Why 73% of Software Projects Fail — And What the Top 27% Do Differently

The number hit me during a coffee meeting in São Paulo. A CTO from one of Brazil's fastest-growing logistics companies was telling me about their latest failed software initiative. "Another $2 million down the drain," he said. "And we're not alone." He was right. According to the Standish Group CHAOS Report, approximately 73% of IT projects globally either fail outright or face significant challenges. In Brazil, where I've founded and run Mind Group Technologies since 2016, I've watched this statistic play out across dozens of projects — some we've inherited mid-disaster, others we've guided to success from day one. But here's what fascinates me: the remaining 27%? They're not using secret technology. They're not spending three times the budget. They're doing something fundamentally different in how they approach software development. Why Software Projects Fail at Alarming Rates Brazil hosts the largest IT market in Latin America, worth over $50 billion annually . We have more than 500