IntroductionThe Business Dictionary defines "ethical issues" as "problems or situations that require a person or organization to choose between alternative courses of action that must be evaluated as right or wrong." Information technology (IT) project management is a critical issue for all organizations because IT project failure rates are alarming (Whittaker, 1999). A study by Gartner suggests that approximately 75% of IT projects based in the United States of America (USA) are considered failures by stakeholders (Waters 2008). Pinto and Selvin (1988) also highlight the problem of many projects deemed successful by stakeholders. those who implement them, but perceived differently by the actual users of the system. Wateridge (1995) then highlights the need for all interested parties to clearly define how the project's success criteria will be judged. This paper aims to uncover and address the ethical issues involved in IT project failures. The 18th century philosopher, Immanuel Kant, advocated a golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This should be the basis of all ethical approaches and, when relating the rule to IT projects, it suggests carefully analyzing a project from the perspective of stakeholders (Gleason, 1998). The ethical issues involved in IT project failure Previous studies have suggested that planning is the determining factor in the success or failure of any IT project (Wateridge, 1995; Whittaker, 1999; Dvir & Lechler 2004). A classic book on management is Sun Tzu's "The Art of War", in which Tzu ascertains planning as a key determining factor in the success or failure of a project. Tzu takes a strategic point of view and writes: “Victorious warriors first win and then go to war, while defeated warriors go… to the center of the paper… at the top. (1999). CHAOS: a recipe for success. Available: http://www4.informatik.tu-muenchen.de/lehre/vorlesungen/vse/WS2004/1999_Standish_Chaos.pdf. Last accessed 19 April 2010. Tzu, S. (2006). The art of war. United States: El Paso Norte Press. 9-18. Turner, J., Cochrane, R. (1993). Objectives and methods matrix: tackle projects with ill-defined objectives and/or methods to achieve them. International project management journal. 11 (2), 93-102. Wateridge, J. (1995). IT projects: a foundation for success. International Journal of Project Management. 13 (3), 169-172. Waters, K. (2008). Most IT projects fail. Will it be yours? Available: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/most-it-projects-fail-will-yours.html. Last accessed April 26, 2010. Whittaker, B. (1999). What went wrong? Failed IT projects. Information management and cybersecurity. 7 (1), 23-30.