- Lack of clarity of project goal
- Over optimistic budget
- Insufficient early stages R&D in an effort to pare down costs
- Interference from Politicians/VSOs/Ex-VSOs/others
- Lack of engineering/scientific knowledge amongst project planners
- Insufficient input from hands-on end users
- Project participants who don't intend to be in-post at the into-service point, so they don't care if they are wrong
- Suppliers more interested in profit margin than a viable product
- Component designers without sufficient hands-on experience
- Over-reliance on computer outputs (Garbage In/Garbage Out)
- Striving for the cheapest rather than the best
- Too many 'yes-men'
- Something else?
Yes, all of the above. Caveats...
"Budget" and "predicted cost" are seldom the same thing. I've had many projects where fair and reasonable cost was many times the budget sought by London. This almost always leads to delay.
Suppliers' profit margin. Not as big an issue as many think, especially on the main development and production contracts, due to post-costing. While many try to make their money on support, MoD policy actually hands them far more on a plate.
Most successful whole aircraft project I ever managed was down to 4 significant factors.
1. The Service (RN) Support Authority withdrew, refusing to support it. Great. Left me to do their work for them, which I was trained for. They weren't.
2. The Service users (front line operators and maintainers) were embedded in the team from day 1. The RN Appointer was brilliant. Double tours for continuity, aligned to the programme plan.
3. Early decision to completely ignore 1 and 2 Stars. If I'd followed their orders, the aircraft wouldn't be in service yet, 15 years after first flight. Others obeyed their orders, hence MRA4 and Chinook Mk3. (Which is why MoD told the PAC they couldn't be identified, despite their names and phone numbers being prominent in the MoD directory).
4. Follow the regulations. They're written by people who've got the t-shirt. (But cancelled in 2008, without replacement. A wise man has kept his own copy, as have sensible contractors).
The initial Post Project Evaluation report of 11th January 2001 is a gem of a read (if I say so myself). MoD deny its existence.
