by Business Analysis,

Spoiler: It’s not just governance, stakeholder engagement, or bad PMs

The Grim Stats Are Real

If you still think a Project Manager is your best bet for delivering business value, think again.

The statistics on ICT projects continue to make grim reading. The CHAOS Report from the Standish Group, which has tracked project outcomes since 1994, paints a stubbornly bleak picture. In their most recent report:

• 31% of projects were successful (on time, on budget, with required features)
• 50% were challenged (late, over budget, or missing functionality)
• 19% failed outright (cancelled or never delivered)

So, roughly 7 out of every 10 projects don’t meet basic success criteria. And no, that hasn’t changed much in the past decade.

The Idea-to-Execution Conveyor Belt

In most organisations, ideas move toward execution through some form of portfolio and project management process — formal or informal. They’re evaluated, prioritised, and matched against budget. For those lucky enough to be funded, resources are allocated, and the project gets a green light.

The first reflex? Assign a project manager.

The Overloaded Project Manager

The PM is handed the wheel: they define the project scope, goals, manage budgets, oversee schedules, run standups, issue status reports, identify risks, communicate with stakeholders, and drive delivery.

Soon enough, they’re knee-deep in building a work breakdown structure. With governance in place and risks logged, it’s time to allocate tasks and get moving by delivering to the sacred triple constraint a.k.a. the PM triangle: time, cost, and scope.

But here’s the problem: many projects that follow this exact pattern still fail. Why?

Because Project Managers are masters of control — not meaning.

The Unsung Hero: Business Analyst

Delivering business value is not about timelines and budgets — it’s about making the right change.

That responsibility doesn’t sit with a project manager. It belongs to someone who can:

• Understand the current state
• Envision a better future state
• Elicit and clarify what needs to change

That someone is the business analyst.

Analysts should define what the project is meant to achieve — and why. They’re in the best position to align solutions with strategy, uncover true requirements, and shape a delivery plan that realizes business benefits. They allow the true scope, project goals and risks to be uncovered early so that the project starts off strong.

Making the Change: Practical Steps

So how do we stop this pattern of failure and start delivering value?

Try this:

• Engage business analysts at the idea stage
  Get them involved early to craft the investment rationale — even before the business case.
• Let PMs be PMs
  Keep your project managers focused on coordination, not definition. They can run multiple initiatives well when they don’t stray outside delivery disciplines.
• Invest heavily in analysis
  Analysts should be your biggest line item. A 1:4 ratio of PMs to BAs is not only achievable — it’s a success multiplier.
• Insist on strategic alignment
  Good analysis should trace a line from the original idea, through execution, to realised value. Pay for that work — it pays off.

Final Thought: Will You Beat the Odds?

You don’t have a project management problem.
You have a value definition problem.
And that’s a job for business analysts.

If your projects are still being initiated and run the way they were decades ago, is it surprising that your success rate hasn’t improved?

The question is: How confident are you that your next project will beat the 31% average?