Poor project management can have serious consequences. A historical example, the story of the Swedish warship Vasa, helps us understand why project management is important, the kinds of issues that project managers must confront, and the persistence of these issues over time $($why issues from almost $400$ years ago still afflict us today$).$

The Vasa was built in $1628$ on orders from the king, Gustavus Adolphus II$.$ It was the biggest, most powerful, and most richly decorated vessel ever built for the Swedish navy, costing over $5\%$ of GDP to develop $($the equivalent of $$500$ billion in present terms$),$ with $64$ cannons arrayed over two decks and over $700$ sculptures and ornaments. Upon launch, however, this magnificent ship sailed less than $1400$ yards before flipping over and sinking to the bottom of Stockholm harbor. Exploring how and why this disaster happened serves as an effective introduction to a full range of project management tradeoffs and issues.

Assignments

$1.$ What went wrong in the construction of the Vasa?

$2.$ Could this outcome have been avoided? How?