How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors Behind Every Successful Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration

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This is where the iron law of megaprojects comes in. It explains that huge, complex endeavors like building a new airport or a high-speed rail line almost always go over budget, over schedule, or both. It turns out that only 8.5 percent of the 16,000 projects studied by the authors hit their targets for both cost and time. That's a staggering statistic! The secrets to successfully planning and delivering projects on any scale—from home renovation to space exploration—by the world’s leading expert on megaprojects Why do big projects go wrong so often, and are there any lessons you can use when renovating your kitchen? Bent Flyvbjerg is the ‘megaproject’ expert and Dan Gardner brings the storytelling skills to How Big Things Get Done, with examples ranging from a Jimi Hendrix studio to the Sydney Opera House.”— Financial Times (Best Books of 2023 So Far)

It’s a book that every legislator, city council member and corporate executive ought to read." — Wall Street Journal Flyvbjerg’s study of big construction projects worldwide has led him to formulate the iron law of megaprojects: over budget, over time, under benefits, over and over again. His deep understanding of why big projects fail—and occasionally succeed—makes this book a truly fascinating read. There’s a practical payoff, too: a toolbox with eleven smart heuristics for better project leadership that every planner who wants to succeed should know." — Gerd Gigerenzer, psychologist, author of Gut Feelings Entertaining . . . compelling . . . there are lessons here for managers of all stripes' – The Economist In total, only 8.5 percent of projects hit the mark on both cost and time. And a minuscule 0.5 percent nail cost, time, and benefits.” Having researched the properties of planning errors, I am confident that nobody has studied the topic more broadly and deeply than Bent Flyvbjerg. His focus ranges from the Olympic Games to the renovation of your doghouse.” —Nassim Nicholas Taleb, distinguished professor of risk engineering at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, and author of the Incerto series

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Nothing is more inspiring than a big vision that becomes a triumphant, newreality. Think of how the Empire State Building went from a sketch to the jewel of New York’s skyline in twenty-one months, or how Apple’s iPod went from a project with a single employee to a product launch in eleven months.

Megaproject expert Bent Flyvbjerg and bestselling author Dan Gardner reveal the secrets to successfully planning and delivering ambitious projects on any scale.Entertaining . . . The picture that [Flyvbjerg] and Mr Gardner draw of why projects, large and small, tend to go wrong is compelling. . . . There are lessons here for managers of all stripes.” — The Economist HIGHLY recommend for anyone in construction aindustry, or even anyone considering that "light" home remodelling project: The lesson for project professionals? By searching for ways in which to introduce modularity into your project, you will inevitably increase your chance of success. Aside from these practical tips, the book offers some theoretical reflection. By Flyberg’s analysis, budgets and timelines can be too optimistic either for reasons of cognitive bias or strategic misrepresentation, where the latter serves the purpose of gaining project approval under false pretenses. It’s useful to consider both of these possible explanations for when projects come out over budget and delayed.

Having researched the properties of planning errors, I am confident that nobody has studied the topic more broadly and deeply than Bent Flyvbjerg. His focus ranges from the Olympic Games to the renovation of your doghouse.” Mr. Flyvbjerg identifies two common flaws in developing large-scale projects: inadequate planning and prolonged execution. Managers and politicians have a bias for action, he says, often treating planning as an annoyance that must be endured before the real work begins. Imposing tight deadlines for completion may end up adding costs and time, because the easiest way to craft a tighter schedule is to short-circuit the planning process. Rushed planning can result in problems that crop up later, generating delays that push up the cost. Then the value of building large projects from modular components is highlighted by looking at modular construction and how solar panel projects are accurately costed. We’ve all been there – you’ve started a big project with high hopes in mind, just for it to end in failure. Perhaps you embarked on a home renovation project and ended up with an empty wallet and unfinished bathroom. Or you watched a friend take on a project that seemed simple, only to spiral out of control and end in disaster. Well, if this is the case, you are not alone. In fact, according to data from various fields and countries, the majority of big projects, whether they be government-funded or small home renovations, tend to go over budget and take longer than anticipated to complete.

Pixar planning”: use low stakes pilot tests and high resolution models to get all the details right.

The book starts by describing how the record of big projects is worse than people think. Flyvbjerg has built up a database of 16,000 projects that details how projects typically end up. The incredible result is : Flyvbjerg’s study of big construction projects worldwide has led him to formulate the iron law of megaprojects: over budget, over time, under benefits, over and over again. His deep understanding of why big projects fail—and occasionally succeed—makes this book a truly fascinating read.” —Gerd Gigerenzer, author of Gut Feelings Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the “Settings & Account” section. What happens at the end of my trial? Nothing is more inspiring than a big vision that becomes a triumphant, new reality. Think of how the Empire State Building went from a sketch to the jewel of New York's skyline in twenty-one months, or how Apple’s iPod went from a project with a single employee to a product launch in eleven months.Stories of gigantic and costly failures, from the Sydney Opera House to successive editions of the Olympic Games, are entertaining and chastening in equal measure. But Flyvbjerg and Gardner also manage to extract valuable lessons about how to plan, forecast and execute any size of project, be it a kitchen remodelling or a high-speed trainlink.” —Financial Times, Best Summer Books of 2023: Business