1. Leadership
Sean McQue
Traditional engineering and construction (E&C) projects typically have one individual directing the entire project team. Megaprojects are completed by joint ventures, consortiums, and other alternative delivery models given their sheer size and complexity.
McQue says, “Leaders must motivate people to follow them; you can manipulate or inspire. To succeed, you must inspire” Successful megaproject leaders rely on the following tenants: open, collaborative, innovative, flexible, forward looking.
2. Project environment
The leadership team selects which organizations participate on a megaproject, the contract style and language, implementation, and the systems used to manage data, communication, and processes. A successful project team must be: cooperative, non-confrontational, interactive, experienced, efficient, and motivated.
3. Project plan
According to McQue, the project plan must be “attainable, measurable, and adaptable”, because the plan greatly impacts the team environment and project delivery. A collaborative leadership team sets the baseline and agrees on goals, success metrics, and how project responsibilities are divided. A successful megaproject plan must be agreed by all appropriate parties.
4. People
Nothing is possible without a talented team to develop and support the project environment and plan. The right people have collaborative mindsets, the discipline to measure progress against milestones, and the motivation and skills to reach project goals. “If you have the right people, the rest will fall into place,” McQue says. Skilled team members instill: accountability, collaboration, integrity, skill, and decisiveness.
5. Information management
Implementing information management guidelines are crucial given the sheer size, pace, and numerous components to megaprojects. Mismanaged information can gravely impact cost and schedules resulting in time intensive errors, rework, and disputes.
“If vast amounts of project information aren’t managed correctly, people can drown in information and be starved for knowledge,” McQue shares. Information on megaprojects must be: accurate, accessible by the right people at the right time, complete, and consistent—even more so than on traditional projects.
6. Delivery
The end goal is—of course—ensuring a successful project delivery. McQue states, “A key to project success is for all team members to have ‘a project first’ mindset. A project cannot succeed unless all parties are successful. If all parties are successful, the project will succeed.”
