Dvf Project Failure

The successful completion of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Virtual Case File project was unlikely from the outset. Most projects are destined for either success or failure based on the ability of management to put all the necessary pieces together ensuring the completion of the project in its entirety and on time. The VCF project experience major issues that continued to plagued the project throughout its duration. Some of the issues which caused the failure of the VCF project can be attributed to the fact that the project did not have a set of well-defined requirements from the beginning, inability of the contractors to deliver the completed project, repeated turnover of management and CIO’s, and miscalculating the need for a phase-in period for the new system.. One of the major failures of the VCF project can be identified as the misstep of all parties involved in setting the necessary requirements …show more content…
Having a constant leader in management position from the initiation of a project to its completion ensures that there is a certain level of familiarity among other members of the project team, and the continuity of a fixed leadership provides a clear accountability structure which aids in minimizing project failure. The VCF project struggled greatly as it relates to an accountable management structure. As a matter of fact, the FBI itself cycled through 5 different Chief Information Officer’s within a 4 years period which made it more difficult to assign accountability for the project to any one individual. Speaking at his testimony before congress, the FBI director himself confirmed that the irregularity of fixed leadership and management aided in the downfall of the project. “We lacked skill sets in our personnel such as qualified software engineering, program management, and contract management. We also experienced a high turnover in Trilogy program managers and Chief Information Officers”