Information technology (IT) projects carry a “much higher” cost risk than other areas of activity, according to an expert from Oxford University.

One in five IT projects exceeds its budget by an average of 450 per cent, Professor Emeritus Bent Flyvbjerg told the Gallant Commission on Tuesday, which is investigating the SAAQclic fiasco.

According to Flyvbjerg, decision-makers who want to move forward with an IT project must ask themselves if they are willing to take the risk of becoming part of this statistic.

“Can we afford a one in five chance of a 450 per cent cost overrun?” he said. If the answer is no, the organization must abandon the idea or find ways to reduce that possibility, said the megaproject expert.

According to Flyvbjerg, both private companies and governments forget to

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