A practical approach to reducing risk on enterprise software projects. Text in the wave in the center of the cover: Software implementation is risky business and success is not a certainty. But you can reduce risk with the strategies in this book. Undertaking software selection and implementation without approximating the project's risk is a poor way to make decisions about either projects or software. But that's the way many companies do business, even though 50 percent of IT implementations are deemed failures. In this book you will review the strategies commonly used by most companies for mitigating software project risk-and learn why these strategies don't work-and then acquire practical and realistic strategies that will help you to maximize success on your software implementation. By reading this book you will: Review the basics of enterprise software risk and how "success" is defined. Delve into the world of big consulting firms, IT analysts, and major "brand" software companies, and learn why they don't always have your best interests at heart. Interpret information provided by consultants, vendors, and IT analyst firms such as Gartner-to your advantage. Appreciate the difference between "sell-ability" and "implement-ability" of enterprise software, and why the distinction is important. Evaluate your company's implementation preparedness. Learn about the Software Decisions Risk Component Model for evaluating risk.