Questions and Answers of MegaProject Management

This chapter includes 25 common and not-so-common attributes of megaprojects. Can you think of two or three additional characteristics of megaprojects and, in particular, of the Big Dig that were not
What is the critical role of the project sponsor/owner (and the relative roles of sponsor, portfolio manager, and program manager in governing and managing projects)?
Review the three sample specifications highlighted in this chapter, and explain why project managers often fail to prevent ambiguity, which would help avoid delay and prevent disputes and costly
What processes and procedures will you need to perform integrated change control?
Contrast quality management with risk management. How are they alike? How are they different?
Describe in your own words the meaning of the following quote by one of America’s best-known entrepreneurs as it might apply to managing quality on a large scale project like the Big Dig. Success
The contractor of the ABIG Construction Company is reviewing plans for the megaproject on which he is working and discovers that the specification was underestimated for the amount of support needed
In a report released in January 2008, the nonprofit Ethics Resource Center (ERC) revealed that 52 percent of federal, 57 percent of state, and 63 percent of local government respondents witnessed
How can infrastructure development be used to advance and improve societal interests? As a project manager in a developing country where half the population lives on a dollar a day, what strategies
Assume you are appointed by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to serve as the project manager on one of the largest infrastructure projects in the history of the United States. What
Of the three major megaprojects to be implemented in the United States reported in the USDOT’s 2010 Financial Report, which do you think has the greatest risks and why? Be sure to include a brief
What are the types of risk that are inherent in long-duration projects similar to the Big Dig? How can these risks be mitigated at the inception of the Project? Give three examples.
How does the life cycle of a megaproject differ from that of a smaller-scale project?
Why does Paul Schulman, an authority in policy making, argue that large-scale project policy represents the pursuit of objectives that cannot be fulfilled by a series of individualized, partial, and
What is meant by project delivery? What makes it a unique characteristic of megaprojects?
Why is continuity of management important in megaprojects such as the Big Dig? Keep in mind that the Big Dig spanned the terms of eight governors of the state of Massachusetts.
Why do projects without precedent create greater risk? Projects are defined as unique and one of a kind. Does that mean that all projects are without precedent?
Describe three socioeconomic impacts that were produced by the Big Dig.
What are the essential elements in a megaproject framework? Distinguish between project management (a) Practice, (b) Strategy, and (c) Theory by giving an example of each
What is the role of the professional organizations such as PMI, APM, IPMA, and AIPM in the management of megaprojects?
Define improvisation and agile project management, and explain how they are alike and how they are different.
Why are public projects highly scrutinized? Give an example of how public scrutiny can be managed on a megaproject
Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary defines ethics as ‘‘the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation’’ and ‘‘the principles of conduct governing
Is there a difference between project finance for public works projects like the Big Dig and purely private project finance? If so, what guidelines should be used to help distinguish the two?
Is a project that is fully funded by public sources but managed by a private consultant a good example of a public-private partnership? Why or why not? Does it meet the U.S. Department of
What is meant by innovative financing? Describe three examples of innovative financing used on the Big Dig.
What are the impacts to project finance when a public project has spiraling cost overruns? What are the project’s options when costs increase and funding is unavailable from public sources?
Explain what is meant by project uncertainty and describe how uncertainty impacts project finance and how uncertainty can be mitigated at the conceptual stage of the project.
Explain the meaning of cost-benefit analysis? Why is a cost-benefit analysis critical to obtaining commitment of project funding? How would you go about gathering data on the costs and benefits of a
Contrast the Eurotunnel project with the Big Dig and describe what you believe to be the major root cause of runaway costs on each of these projects. Dig deep into the research and think critically
There are many benefits described in this chapter for the building of the Big Dig. Of all the benefits listed what is the most important benefit and why? What is the least important benefit and why?
As described in this chapter, the government owner can have multiple roles in a project. The owner may have the role of regulator, oversight authority, protector of the public interest, and project
Explain the difference between stakeholder influence and stakeholder interest in a project. Is a stakeholder who has high influence on a project more important than a stakeholder who has a high
Describe two project management tools that can be used to measure the influence and interest of stakeholders.
Define the difference between internal and external stakeholders. Should these stakeholders be treated differently? Should internal stakeholders be given greater authority in the governance of the
Why is it critical to keep the project stakeholders informed? What transparency mechanisms can you use to enhance communication with your stakeholders?
How can the trust of your stakeholders be developed on a large-scale project, and how can a trusting relationship be maintained?
Explain the concept of corporate social responsibility and how it can be applied for the benefit of all stakeholders on megaprojects.
What measures can you use to increase public confidence in the project?
Henry was manager of construction on the new Super Star Energy Project in Colorado and reported up to the director of project management. He was assigned to this project through the Big Moon Company,
What does governance structure mean on a public project? Why is it important?
How can you measure performance of a governance framework?
What should be the role of a governance board?
What are the critical success factors that should be measured by a project board?
Who owns the benefits on a project, and who has strategic responsibility for realizing these benefits?
What is the role of the strategic plan on a project, and who should have responsibility for the strategic plan?
Define the effective role of a governance structure, including systems and tools.
Who are the providers of funding for the Big Dig and what was there role in the project?
How is return on investment measured in a public versus a private project?
What potential problems can arise on public projects to prevent them from earning a return on the investment?
In the JWST NASA case study described in this chapter, the Independent Review Panel issued several findings concerning the failure of governance in the NASA organization and in the JWST program
In the book Megaprojects and Risk: An Anatomy of Ambition, the authors suggest a cure for what is termed the ‘‘megaproject paradox.’’ Two important recommendations they have are (1) That the
How would you have structured the owner’s board of directors on the Big Dig to ensure the best possible expertise? As noted by a former Big Dig Board Member: ‘‘perhaps an owner’s board should
a. What should be the composition of the board? Who should serve on a public board? Insiders? Outsiders? Contractors? Sponsors?b. What are the types of decisions a board should make?c. How should
What are the three most important lessons you learned in this chapter about the governance of megaprojects generally, and the Big Dig specifically, for future projects?
Scope creep tends to be a problem on all projects, but particularly megaprojects. Review the reasons for scope creep on the Big Dig and discuss how these problems might have been prevented with
In this chapter, you saw many examples of ways in which costs can rise because of the failure to properly control or verify scope. Scope defines the desired behavior of the project system. Much of
If you are a project manager of a megaproject like the Big Dig, what are the top ten questions you would need answered in your project scope statement?
Describe five ways in which the development of scope for a megaproject differs from the development of scope for a small or midsize project.
What is the purpose of a work breakdown structure? What are the challenges in developing a WBS for a megaproject?
Requirements errors continue to be a major problem in all projects. Describe the processes and procedures you would put in place to reduce and mitigate this problem to avoid extensive rework and
Develop a work breakdown structure for constructing a new eight-room home with four bedrooms and a budget of $400,000. Be sure to include the deliverables and three levels of activities. After you
Why is the triple constraint a critical factor in scope management? Why is quality sometimes considered a fourth constraint? Isn’t quality really a part of scope?
As you learned in this chapter, recovering costs from the designer for errors and omissions and recovering back charges from contractors for failure to follow specifications and contractual
What did Sir Winston Churchill mean when he said that ‘‘plans are of little importance, but planning is essential?’’ Is this advice relevant to the planning of a megaproject?
How will you manage the interdependencies among the project management areas?
Why must projects have both incentives and disincentives to ensure early contract completion? What is the difference between these two strategies? Do you think incentives or disincentives would be
How will you track, review, and regulate progress to meet performance objectives?
To maintain project schedule, what types of data should be collected during reporting periods?
If the project needs to be accelerated, what kinds of activities would be the primary focus? Why? If the project needs to be delayed, what are the major financial risks and impacts that the project
What are the major issues a megaproject must address concerning the critical path? What options are available if activities on this path are delayed?
Provide three examples of performance measurements you would recommend for a megaproject like the Big Dig and how would you monitor, control and enforce those measurements.
Carlos Ghosn, famous for running two companies on the Fortune Global 500 simultaneously, describes incentives as follows: Incentives are not strategy, they are tactics. Defensive measures. Do you
Based on the cost overruns on the Big Dig and the extensive scholarly research on cost management, it appears that most large-scale projects are chronically underestimated. In responding to the
What was the root cause of the cost overruns on the Big Dig? How could these overruns have been prevented?
What are the typical causes of projects that are over budget? Were the causes of cost overruns on the Big Dig typical of most projects, unique to large-scale megaprojects, or unique only to the Big
How would you avoid the problem discussed in this chapter of cost overruns caused by inflationary factors? What cost estimating tools and controls would you utilize to prevent overruns caused by
What are your options once you identify the root causes of your budget overruns if you are midway through a project?
Assume you are a project manager on a large-scale project and you learn that your boss has fraudulently inflated or deflated the budget. What are your responsibilities to the project? What are your
How would you incentivize project managers, consultants and contractors to deliver a project on schedule and budget?
In an important case reported by the FHWA in the United States, an inspector for the state agency overseeing the project noted that a concrete supplier had delivered precast concrete catch basins
Of the 17 cost control tools described in this chapter which do you think are the three most important tools and why?
What is the impact on a project when a project’s funding sources are insufficient to meet the project’s cost commitments?
How would you structure your cost management team to ensure the proper estimation and management of cost?
What are some cost monitoring tools that you could utilize to provide further advance indications as to the accuracy of cost projections through Project completion that are not discussed in this
When can earned value be a useful tool in tracking project performance, and when will it be of no use in tracking cost and schedule?
Describe three vital signs that would indicate that your cost control process is out of control.
Research has shown that large scale projects are beset by an overly optimistic bias at their inception. How can projects prevent this systemic underestimation of cost so that the public is aware of
Why is market competition a critical factor in costing contracts and baselines on long duration projects and how would you mitigate the risk of under estimating the project cost based on competitive
How do you avoid complacency when your project has repeatedly been successful at inherently hazardous or difficult tasks?
What should the risk manager have done in advance planning for potential hurricanes in New Orleans described in the Federal Response to lessons learned in this chapter?. How can you mitigate the
How would you conduct a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the consequences of a disaster, such as a fire in your plant? What type of data would you require? What would your standard form of
What should the role of a risk manager be in a project versus in a program? Are the roles identical? What are the differences?
Should the risk manager in a megaproject be responsible for construction risks? Cost and schedule risks? Political risks? Environmental risks? Does it depend on the size of the project? The location
The PMBOKRGuide states: Project Risk has its origins in the uncertainty present in all projects. It defines known risks as those that have been identified and analyzed, making it possible to plan
Risk managers often face ethical decisions concerning conflicts of interest, transparency, environmental obligations, and political risk. Provide an example of an ethical dilemma a risk manager might
How would you prioritize actions in a risk assessment? Would you look at: Impact of the risk? Probability of the risk? Public concerns? Perceptions of risk? Stakeholder expectations? Other concerns?
Distinguish between a hazard and a risk. As a risk manager, would you manage a hazard differently than a risk? Explain why or why not. Should certain risk issues have a higher priority than others?
How would you identify risk opportunities on a project?
Are the risk responses for threats more important than the risk responses for opportunities? Why or why not?

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