2017

The ambition for this inaugural edition of The Oxford Handbook of Megaproject Management is to become the ultimate source for state-of-the-art scholarship in the emerging field of megaproject management. The book offers a rigorous, research-oriented, up-to-date academic view of the discipline based on high-quality data and strong theory. Until lately, the literature in this new field was scattered over a large number of publications and disciplines making it difficult to obtain an overview of the history, key issues, and core readings. Megaproject Planning and Management: Essential Readings, Vols. I-II (2014) assembled the key historical texts in the field. Now the Oxford Handbook of Megaproject Management has been designed to provide the most important contemporary readings. Taken together, the two books are intended to map out the best of what is worth reading in the megaproject management literature, past and present.

Summary of Dissertation for Higher Doctorate in Science, (Dr. Scient.), Aalborg: Aalborg University, 62 pp., 2007

This paper focuses on problems in megaproject policy and planning and their causes and possible cures. After considerations of methodology, the paper first identifies as a main problem in megaproject development pervasive misinformation about the costs, benefits, and risks involved. A consequence of misinformation is cost overruns, benefit shortfalls, and waste.

2021

This paper reviews the concepts of project management and megaprojects, emphasizing on how to join these topics and the challenges of managing this kind of project, because the standard methodologies are not specific for megaprojects and, until now, academic researches focus only in the general content of methodologies for megaprojects. So, the objective of this paper is to jointly discuss project management, megaprojects and the challenges of managing this kind of project. First, we review the project management concepts and standards; then we define megaprojects, considering that a narrow definition is not the best alternative and then we present the current discussions about managing megaprojects. As a conclusion, we suggest unfolding the emerging topics for managing megaprojects in specific process, documents, tools and templates, to create a new standard, otherwise project managers will keep unsuccessfully trying to adapt the traditional methodologies to their megaprojects. This work brings a theoretical contribution when reviewing the newest advances in this topic and suggests future researches in the development of a new megaproject methodology.

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 2018

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview from the literature on how best to define megaprojects in contemporary contexts. There is a need for a definition that encompasses a complex matrix of characteristics, inclusive of positive and negative aspects, which are not necessarily industry or sector specific. Whilst megaprojects have often been described and defined in terms of cost, they are more accurately delineated by their convolutions. Intricacies arise from political intrigues surrounding funding of such projects and managing and governing complex social and organizational relations. Points for future research are also identified. Design/methodology/approach An analysis of international megaproject literature over the past five years combined with seminal works was undertaken, drawing on the broad literature of project and program management combined with elements of organizational theory. Whilst some examples are cited, in-depth case analysis has not bee...

The Oxford Handbook of Megaproject Management, 2017

Megaprojects are large, they are constantly growing ever larger, and more and more are being built in what has been called the biggest investment boom in history. This chapter serves as an introduction to megaprojects, and to The Oxford Handbook of Megaproject Management. First, megaprojects are defined and the size of the global megaprojects business is estimated. Second, drivers of the megaproject boom are identified, including monumentalism and the technological sublime. Third, ten things you must know about megaprojects are detailed, from their tendency to suffer from uniqueness bias to their overexposure to black-swan events. Fourth, the "iron law of megaprojects" is identified as a main challenge to megaproject management: "Over budget, over time, under benefits, over and over again." Finally, the main structure of the Handbook is set out as covering the what, the why, and the how of megaproject management, in terms of the challenges, causes, and cures that students of megaprojects must decipher to better understand and better manage megaprojects.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), 2022

The galore of megaprojects are evident globally, with the sharp rise in the investment directed towards large projects. As projectification is flattering to be a most acknowledged and accepted method of executing the requirements, so are the megaprojects. With organizations and countries executing their dreams and shine globally through megaprojects, the darker side is inevitable. The in executing megaprojects have sunk nations and turning century old organizations into bankruptcy. The paper gives with the insights of megaprojects, their evolution over the century and the current trends. The risks posed by the megaprojects as well as the opportunity it creates is narrated with references and benchmarks. The paper presents insights on the list of megaprojects that have had long lasting impact on many of the nations. The paper also answers on why megaprojects are still preferred despite the low success rate and concludes on the advancements that adds positivity to the megaproject practitioners and institutionalists.

The paper explores three texts in the field of megaproject management that intersubjectively, in terms of community sentiment, might be considered 'classics'. We deploy four criteria for a structured analysis that determines if the status of the works in question may be considered classic. The works examined are Megaprojects and Risk: An Anatomy of Ambition by Flyvbjerg, Bruzelius and Rothengatter; (2003) The Anatomy of Major Projects by Morris and Hough (1987) and Industrial Megaprojects by Merrow (2011). Based on these works we conclude with a prospectus for future research that will serve to develop the field of research into megaproject management.

Why do megaprojects frequently encounter performance problems, crisis and even failure, and how can this be averted? From the Eurotunnel linking Britain and France to expansion of the Panama Canal, huge projects often run off course or encounter nagging roadblocks. In this article, we illustrate three core management shortcomings that have significantly contributed to performance problems in megaprojects: the management of uncertainty, of stakeholders, and of contractors. We then draw on history – the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb during World War II, and Cold War-era space and defense projects like Polaris and Apollo – to show that knowledge of how to overcome these issues has long existed, and could be used effectively in some megaprojects today. For example, Manhattan Project manager General Groves realized that big unforeseeable uncertainties in designing atomic weapons required discrete project management skills including flexibility, but these techniques have since been pushed aside in a managerial push for control that became the phased-planning or " stage-gate " process philosophy. And while some 1940s and 1950s successes may not be repeated today with the same managerial methods, because stakeholder complexity was lower at a time when huge projects served " national priorities, " we argue that some mid-20th Century managerial techniques such as maintaining a common direction would help improve modern megaprojects.

1.0 Synopsis While measuring success in mega-projects is not straightforward and often interpreted differently by different individuals and stakeholders, there is a general perception that too many large engineering/science facility projects fail in terms of budget overruns, schedule slippage, and or promised performance. This failure to be designed appropriately and/or delivered on time and within budget has profound implications not only for the construction and commissioning organisations, but also for the funding agencies (often spending public money), and the clients or user community. Successful design and delivery is therefore not only a commercial necessity but also a societal imperative. In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of front-end shaping to project success. In this paper, I look at the inception, planning and feasibility phases of complex mega-projects in some depth, based on extant and updated research into the literature and several case studies. I focus on key success drivers from recent studies of large scale complex projects; drawing out factors shown to be especially potent at the preliminary stages. In particular, I discuss the importance of deciding the project goal(s) and success definitions, especially those beyond the physical structure; tackling the multi-headed Hydra of complexity; and early selection of competent procurement (contracting) processes. I explore resilience-building processes to curb optimism, learning from like-projects, and instilling a " mission-assurance " mindset. Lastly, I advocate an approach to risk management that goes beyond the traditional risk assessment models to help prepare project organisations against unexpected mishaps (Black Swans). Importantly, this paper newly captures a particular grouping of success precursors that require simultaneous attention specifically at the project initiation stage for maximum effect. The goal of this paper is to draw out the more subtle, often overlooked, aspects of complex mega-project management shown to be crucial at the start-up stages. I present strategies, practical approaches, and finally, proffer a project audit tool, readily applicable to large engineering projects. 2.0 Introduction/background Success and failure in projects is a topic frequently discussed among engineers and other project management (PM) practitioners. Similarly, public funded mega-scale projects especially are scrutinised for performance by funders, users, and the popular press. While a good number of notable mega-projects are delivered within acceptable parameters of time, budget and scope, many large complex projects-especially those underpinned by, or delivering, new technology-too often fail in

Construction Economics and Building, 2015

Guest Editor: Willie Tan, National University of Singapore