Description
If you want to know how big projects really work and how they can either succeed or fail, How Big Things Get Done is a must-read. This book, written by bestselling author Dan Gardner and world-renowned project expert Bent Flyvbjerg, reveals the hidden forces at work in megaprojects, from bridges and stadiums to corporate expansions and global infrastructure. It also distills decades of research into clear, useful lessons that can be used in almost any field.
The main point of the book is a shocking fact: most big initiatives don’t work out. They go over budget, take much longer than planned, or fall apart because of bad planning. But why? The answers aren’t always obvious. Flyvbjerg and Gardner use in-depth case studies and interesting stories to prove that even the best ideas will fail if they aren’t carried out properly. Their research covers a wide range of fields and nations, looking at things like the building of the Sydney Opera House and the Channel Tunnel, the release of Apple’s first iPhone, and the design processes at Pixar.
The writers say that success doesn’t come from charm, vision, or willpower alone. Instead, it comes from discipline, modularity, data, and patience. You can’t achieve big things all at once. You have to start small, use patterns that you can repeat, and be very careful about risk. They show how using historical data instead of gut sense can make predictions about costs and timetables far more accurate by using a system called “reference class forecasting.”
The book gives you a collection of principles that you can use, such as:
Why taking it slow at first helps projects get done faster
How to stay away from the trap of making things too complicated
How important templates, repetition, and simplicity are for growing success
How to make teams that don’t think like everyone else and stay accountable
Why most failures are caused by being too hopeful and lying on purpose
This book gives you a clear, confident, and controlled way to carry out your plans, whether you are an entrepreneur introducing a product, a manager directing a corporate rollout, or a policymaker building public infrastructure.
How Big Things Get Done isn’t only about big projects; it’s also about the psychology, strategy, and science of making big goals come true in a world full of uncertainty. It’s a plea to stop guessing and start doing things based on evidence and results.
About the Authors
Bent Flyvbjerg is the inaugural BT Professor at Oxford University and a global authority on megaproject management. His work has influenced public policy, business practices, and academic research worldwide. Dan Gardner is a journalist and New York Times bestselling author of The Science of Fear and Superforecasting. Known for translating complex ideas into accessible insights, he brings narrative clarity to cutting-edge thinking.
Product Details
- Title: How Big Things Get Done
- Authors: Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner
- ISBN-13: 9780593239513
- Publisher: Currency
- Published: February 21, 2023
- Pages: 304
- Binding: Paperpack
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