Big visions, like the Empire State Building or Apple's iPod, can inspire success, transforming into iconic realities in a short time. However, more often than not, large projects turn into failures. For example, the Boston "Big Dig" and the California high-speed rail project, which saw costs soar from $33 billion to $100 billion, highlight the widespread issues with megaprojects, as 92% fail to meet their budget or timeline. Even smaller ventures, like starting a business or organizing a conference, often encounter setbacks. The question remains: Why do so many of these projects fail?
In How Big Things Get Done, the author identifies the errors in judgment and decision-making that lead projects, both big and small, to fail, and the research-based principles that will make you succeed with yours. For example:
- Understand your odds. If you don't know them, you won't win.
- Plan slow, act fast. Getting to the action quick feels right. But it's wrong.
- Think right to left. Start with your goal, then identify the steps to get there.
- Find your Lego. Big is best built from small.
- Be a team maker. You won't succeed without an "us."
- Master the unknown unknowns. Most think they can't, so they fail. Flyvbjerg shows how you can.
- Know that your biggest risk is you.
Full of vivid examples ranging from the building of the Sydney Opera House, to the making of the latest Pixar blockbusters, to a home renovation in Brooklyn gone awry, How Big Things Get Done reveals how to get any ambitious project done - on time and on budget.
