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ARTICLE · 10 NOVEMBER 2025

Why Information Technology (IT) Projects Fail: Measuring Service Levels And Invoking Audit Rights

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The failure of an IT project is rarely sudden and occurs more often than we would admit. The reasons behind the failure can range from commercial deadlocks...

South AfricaMedia, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment
Wilmari Strachan
Wilmari Strachan
Naledi Ramoabi
Naledi Ramoabi
Aobakwe Motebe
Aobakwe Motebe
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The failure of an IT project is rarely sudden and occurs more often than we would admit. The reasons behind the failure can range from commercial deadlocks, misaligned expectations between the customer and the service provider or poor service delivery.

In part one of this series, Why IT projects fail, we look at poor service performance monitoring, specifically the use of service levels and audit rights under an agreement.

Service levels - When performance is measured only in theory

Service levels are critical for ensuring that the parties are aligned on expectations. The customer should have comfort that it will get quality services, and the service provider should be aware of the expected standard and response times. The purpose of having service levels is to have clear measurable performance metrics that the parties can hold each other accountable to. Having to rely on breach provisions and lengthy cure periods are not practical, especially in high priority

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