Industrial Megaprojects


Book Description

Avoid common pitfalls in large-scale projects using these smart strategies Over half of large-scale engineering and construction projects—off-shore oil platforms, chemical plants, metals processing, dams, and similar projects—have miserably poor results. These include billions of dollars in overruns, long delays in design and construction, and poor operability once finally completed. Industrial Megaprojects gives you a clear, nontechnical understanding of why these major projects get into trouble, and how your company can prevent hazardous and costly errors when undertaking such large technical and management challenges. Clearly explains the underlying causes of over-budget, delayed, and unsafe megaprojects Examines effects of poor project management, destructive team behaviors, weak accountability systems, short-term focus, and lack of investment in technical expertise Author is the CEO of the leading consulting firm for evaluating billion-dollar projects Companies worldwide are rethinking their large-scale projects. Industrial Megaprojects is your essential guide for this rethink, offering the tools and principles that are the true foundation of safe, cost-effective, successful megaprojects.




Leading Megaprojects


Book Description

The performance of megaprojects is questionable, and a large percentage of them fail in one dimension or another. The challenges that contribute to these failures are known. Then why do these projects still fail at a high rate? Leading Megaprojects: A Tailored Approach examines the challenges facing megaprojects and, more importantly, successes in delivering megaprojects. To close the performance gaps in megaproject deliveries, the book presents a customizable model that professionals and organizations can use to increase the chance of successful project delivery. To illustrate the model, it uses examples and case studies, primarily from capital projects, with engineering and construction components. The book also explains how the approach can be applied to all projects, regardless of industry or domain. The book emphasizes the role of leadership because it takes the point of view that megaprojects cannot be successful without great leadership due to their massive size, complexity, number of parties and stakeholders involved, and cost, among other vital factors. Leaders can define the path for a megaproject to guide seasoned managers and project managers to successful closure. The tailored approach is based on a stage-gate project life cycle model, which covers projects from concept to success. However, it is not limited to a purist form of traditional project management. It is a tailored methodological approach, with an emphasis on leading the work, end-to-end, at the project level, along with the management of every stage of the project. Also, it presents the integration of the business, product delivery, and operations management into a cohesive approach. The book concludes with an in-depth simulation showing how the model is can be tailored to deliver a megaproject successfully.




The Oxford Handbook of Megaproject Management


Book Description

This Handbook provides state-of-the-art scholarship in the emerging field of megaproject management. The 25 chapters cover all aspects of megaproject management, from front-end planning to project delivery, including how to deal with stakeholders, risk, finance, complexity, innovation, governance, ethics, project breakdowns, and scale itself.




Delivering Successful Megaprojects


Book Description

'The book combines project management, leadership and motivational techniques that will help the project leader achieve their definition of success. The book explores what success really means. Several projects, like the Sydney Opera House, Channel Tunnel Link, and Jubilee line extension, were considered a failure, but can now be considered as huge successes. Are we accurately tailoring the right criteria to define the success of large infrastructure projects, or are we just sticking to the so-called Golden Triangle? Do we sometimes confuse project management success with project success? Or is project success an illusion? It explores what success means from the client's, contractor's, stakeholder's and delivery project manager's perspective. It then uses these perspectives to recommend criteria to benchmark and ensure the success of large infrastructure projects. The book follows this up by discussing ten critical success factors, which combines the right mix of the science and art of project management required to deliver projects successfully. It discusses how to add value to the following success factors: Effective top-level management support; Choosing the right team; Making the procurement process count; Developing a robust project schedule; Monitoring and Control; Proactive Risk Management; Reactive Troubleshooting; Supplier collaboration; Lean philosophy and Project leadership. The book collates Principles that have been tested and worked for experienced Project Leaders to deliver large infrastructure projects successfully across the world. It is written from an experienced person's point of view and therefore includes practical issues the Project Leader faces daily and how to deal with them to ensure their success. It also includes a number of case studies from around the world. The goal of the author is for other Project Leaders to use these readily applicable principles and encourages them to develop their own principles to ensure their projects are successful'. The author believes that large infrastructure projects should be run like business organisations and business organisation leaders/entrepreneur growing their business should consider thinking like project leaders. The principles taught in the book is therefore also applicable to leaders in business organisations. The practical insights on how to apply project management, leadership and motivational skills to projects and how to overcome the issues involved makes it a must-read for anyone in the project management/construction industry including students looking to dip their toes in project management, construction, civil engineering and to be leaders of organisations.




Megaproject Risk Analysis and Simulation


Book Description

Providing new knowledge on risk analysis and simulation for megaprojects, this book is essential reading for both academics and practitioners. Its focus is on technical descriptions of a newly developed dynamic systems approach to megaproject risk analysis and simulation.




Procuring Successful Mega-Projects


Book Description

Mega-projects descending into chaos and litigation embarrass governments all over the world, as the public sector presides over fiascos that waste billions and destroy reputations. Inquiry after Inquiry finds the damaging and costly failures of major government projects can be traced back to the contract establishment process. Procuring Successful Mega-Projects, is a mentor’s guide for project directors, providing frank, fearless, practical advice on how to set up a major government contract that won’t end up in court. It’s all there: How to develop and negotiate a contract that doesn’t contain undeliverable obligations or perverse incentives but does contain the necessary provisions for successful project management. How to navigate the pitfalls of the public sector environment, from hiring freezes and governance frameworks to the complexities of managing the relationship with the Minister. How to select and manage the lawyers and other advisers, build the adviser-client relationship and recognise that unwelcome advice may not be unhelpful. How to structure and follow a bullet-proof procurement process that is fair to bidders and delivers great outcomes. Procuring Successful Mega-Projects is essential reading, not just for the project director, but for everyone with a stake in the success of a mega-project: public sector executives; Ministers; private sector tenderers; infrastructure lenders; legal, financial and technical professional service providers; and procurement and project management professionals.




Mega-Projects


Book Description

A Brookings Institution Press and Lincoln Institute of Land Policy publication Since the demise of urban renewal in the early 1970s, the politics of large-scale public investment in and around major American cities has received little scholarly attention. In Mega-Projects, Alan Altshuler and David Luberoff analyze the unprecedented wave of large-scale (mega-) public investments that occurred in American cities during the 1950s and 1960s; the social upheavals they triggered, which derailed large numbers of projects during the late 1960s and early 1970s; and the political impulses that have shaped a new generation of urban mega-projects in the decades since. They also appraise the most important consequences of policy shifts over this half-century and draw out common themes from the rich variety of programmatic and project developments that they chronicle. The authors integrate narratives of national as well as state and local policymaking, and of mobilization by (mainly local) project advocates, with a profound examination of how well leading theories of urban politics explain the observed realities. The specific cases they analyze include a wide mix of transportation and downtown revitalization projects, drawn from numerous regions—most notably Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Portland, and Seattle. While their original research focuses on highway, airport, and rail transit programs and projects, they draw as well on the work of others to analyze the politics of public investment in urban renewal, downtown retailing, convention centers, and professional sports facilities. In comparing their findings with leading theories of urban and American politics, Altshuler and Luberoff arrive at some surprising findings about which perform best and also reveal some important gaps in the literature as a whole. In a concluding chapter, they examine the potential effects of new fiscal pressures, business mobilization to relax environmental constraints, and security concerns in the wake of September 11. And they make clear their own views about how best to achieve a balance between developmental, environmental, and democratic values in public investment decisionmaking. Integrating fifty years of urban development history with leading theories of urban and American politics, Mega-Projects provides significant new insights into urban and intergovernmental politics.




Megaproject Management


Book Description

Project management lessons learned on the Big Dig, America's biggest megaproject, by a core member responsible for its daily operations In Megaproject Management, a central member of the Big Dig team reveals the numerous risks, challenges, and accomplishments of the most complex urban infrastructure project in the history of the United States. Drawing on personal experience and interviews with project engineers, executive oversight commission officials, and core managers, the author, a former deputy counsel and risk manager for the Big Dig, develops new insights as she describes the realities of day-to-day management of the project from a project manager's perspective. The book incorporates both theory and practice and is therefore highly recommended to policymakers, academics, and project management practitioners. Focusing on lessons learned, this insightful coursebook presents the Big Dig as a massive case study in the management of risk, cost, and schedule, particularly the interrelation of technical, legal, political, and social factors. It provides an analysis of the difficulties in managing megaprojects during each phase and over the life span of the project, while delivering useful lessons on why projects go wrong and what can be done to prevent project failure. It also offers new ideas to enhance project management performance and innovation in our global society. This unique guide: Defines megaproject characteristics and frameworks Reviews the Big Dig's history, stakeholders, and governance Examines the project's management scope, scheduling, and cost management including project delays and cost overruns Analyzes the Big Dig's risk management and quality management Reveals how to build a sustainable project through integration and change introduction




Megaprojects and Risk


Book Description

Megaprojects and Risk provides the first detailed examination of the phenomenon of megaprojects. It is a fascinating account of how the promoters of multi-billion dollar megaprojects systematically and self-servingly misinform parliaments, the public and the media in order to get projects approved and built. It shows, in unusual depth, how the formula for approval is an unhealthy cocktail of underestimated costs, overestimated revenues, undervalued environmental impacts and overvalued economic development effects. This results in projects that are extremely risky, but where the risk is concealed from MPs, taxpayers and investors. The authors not only explore the problems but also suggest practical solutions drawing on theory, experience and hard, scientific evidence from the several hundred projects in twenty nations and five continents that illustrate the book. Accessibly written, it will be the standard reference for students, scholars, planners, economists, auditors, politicians and interested citizens for many years to come.




Advanced Construction Project Management


Book Description

An essential guide to the structure, dynamics, and management of construction megaprojects Advanced Construction Project Management is a comprehensive resource that covers the myriad aspects of implementing a megaproject from a contractor’s perspective. With many years’ experience of managing construction megaprojects, the author provides an in-depth exploration of the structure, dynamics and management of these demanding projects. In addition, the book gives all stakeholders a clear understanding of the complexity of megaprojects and offers contractors the insight and essential tools needed for achieving results. As the trend to plan and implement ever-larger projects looks likely to continue into the future, the need for a guide to understand the challenges of managing a megaproject couldn’t be greater. Comprehensive in scope, the book explores the theoretical background, economics, complexity, phases, strategic planning, engineering, coordination, and common challenges of megaprojects. The book also provides the tools for managing stakeholder integration. This important book: Describes the structure, dynamics and management of megaprojects Explores the management activities required and examines the appropriate tools for the management of megaprojects Includes tools for stakeholder integration Provides an advanced understanding of construction management concepts Written for managers, project managers and engineers, and cost consultants, Advanced Construction Project Management covers, in one complete volume, the information needed to lead a successful project.