Delivering Successful Megaprojects: Key Factors and Toolkit for the Project Manager

This book is not meant to teach you project management principles or methods, as that is the work of the various project management institutions around the world. It is meant to equip you with the tools to help you lead complex or large infrastructure projects successfully. Behind each chapter is a whole library of books. The intention of this book, therefore, is not to cover everything that is available or that you should know. However, it will give you pointers and tools that you can apply immediately and encourages you to discover more about such tools.

The book is written for project managers delivering the project. It is also specifically targeted to package project managers in large infrastructure projects. These ultra-large infrastructure projects — some in excess of billions of pounds — will normally have a package as large as an entire project, with values from £200m to £1bn. These packages have their own significant challenges. The current existing literature is either too basic for the experienced project manager or too high level and intended for government officials or the CEO running the project. It is meant to plug the gap for the experienced PM handling the large packages — but who is not (yet) the CEO. They face their own challenges.

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 a huge success. Are we accurately tailoring the right criteria to define the success of a large infrastructure project, or are we just sticking to the so-called Golden Triangle? Do we sometimes confuse project management success with project success? Or is success an illusion?

The book 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 these large projects. The book then discusses ten critical success factors, which combines the right mix of the Science (standard project management principles) and Art (soft skills) of project management required to deliver projects successfully. The success factors it identifies, which include supplier collaboration, making the procurement process count, developing a robust schedule, choosing the right team, proactive risk management, Lean Philosophy, reactive troubleshooting, monitoring and control, effective top-level management support, and project leadership, make up 90% of the book.

The author goes into depth about the dos and don’ts under each success factor to ensure the success of your project. Although the last chapter discusses case studies that support the success factors he focuses on, the book is littered with case studies and inspirational quotes that will give you the motivation and belief you require to ensure the project, not just the project delivery stage, is a success.