Answer to Question 1
The post implementation audit gives managers a chance to examine the objectives, performance specifications, cost estimates, and scheduled delivery dates that were established for the project in its planning stage and compare them to what actually happened. In the past, most project reviews focused on identifying individuals to blame for cost overruns or missed delivery dates. Because many external forces in technology projects can overwhelm the best efforts of managers, this blame identification approach was generally unproductive, as well as uncomfortable, for the managers on the project.
Answer to Question 2
Information systems development projects have a well-deserved reputation for running out of control and ultimately failing. They are much more likely to fail than other types of projects, such as building construction projects. The main causes for information systems project failures are rapidly changing technologies, long development times, and changing customer expectations. Because of this vulnerability, many teams rely on project management software to help them achieve project goals.
Project management software can generate charts and tables that show, for example, which parts of the project are critical to its timely completion, which parts can be rescheduled or delayed without changing the project completion date, and where additional resources might be most effective in speeding up the project.