The dismal track record of the implementation of large-scale
information technology initiatives even on rigorous and focused             【A1】________
corporate environments points up their difficulty. Unexpected
obstacles anise, deadlines are missed and budgets are overrun.
Maximizing the prospect of success re quires providing for the slack       【A2】________
in the schedule and the budget, structuring projects with clear
accountabilities and frequent checkpoints, and assigning oversight
responsibility to people with extensive information technology
experience rather general managers who have programmatc                    【A3】________
commitments.
Success also requires some trusting but more verifying. A
homeowner who hires a general contractor to build an addition,
discusses the project and then goes out for six months probably               【A4】________
would be unhappy with the result. The same is true for public
managers who hire contractors to perform essential tasks and fail to         【A5】________
rigorously oversee every step.
Another requisite for success is steadiness and realism for the face            【A6】________
of difficulty Once a project gets off track, there is an overwhelming
temptation for everyone involving to circle the wagons and promise           【A7】________
rapid repair so as to hold critics at bay. Yet the right response to
failure is to sur face problems as rapidly as possible and to move more
deliberately and carefully- not more quickly. In a football, the best             【A8】________
​​​​​​teams stick to their playbooks even when they fall behind. When one
has fallen behind a project, it is important to mobilize new resources         【A9】________
and manageme nt but not to overpromise with respect to how soon
and how good a fix is possible. One instance with over-optimism will          【A10】________
ultimately be forgotten σr forgiven. Repeated over-optimism should
not and will not be excused.

【A1】

【A2】

【A3】

【A4】

【A5】

【A6】

【A7】

【A8】

【A9】

【A10】