Book Review: How big things get done

"How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors Behind Every Successful Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration” By: Professor Bent Flyvbjerg, Dan Gardner

I love this book so much - it’s definitely a must-read for anyone interested in project management and project economics. As someone with almost 30 years of experience in this field, I found the book to be hugely insightful. It also answered and validated some ideas that had developed in my head over years of experiences - like the fact that understating budgets is a primary cause of budget blowout. The book goes even further than I would have in suggesting that architects deliberately underquote the budget to get work approved.

One of the things I loved about the book was the empirical approach taken by the authors. The book is based on data and case studies, which is something that is lacking in many project management books. The evidence-based approach provides a solid foundation for the advice and recommendations provided by the author. It demystifies project experiences and anomalies like where in the statistical distribution the project sits.

At the same time, the book is not dry or overly academic. The narrative approach used by the author, with stories and cautionary tales, makes the book engaging and enjoyable to read. The author presents similar projects with diametrically opposing outcomes, which highlight how to implement appropriate planning, risk management, and navigating politics.

If there is one message in this book it is “Plan Slowly, act quickly” the author stresses the fact that planning is way more cost effective than execution cost, here is perhaps where I differ slightly. Although I agree that planning is essential - when projects get small enough there is a tipping point where too much planning can be detrimental because the cost of planning exceeds the cost of execution even when factoring the risk of defects - for example an architectural and engineering team is more expensive than a team of carpenters and labourers and at some point each additional hour of planning costs more than the potential saving.

"How Big Things Get Done" is the ultimate handbook for anyone interested in project management and project economics and makes the subject accessible to anyone. The book provides practical advice based on empirical data and real-world experience. I highly recommend this book to anyone involved in project management or interested in achieving success in large-scale endeavours.