Abstract
The failure of systems development projects has plagued the IT industry for years. In fact, the 2004 Standish group report indicates that only 28 percent of software development projects are successful, down from previous estimates of 34%. This paper identifies IT project risk factors that pose threats to successful project implementation and describes project management professionals (PMPs) assessment of these risk factors. It concludes with suggested strategies for avoiding and/or mitigating these risks and associated implications.