The problem of failing IT projects is bad and getting worse, judging by a global survey of 1,125 IT professionals from HP and the Economist Intelligence Unit. It found that the proportion of respondents claiming that fewer than half of their IT projects were successful rose from 54 percent in 2006 to 57 percent this year.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given this sorry state of affairs, only 11 percent of UK companies were able to say all their IT projects had been completed on time in the past three years.

The report trotted out all the old chestnuts to account for this catastrophic failure rate, identifying outsourcing, changing project specs and poor communication between business and IT managers as the main causes of project failure.

However, it also uncovered another reason why so many projects fail, and it does not reflect well on the IT community. According to the survey, a whopping 51 percent of European IT professionals said there would be no risk to their job if they did not hit project deadlines. Counterparts in Asia and the Americas found employers a good deal less understanding, with only 33 percent and 22 percent respectively claiming their jobs would remain safe if they failed to deliver projects on time.

Now I don't wish to cast aspersions on anyone's professionalism, but the fact that many IT project teams feel they can miss deadlines without fear of serious repercussions must play a major role in the high project failure rates.

It is hard to imagine another sector where a lack of accountability is so entrenched. We all get infuriated when we read of people clinging onto jobs in which they have failed, and many would argue that there is not enough accountability right across UK plc. However, from football managers to firemen and chief execs to chefs, there is an understanding that if you consistently fail to hit targets at work you will be shown the door. Hell, even David Blunkett got the sack when he screwed up – twice.

But for over half of European IT professionals the same rules apparently do not apply. It is easy to understand why this is the case. The difficulties many firms experience recruiting IT professionals makes them understandably reluctant to fire even failing staff on the grounds that skills shortages make them tricky to replace. While business managers' IT ignorance means that when a project fails and the IT team says it is due to unrealistic targets, they are unable to judge whether this is the case or whether complacency also played a role.

But if it is understandable why this complacency has developed that does not make it any less damaging. This lack of accountability chronically undermines the reputation and professionalism of the entire IT industry and fosters a culture of failure that can only be eradicated by ensuring accountability is restored. There are many things that firms can do to help improve IT project failure rates, but one of them has to be a willingness to penalise those who fail to hit their targets – and if that means handing out a few P45s then, sadly, so be it.