Flyvbjerg, B., & Gardner, D. (2023). How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors that Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything in Between. New York: Random House. ISBN 9780593239513

1. Prevalence of Project Failures: Most big projects, whether government-funded or small home renovations, often exceed budgetsand timelines.
2. Iron Law of Megaprojects: Large, complex projects like new airports or high-speed rail lines typically go over budget and schedule, with only a small percentage meeting their original targets.
3. Complexity of Megaprojects: These projects involve intricate systems, multiple stakeholders, and unpredictable elements, leading to delays and cost overruns.
4. Applicability to Small Projects: Even small projects face similar risks due to their involvement in complex systems, potentially leading to significant financial impacts.
5. Commitment Fallacy: The tendency to continue investing in a failing project due to previous investments, often resulting in further losses and inefficiencies.
6. California High-Speed Rail Example: This project illustrates the commitment fallacy, with initial underestimation of costs and complexities and subsequent over-commitment despite mounting challenges.
7. Importance of Realistic Planning: Emphasizes the need for realistic assessment of project challenges and avoiding commitments based solely on optimism.
8. Transparency and Flexibility: Stresses the importance of honesty about potential costs and risks, and the need for adaptability in project management.
9. Thinking from Right to Left: This approach, or reverse engineering, involves starting with the end goal and working backward to define necessary steps, ensuring alignment with final objectives.
10. Guggenheim Museum Example: Demonstrates successful application of right-to-left thinking, where the end goal of economic revitalization guided the planning and execution of the museum project, leading to significant economic benefits.

The book ends with “Heuristics for good project leadership”, which are quite useful:

1. Understand your odds: Know your chances of success.
   2. Plan slow, act fast: Deliberate planning followed by swift action.
   3. Think right to left: Start with your goal and work backwards.
   4. Find your Lego: Build big from small components.
   5. Be a team maker: Collaborative effort is key to success.
   6. Master the unknown unknowns: Handle unforeseeable challenges effectively.
   7. Know that your biggest risk is you: Be aware of personal limitations and biases.
   8. Hire a Masterbuilder: Choose someone with deep experience and a track record of success.
   9. Get your team right: A great team can elevate even mediocre ideas.
   10. Ask ‘Why?’: Stay focused on your project’s ultimate purpose.
   11. Think Slow, Act Fast: Good planning reduces risk and aids swift, effective delivery.
   12. Say No and Walk Away: Stay focused, rejecting anything that doesn’t contribute to your goal.
   13. Make Friends and Keep Them Friendly: Cultivate stakeholder relationships for risk management.