The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Organization:
Project type : Integrated Public Health Information System
Project name : Panorama
Date : Apr 2020
Cost : $115M
Synopsis :
Audit reports can be a gold mine of information that reveal insights into the status of a project. One such report that caught my eye this week covers an IT system developed in Canada to help identify, manage and tra...
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Decision making
Super-League Soccer
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Organization: Super League
Project type : Establishment of a new professional sports league
Project name : Super League
Date : Apr 2021
Cost : Unknown
Synopsis :
The public announcement of a new project can be a significant milestone. It’s an opportunity to draw media attention and generate some buzz about an upcoming product. When done well it leaves...
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Fyre Festival
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Project name : Fyre Festival
Project type : Music festival
Date : Apr 2017
Cost : Undeclared
Synopsis :
The execution of a large-scale music festival can be a complex Project Management challenge. The bigger the event, and the higher the expectations, the more challenging it becomes. Throw in a remote location, a lack of event planning experience, l...
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A380 – Take two
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Airbus SAS – France
Project name : A380
Project type : Commercial aircraft development
Date : Feb 2019
Cost : Undeclared, but certainly in the billions of dollars in lost opportunity and other costs.
Synopsis :
An old Danish proverb (sometimes incorrectly attributed to Yogi Berra) quips that "It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the fu...
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Pink Uniforms
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
US Department of Defense – USA
Project type : Military aid
Date : Jun 2017 Cost : $28M
Synopsis :
The United States spends a significant amount of aid money supporting the military of allied countries. With the aim of stabilizing nations and ensuring global security, money is poured into training, equipment and consulting services. A significant amount of t...
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Jacques Cartier Champlain Bridge Corporation
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Jacques Cartier Champlain Bridge Corporation – Canada
Project type : Highway overpass construction
Date : Oct 2016 Cost : $11M CAD
Synopsis :
Taxpayers often feel that their hard earned dollars aren't being respected by the government officials charged with spending those dollars. In a story that feeds into that narrative, the city of Montreal has recently co...
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St Helena Airport
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Organization: Department for International Development (DfID) - UK
Project type : New airport
Date : Jun 2016
Cost : £285 million
Synopsis :
Wind shear is one of the most deadly atmospheric conditions an aircraft can hit. A significant and rapid change in wind speed, or direction, over a very short distance, wind shear is especially dangerous when it happ...
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Flint Michigan – Water
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Organization: Flint Michigan Municipality
Project type : Municipal water supply
Date : Apr 2014 to May 2016 (ongoing at time of writing)
Cost : Unknown for now, but potentially in the billions.
Synopsis :
In the most powerful nation on earth you would assume that if you're in a major city, it would be safe to drink the tap water. If you're in Flint Michig...
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RIP Ideas
An organization’s future prosperity is of course directly correlated to its ability to remain relevant in the market place. As we all know, to remain competitive organizations need to both innovate and invest. They need to stay in tune with their customers, be aware of shifting trends or disruptions and maintain a level of situational awareness that supports effective decision-making. Most organizations are aware of those basics and CEO’s make efforts to stay on top of them. The “value” creati...
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Culture’s Cogs – Expectations
Synopsis: Expectations are the medium through which a culture propagates. Expectations can be set through words, use of benchmarks and through actions.
This post is part 3 in the Cultures Cog's series of posts. Click here for - Part 1
If a culture is to propagate it needs a medium through which to flow. As suggested in the culture's cog diagram shown in part 1 of this series, expectations are a vehicle through which cultural norms are transferred from leader to team and peer to peer. In th...
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