My review of How Big Things Get Done

How Big Things Get Done by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner is a compelling exploration of project management challenges. I gained insight into why megaprojects often fail, run behind schedule, and go over budget — and how to mitigate these issues.

If I had to summarize the key points:

• Most projects go over budget, run over time, and deliver fewer benefits than expected.
• Think slow, act fast: invest more time in planning so the project can be executed efficiently.
• Get the goal right, then plan from right to left, always keeping the end objective in sight.
• Experiment with the plan multiple times — iteration is key.
• Experience matters: learn from past projects and hire the most experienced project managers.
• Your project is not unique — benchmark against similar projects to improve forecasting.
• Team morale is crucial for successful project delivery. Modular projects (e.g., offshore wind farms) often outperform unique, large-scale projects (e.g., nuclear reactors) in staying on schedule and within budget.

A worthwhile read, indeed.

(Working on backlogs… I really need to rethink how to finish them.)