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Original research on the structural mechanics of the software industry, based on two decades of field experience building production systems.

NEW February 2026 Version 0.1
Work in progress

Why Software Projects Fail

The Hidden Mechanics of a Misunderstood Industry

Abstract

The software industry suffers from a set of structural, economic, and psychological dysfunctions that are poorly understood by most stakeholders. These dysfunctions compound multiplicatively rather than additively, producing outcomes where identical projects can differ by a factor of x200 in cost and duration. This paper identifies and articulates the core problems that underlie the chronic failure of software projects worldwide, with particular attention to the mechanisms that are not addressed by conventional software engineering literature.

3

Parts

x200

Cost Variance

21

Years of Field Data

~183

Known Factors

Table of Contents

Part I — Known Factors

12 categories, ~183 established causes of quality decrease and time increase in software creation.

Part II — The Hidden Mechanics

1.The Absence of Average Velocity
2.The Multiplier Problem
3.Perverse Economics of Time-Based Pay
4.The Supervision Paradox
5.Technology Fads and CV-Driven Dev
6.The Dogma of Received Knowledge
7.The Communication Collapse
8.Fractal Dimensionality of Software
9.Software as Investment, Not Labor
10.The Paradox of Market Leadership
11.The Noise Paradox of Popularity
12.Security and the Problem of Absence
13.The 80/20 Trap
14.The Impossibility of Hiring
15.Technical Interviews as Theater
16.Credential Gatekeeping
17.The Promotion Trap
18.Prestige Spending and the Gift Economy
19.The Silence of Competence
20.The Inflection Point

Part III — Solutions

Forthcoming. A framework for making software projects succeed.

TG

Thomas Godart

Technical Director · 21 years in software engineering

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Why This Matters

The software industry loses hundreds of billions of dollars annually to preventable failures. Understanding the root causes is the first step toward solving them.

Beyond Conventional Wisdom

These are not the usual suspects. The paper identifies structural mechanics that are invisible to standard project management literature.

Field-Tested

Every observation is drawn from two decades of hands-on experience building 21 production systems for organizations including most of the CAC40.

A Historical Moment

Written at the inflection point where AI begins replacing human-driven software development, this paper documents the era that is ending.

Solutions Are Coming

This paper starts by identifying the problems. Then it will be presenting the solutions — a framework for making software projects succeed, derived from the same field experience.

Stay tuned.

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