Senior Project: Research Essay

Common Pitfalls in Civil Project Management
– An Interdisciplinary Analysis

Abstract

Nine out of ten large-scale engineering projects, commonly known as megaprojects, experience significant cost overruns and ongoing delays (Flyvbjerg & Gardner 2023). High profile megaprojects that illustrate these negative outcomes include the California High-Speed Rail, Sydney Opera House, and Hong Kong’s Express Rail Link projects. Causes include inadequate planning, project mismanagement, and cumbersome regulatory processes leading to significant delays. These complex and wicked problems (Rittel & Webber 1973) often benefit from interdisciplinary collaboration, especially in the planning and design phases of major civil works. By integrating insights from cognitive psychology, big data analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and program evaluation research, engineering project managers can better address these recurring and costly issues.

This essay examines case studies highlighting common reasons for delays across all phases of major engineering projects. The discussion section includes excerpts from interviews with two subject matter experts with demonstrated experience in project management and the delivery of civil construction projects in California. This analysis underscores how meticulous planning, modular engineering designs, and interdisciplinary collaboration can significantly reduce delays and cost overruns, providing project managers and policymakers with actionable strategies for more reliable delivery of megaprojects.

The video below illustrates how AI can be applied to address this multifaceted problem.

“Octant AI is an Artificial Intelligence platform which drives better project outcome performance. Emerging from a collaboration at University of Oxford, the technology delivers more accurate and much earlier insights into project performance across a range of different key result areas, including time, cost, revenue, and other critical factors. Calibrated on thousands of projects, Octant AI is progressively tuned to user organisations’ unique circumstances, and continuously improves with use. It can be applied to any undertaking that is delivered in the form of a project, programme, or portfolio.”
LinkedIn Profile – OctantAI