Topic: Project delivery

By Myrna Rickards
May 20th 2025

Managing change without losing control – Balancing flexibility and discipline in major projects Full Report

 

When projects have lifespans that run into years if not decades, some change is inevitable. Technology advances, the regulatory landscape shifts, stakeholder demands evolve and the economic circumstances in which the project was born can alter out of all recognition.

This creates many challenges and opportunities for project professionals. How do we distinguish between necessary adjustment to secure outcomes and undisciplined scope creep inflating costs and extending schedule? What kinds of governance and project controls are most effective in different circumstances or types of projects? What should leaders do to create an environment that supports their chosen approach to risk management?

This half day seminar will explore this topic through case studies of the very different change management challenges of Sizewell C and London’s Stratford Waterfront programmes. This will be complemented by insight from the energy and defence sectors, both of which are experiencing rapid changes to the environment in which their major projects and programmes are being delivered. There will also be an opportunity to hear from two of the contributors to the Association for Project Management’s new guide Project Controls in the 21st Century.

Mind the Mobilisation Gap
By Myrna Rickards
March 5th 2025

Mind the Mobilisation Gap

This Perspectives Paper explores why we’re still getting mobilisation wrong on major projects, and how we can do better.

By Myrna Rickards
February 12th 2025

When we get it right a spotlight on success Full Report

 

While projects are often perceived as late and over budget, most actually meet intended outcomes and deliver to expectations. By reframing our thinking to focus on the successes, rather than just the failures in infrastructure delivery we can foster a more positive, solution-oriented approach that drives improvement and innovation.

This half day seminar will explore how highlighting successes can build delivery confidence, and encourages excellence, creating a replicable model for future projects. Bringing the public and politicians along on this journey is crucial for sustained support and investment confidence.

This event will help to challenge the perceptions of infrastructure project delivery. It will demonstrate how offering stakeholders a greater understanding of both the challenges and tangible benefits of projects creates a new level of trust that helps professionals navigate complex projects more effectively and secure vital support for future infrastructure.

 

Useful links mentioned in the ‘Project delivery performance reality check’ presentation by Dr. Paul Chapman OBE:

English Roads Major Schemes
Paper: Chapman, P., (2024) Project delivery performance: Insights from English roads major schemes, Project Leadership and Society Journal

Major Projects Association podcast hosted by Andy Murray with Paul Chapman and Nirmal Kotecha, former Head of Major Projects at National Highways: Project delivery performance: we’re actually quite good! Who knew and what changed? Sep 18, 2024
Public Accounts Committee (2007) Estimating and monitoring the costs of building roads in England
Nichols (2007) Review of Highways Agency’s Major Roads Programme
Swedish Rail and Road Project Performance
Chapman, P. (2024) Revisiting project delivery performance: Evidence from Swedish transport infrastructure, Project Management Journal
By Myrna Rickards
February 12th 2025

When we get it right – a spotlight on success Full Report

 

While projects are often perceived as late and over budget, most actually meet intended outcomes and deliver to expectations. By reframing our thinking to focus on the successes, rather than just the failures in infrastructure delivery we can foster a more positive, solution-oriented approach that drives improvement and innovation.

This half day seminar will explore how highlighting successes can build delivery confidence, and encourages excellence, creating a replicable model for future projects. Bringing the public and politicians along on this journey is crucial for sustained support and investment confidence.

This event will help to challenge the perceptions of infrastructure project delivery. It will demonstrate how offering stakeholders a greater understanding of both the challenges and tangible benefits of projects creates a new level of trust that helps professionals navigate complex projects more effectively and secure vital support for future infrastructure.

 

Useful links mentioned in the ‘Project delivery performance reality check’ presentation by Dr. Paul Chapman OBE:

English Roads Major Schemes
Paper: Chapman, P., (2024) Project delivery performance: Insights from English roads major schemes, Project Leadership and Society Journal

Major Projects Association podcast hosted by Andy Murray with Paul Chapman and Nirmal Kotecha, former Head of Major Projects at National Highways: Project delivery performance: we’re actually quite good! Who knew and what changed? Sep 18, 2024
Public Accounts Committee (2007) Estimating and monitoring the costs of building roads in England
Nichols (2007) Review of Highways Agency’s Major Roads Programme
Swedish Rail and Road Project Performance
Chapman, P. (2024) Revisiting project delivery performance: Evidence from Swedish transport infrastructure, Project Management Journal
Sustainability Playbook
By Myrna Rickards
November 12th 2024

No Planet B, so what can I do? Major Projects Sustainability Playbook

This playbook was crowdsourced by the Major Projects Association and KPMG to support project professionals in defining, procuring, designing, constructing and operating sustainable projects.

By Daniel Cojocaru
February 5th 2024

Initiating and Delivering Major Projects in Regulated Industries Full Report

The water sector is gearing up to deliver a multi-billion pound programme of major projects to deliver water supply solutions equivalent to the demand from more than 9 million people.

Chaired by Tideway CEO Andy Mitchell CBE, this seminar will examine the challenges and opportunities of delivering programmes at this scale in a sector that is shaped by economic and environmental regulation and where most asset owners have been focused on operations, maintenance and renewals since privatisation in the 1980s.

Speakers will share insight from their experience of successful delivery in other regulated sectors focusing on areas including funding & finance options, establishing appropriate governance, managing the impact of the 5 year regulatory cycle, building a major project capability and culture, and opportunities for collaboration between asset owners.

Delegates will also hear from RAPID (Regulators Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development) the initiative that brings OFWAT, the Drinking Water Inspectorate and the Environment Agency about its work with sector stakeholders to facilitate project development. In addition, OFWAT itself will discuss how it intends to evolve its regulatory role to support effective project delivery,

By Daniel Cojocaru
November 7th 2023

Initiating and Delivering Major Projects in Regulated Industries Highlight Report

The water sector is gearing up to deliver a multi-billion pound programme of major projects to deliver water supply solutions equivalent to the demand from more than 9 million people.

Chaired by Tideway CEO Andy Mitchell CBE, this seminar will examine the challenges and opportunities of delivering programmes at this scale in a sector that is shaped by economic and environmental regulation and where most asset owners have been focused on operations, maintenance and renewals since privatisation in the 1980s.

Speakers will share insight from their experience of successful delivery in other regulated sectors focusing on areas including funding & finance options, establishing appropriate governance, managing the impact of the 5 year regulatory cycle, building a major project capability and culture, and opportunities for collaboration between asset owners.

Delegates will also hear from RAPID (Regulators Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development) the initiative that brings OFWAT, the Drinking Water Inspectorate and the Environment Agency about its work with sector stakeholders to facilitate project development. In addition, OFWAT itself will discuss how it intends to evolve its regulatory role to support effective project delivery,

By Jonathan Norman
June 15th 2022

Pace of Pace – What have we achieved? Full Report

The Project Speed initiative was launched by the UK government in the Summer of 2020 with a promise to review every part of the major project lifecycle in persuit of Faster, Greener, Better delivery.

A series of pathfinder projects followed in the Spring of 2021, and in September the Infrastructure and Projects Authority published its Transforming Infrastructure Performance Roadmap to 2030, setting out a vision and action plan for reforming the delivery of major projects in the public sector. All of this work coincided with the COVID 19 pandemic during which a number of crucial projects had to be delivered at pace.

Chaired by Infrastructure and Projects Authority Chief Executive, Nick Smallwood, this seminar will explore what has been learnt from Project Speed and efforts elsewhere in the major projects world to accelerate delivery and secure benefits earlier.

Drawing on this insight, we will explore issues including:

  • Which projects are good candidates for acceleration and why?
  • What risks and opportunities are created by accleration and how can they be managed?
  • How can projects embrace digitisation, Modern Methods of Construction, new delivery models and other innovations to deliver outcomes faster and more effectively.
  • How should sponsorship and project leadership adapt to successfully deliver at pace…
  • … and how do project controls, assurance and other key processes also need to adapt?
By Jonathan Norman
April 7th 2022

Innovation at the Edge Full Report

Is innovation best left to chance in the form of random mutations from current ‘best practice’? Or should it result from thorough investigation and analysis followed by a centrally directed transformation programme? Or somewhere in between and
perhaps best realised through Lean-style continuous improvement?

Is it best to focus on product innovation (e.g. design), process innovation (e.g. project methods), or organisational innovation (e.g. delivery models). Or perhaps a bit of each?

How do we approach innovation that requires collaboration across organisational boundaries – which is typical in major projects? Can we incentivise innovation, or do commercial structures and risk allocation get in the way?

By Jonathan Norman
September 13th 2021

Annual Conference 2021 – Major Projects 2061: Lessons, Ambitions and Practice for the next 40 years Highlight Report

In October 1981 the Major Projects Association held its first seminar. This Annual Conference marks the beginning of our 40th anniversary celebrations in which we look backwards and forwards. During this event we hope to re-introduce positive major project practices which have fallen out of habit, to take a hard look at current ways of working (are they best practice or just current practice?). We will showcase members who are delivering “the future today” – bringing future practices into today’s major project delivery. We will look at the immediate future (2035) as well as forty years into the future through the lens of two case studies to help us reimagine our future and crucially, to begin to plan it.

The conference will be delivered as a physical event and we are offering one space per organisation on a first come, first served basis (additional spaces may be available closer to the time of the event). Spaces are offered at no charge (attendance is covered under your organisation’s membership fee) and include accomodation at the venue for the evening of Monday 13th September.

Please contact us for details on booking.

We are delighted to confirm Rohit Talwar as this year’s conference keynote speaker…

Rohit Talwar, CEO, Fast Future

Rohit Talwar is a global futurist, award-winning keynote speaker, author and CEO of Fast Future. His primary expertise lies in helping clients understand and shape the emerging future and develop transformational visions and strategies to deliver large scale change. He has a particular interest in how we can advance business, society and individual lives by harnessing the power of new thinking, innovation and disruptive developments in fields such as economics, construction, AI, blockchain, new materials, and the genetic sciences.

His clients include Aeroports de Paris, Andritz, Atkins, Ball Corp, BP, Danaher Corporation, DHL, Deloitte, Denver Airport, Diamond Trading Corporation (De Beers), Dubai Airport, EdF Emaar, Enel, EY, Gammon, Heathrow, Hyundai, International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, Jardines, KPMG LLP, Laing O’Rourke, Lendlease, Los Angeles Airport, Mott MacDonald, Mumbai Airport, Nakheel, PwC, Schipol Airport, Shell, Swiss Singaport (Aditya Birla Group), Tata, Thames Water, Vancouver Airport, Volkswagen UK, and numerous governments around the world.

Rohit is the co-author and lead editor of seven books – Designing Your Future; The Future of Business; Beyond Genuine Stupidity – Ensuring AI Serves Humanity; The Future Reinvented – Reimagining Life, Society and Business; A Very Human Future – Enriching Humanity in a Digitized World; Aftershocks and Opportunities – Scenaries for a Post-Pandemic Future; and The Opportunity at the Edge – Change, Challenge, and Transformation on the Path to 2025.

His latest book – Aftershocks and Opportunities 2 – Navigating the Next Horizon – will be published on September 28th and brings together contributions from over 30 future thinkers from around the world. The book explores critical ideas, possibilities, and scenarios for how the political, economic, societal, technological, and business landscape could play out in the coming years.