This one falls in the "insufficient communications" category, but it bit me and quite badly at that...

A new client asked me for exactly the same app that I had for another client with a few changes in the types of clients he serves, etc.

After two months of working on the app and delivering, it turned out that even though these two clients know each other, and are in the same business, their work processes are quite different and it might have been easier to write the new app from scratch.

You should also add "incompetent users" to the list. I know a lot of people will jump on me for this with usability issues but, believe me, it's very difficult to make an application usable for a 40 year-old who's happy to make $5/hour with no benefits. Some people are just better off with a bunch of pencils and a notepad to keep on top of things (if at all).

alex


>Hello, All.
>
>I am pretty sure that all of us have at least one failure in analyzing, developing, installing and being paid for an app.
>
>Please, can you be so gentle to enumerate your reasons?
>
>Mine, for example, are:
>
>1. Insufficient knowledge (mine or customer's) about the app's main goal, resulting a bad system analysis.
>2. Insufficient Visual FoxPro experience.
>3. Incooperant users.
>4. A supervisor willing to give the money for the app to a friend of his (yes, in my country it's possible! :)
>5. Incompetent users
>6. A domain in a continous transformations, making my life a living hell :)
>
>Can you complete the list?
>
>Thank you.