Titanic Disaster Teaches Executives how to Avoid Failing Technology Projects

TORONTO, ON - Think fast: what does the sinking of Titanic have to do with modern technology projects? Are you drawing a blank? Well, in truth, there are shocking similarities. In Avoiding Project Disaster: Titanic Lessons for IT Executives, author Mark Kozak-Holland shows that the root causes for the Titanic disaster are not found in the collision with an iceberg, but rather in the compromises made during the project that constructed the massive ocean liner.

Following in the footsteps of earlier titles in the Lessons from History (www.lessons-from-history.com) series of books, this new title explores the historical project using modern business analysis methods, extracting lessons learned that can be applied to modern information technology projects.

The sinking of Titanic was caused by compromises made during its design, construction, and testing phases to accommodate various business interests; these compromises reduced the effectiveness of safety systems and provided faulty operational data upon which to base management decisions. While no one could predict that the ship was going to strike an iceberg, the compromises made during the build and launch of the ship almost guaranteed that such a collision was going to be a serious one.

After Titanic struck the iceberg, operational mistakes on the part of the ship’s management team exacerbated the problem, turning a serious problem into a major disaster with a tremendous loss of life. Avoiding Project Disaster analyzes the operational decisions from the Titanic incident and applies them to modern information technology disaster recovery situations. Using an historical example illustrates the consequences of seemingly innocuous operational decisions, helping executives avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

In his popular speeches on this topic, author Kozak-Holland notes that “the Titanic disaster could easily have been avoided if proper project management, operational protocols, and governance models were put in place – things that we take for granted in the modern business environment.” Yet, many companies fail to take these steps and are destined for their own tragic disasters. In Avoiding Project Disaster, Kozak-Holland provides a guide for business executives that can save their jobs… and their companies.

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"Avoiding Project Disaster: Titanic Lessons for IT Executives" (ISBN 1895186730) $44.95 US/$54.95 CDN, 312 pages, paperback.