There is no mystery surrounding the reasons for IT project failure but the key issue is that IT services vendors and buyers make the same mistakes again and again, and again. This manual offers systematic guidance on how to sense and avoid the causes of IT project failure at every step; from project conception to the disposal of the system after a long and beneficial operational life. It includes a detailed analysis of the 40 root causes of troubled IT projects - drawing on research and the author’s experience and common sense. The text covers the entire project life cycle from both sides of the buyer-vendor relationship and should be useful handbook for software engineering and IT services professionals.