A full 95% of information technology departments are not delivering some projects on time or to the full satisfaction of the business executive, according to a recent study by Info-Tech Research Group, London, Ont.

Given the high number of project failures, it is not surprising that the study also found that only 11% of enterprises see technology as a “strategic weapon”, said the study’s sponsor.

“While 95 per cent is a high percentage, it is sobering that this number is not surprising to many business leaders,” said Frank Koelsch, Executive VP of Info-Tech. “The fact that almost every IT department is failing on some of their projects is both a major contributor to, and a major symptom of, the misalignment of business and IT.”

“Many IT departments are in a vicious downward spiral that makes it harder and harder for them to play a pivotal role in the decision-making process,” added Koelsch.

Enterprises indicated that the top three reasons projects fail are: unrealistic time frames (68%), lack of number of staff (64%), and poorly defined project scope (62%).

The findings and trend analysis are included in Info-Tech Research Group’s annual “IT Priorities 2005” report. The study focused on mid-sized enterprises in the US, Canada and the UK.