The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Organization: BC Hydro - British Columbia, Canada
Project type : Hydro-electric power generator and associated dam
Project name : Site C dam
Date : Jun 2023
Cost : $16B CAD and climbing
Synopsis :
Today's large scale civil engineering projects aren't just about engineering. They typically involve a significant public relations component as well. On...
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Project Management
Scottish Ferries Fiasco
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Organization: CalMac Ferries Ltd
Project type : Construction of two new ferries
Date : Sep 2022
Cost : £340 million
Synopsis :
The services provided by state owned ferry operator CalMac Ferries Ltd sustain communities on 22 of Scotland’s islands. To ensure they continue to meet stakeholder needs CalMac’s fleet renewal program ordered two new boats in 20...
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Great Western Mainline Electrification
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Organization: Network Rail – UK
Project type : Rail infrastructure upgrade
Project name : Great Western Mainline electrification project
Date : Jan 2020
Cost : £2B cost overrun, plus reduced scope
Synopsis :
The electrification of the world's transportation infrastructure is a growing focus in many countries. Electrification allows the energy intensive i...
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Police Scotland
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Organization: Scottish Police Authority – UK
Project type : Policing information management system
Project name : i6
Date : Mar 2017
Cost : £200m lost opportunity
Synopsis :
While I often write about the direct impacts failed projects have on an organization it is also worth remember that each failed project is an investment that failed to yield its inte...
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London City – Garden Bridge
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Garden Bridge Trust – UK
Project type : Bridge design & construction
Date : Apr 2017
Cost : £53M (including £43M of public funds)
Synopsis :
New York has its 'High Line', Seoul has its 'Sky Garden', Paris has its 'Promenade Plantée' and London nearly had it's 'Garden Bridge'. Elevated, elongated city parks are a draw for both tourists and locals alike...
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Customs and Border Protection
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Department of Homeland Security – USA
Project type : Staff recruitment
Date : Apr 2019
Cost : $23M to hire 22 new staff
Synopsis :
In 2016, as part of the USA's renewed focus on border security, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was charged with increasing the number of border agents who secure the nation's points of entry. The goal was to ...
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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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Agile’s Achilles heel
From its birth in the software development community, the idea of ‘agility’ has risen in prominence to the point where organizations of all shapes and forms are now leveraging agile principles (or at least trying to). Since being conceptually formalized in the 2001 ‘agile manifesto’ the ideas have matured to the point where agile practices have worked their way into the mainstream of the Project Management Institute’s PMBoK® Guide.
As I’ve written about a number of times, agile concepts are ...
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Back to the drawing board
Synopsis: Adoption of suitable project management practices in the workplace can yield benefits over time.
At a recent international sporting event, in between all the hype and excitement, the relaxed atmosphere allowed for a no-holes barred discussion to take place regarding office discontent. Two people employed in senior positions, IT and Marketing respectively deliberated on an issue that is not unfamiliar. “We (IT) built according their (marketing) needs and they okayed what we presented...
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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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