Project failure points - or project defects?

As the above graph clearly shows, based on our thorough independent research, there are at least 27 defects in the project management system that can kill a project at any time if not proactively managed. From human resource issues, poor communication and poor governance - to unrealistic expectations, poor change control or high ambiguity - there are so many ways projects can collapse! But what if these reasons projects fail are not reasons per se, but are symptoms of a greater defect within the project management system?

The above table breaks down the 27 project-killing defects into 3 buckets of high, medium, and low risk of failure.