positive outcome from the project completion could have been achieved. To be noted in this context, there are various factors causing hurdles in the execution of effective project management, which if taken into concern, can provide positive outcomes accordingly. By keeping the factors in consideration, counter measures to the possibilities of project failure could be designed to mitigate the problems and derive positive results through effective project management. To the foremost, causes including inadequate project planning, unsupportive attitude of the superiors, lack of knowledge regarding advanced techniques among the team members and selection of inefficient manger or leader, as identifiable in the case of DMI project of BBC, were needed to be mitigated in order to ensure the successful completion of the project (Munns & Bjeirmi, 1996). Any particular project should involve a step-by-step procedure for its successful completion. In this regard, the DMI project of BBC also must have entailed a series of procedural steps in relation to its execution, contributing to its effective planning. The initial stage of the project management should have thus commenced with the initiation phase. This phase particularly reflects about the designing of proper planning, risk assessment and deriving useful information from the internal as well as external sources associated with the project. In the initiation phase, due emphasis is laid upon the analysis of the strategic requirements by the team executives to plan for remedial measures and accordingly decide upon the strategic execution of the project. Accordingly, in the case of DMI, involvement of an experienced executive or leader would have assisted in the in-depth analysis of the project viability and thus, would have resulted in the derivation of positive outcomes. In order to implement and execute the entire project in a systematic way, it is also necessary to meet up the requirements of the customers in the most efficient way, generating profits as desired by the company in terms of its returns from the investments made. Accordingly, it can be conveyed that in order to execute a project effectively, it is the responsibility of the leader to plan the scheduling process, to design the time frame and manage effectively the scope associated with the project to take firm decisions on the execution of the project planning. In this phase, it is also essential to plan for any risk associated with the project with the purpose of eradicating the chances of its failure on the whole (Munns & Bjeirmi, 1996). Leaders frame a vital part in providing motivation to the team members as well as building their knowledge regarding a particular technology applicable in the project. Accordingly, it is the responsibility of the leader to ensure proper performance review and subsequently, have a better understanding of the plan being executed. Risk assessment, proper allocation of the resources and better understanding of the entire project framework can also provide an added advantage to the probability of the project’s success. Additionally, it can be recommended that by managing the risk factors and potential threats to the project, its effective completion can be assured. To be noted in this regard, the four vital aspects that frame the measures in mitigating the risk factors are avoidance, transfer, acceptance and mitigation. It can therefore be determined that by following these measures efficiently, effective completion of a project can be achieved (Munns & Bjeirmi, 1996). In this regard, it can be explained that in case of DMI, if the BBC executives would have implemented these risk mitigation strategies, the project would not have failed prior to its complete functioning. To promote DMI, huge investments were made, somewhat disregarding the risk factor associated with the same that further accelerated the risk of project failure for BBC. As accessed in the case of the DMI project failure, it was observed that the BBC executives lacked in enduring better understanding of the specific knowledge demanded for the success of the project. This has been regarded as a principle reason for the failure of the DMI project. Besides, it can be further recommended that the implementation of latest and the advanced technology also assisted in deriving effective projects. Techniques along with scheduling also help in designing critical pathways that could have assisted in estimating the exact duration with regards to the completion of the entire project (Chandler-Arizona, n.d.). Conclusion In accordance to the above analysis and recommendation, it can be asserted that the project management failure of DMI by BBC and the reasons associated with the breakdown were intrinsically related with the fallacies observed in the general flow of project initiation, project planning, execution and its implementation process. The study depicts about the underlying reasons for the failure of its DMI project, which revealed that the prime reason for the failure of the project was the lacuna of the management team to formulate and execute a proper planning in support of the initiation objectives determined by BBC. In this regard, it has been reflected that confusion, lack of proper planning and team management constituted the few underlying reasons responsible for the failure of the DMI project. It was observed that the executives lacked proper knowledge of the specific terms associated with the project. The study also states about various recommendations, which if applied would have ensured effective completion of the project. In this regard, the various processes involved within the project management actually assisted in the completion of the proposed plan in the most effective manner. Overall, it was suggestible that delivering importance to risk assessment and proper planning to mitigate the potential threats could have saved the project from its perceived failure and ultimate doom. References Attarzadeh, I., 2008. Project Management Practices: The Criteria for Success or Failure. Communications of the IBIMA, Vol. 1, pp. 234-241. BBC, 2013. BBC Abandons £ 100 m Digital Project. News. [Online]Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-22651126 [Accessed on March 1, 2014] BBC, 2014. Confusion led to BBC digital project failure. News. [Online]Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-25925357 [Accessed on March 1, 2014] Charette, R. N., 2013. BBC Blows £98 Million on Digital Media Initiative. IEEE Spectrum. [Online]Available at: http://spectrum.ieee.org/riskfactor/computing/it/bbc-blows-984m-on-digital-media-initiative-project [Accessed on March 1, 2014] Chandler-Arizona, No Date. Project Management Methodology & Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Successful Projects. Project Management Methodology Guidebook, pp. 1-94. Lewis, J. P., 2001. Fundamentals of Project Management: Developing Core Competencies to Help Outperform the Competition. American Management Association, pp. 1-147. Munns, A.K. & Bjeirmi, B.F., 1996. The Role of Project Management in Achieving Project Success. International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 81-87. Nelson, R. R., 2007. It Project Management: Infamous Failures, Classic Mistakes, and Best Practices. MIS Quarterly Executive, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 67-78. Schmidt & et. al., 2001. Identifying Software Project Risks: An International Delphi Study. Journal of Information Management System, Vol. 17, No. 4, pp 5-36. Read More