The Oxford handbook of megaproject management

The Oxford Handbook of Megaproject Management represents an ambitious attempt to bring together a vast array of scholarship from potentially disparate fields, but also to begin to construct the foundations of an emerging discipline – a megaproject in its own right perhaps?

The text incorporates an impressive degree of variation within its 600 pages and 25 chapters, with discussion of many project types, from a broad range of sectors and varied contexts. It includes cases and discussion of physical infrastructure, strategic urban planning, aeroplane development, sporting events and ICT systems, and covers a vast geographic spread across the continents of the planet. The text highlights the complexity of the world of megaproject management, explaining that they are not simply bigger and more costly than the average project, although they are, but also that megaprojects are increasing in number and size – emphasising the timeliness of this text.

However, more than a simple compendium of case studies, as valuable as that might be, this text aims to begin building a paradigm or consensus around the central tenets or principles of megaproject management. With considerable success, the introduction alone provides an overview of the scale of megaprojects, defines terminology and sets out how megaprojects come to be and are delivered. Useful anecdotes and axioms are provided to introduce factors driving and influencing megaproject management, including the ‘four sublimes’, the ‘iron law of megaprojects’, the ‘megaproject paradox’ and the ‘break-fix model’. The set-up for the rest of the text is thorough and extremely readable and it successfully outlines a foundation on which consensus can be built and the basic tenets of megaproject management established.

The chapters beyond the introduction are then structured to add the detail to this foundation, and the structure establishes an analytical framework for learning not simply about cases, but about the fundamentals of megaproject management. In the words of the text itself, the structure is concerned with understanding the challenges of megaproject management, the causes of those challenges and a set of cures, before finally considering cases more specifically.

Part I, concerned with identified and analysing the challenges of megaproject development, again covers considerable breadth. With Chapters looking to history to learn, or indeed relearn, lessons on behavioural change and uncertainty (Chapter 2), as well as identifying and outlining a cycle of megaproject development (Chapter 3), providing discussion of scale, scalability, theories of big, and the incorporation of fragility into the mix (Chapter 4), analysing governance, institutional co-operation and their wicked problems (Chapter 5), approaching the ethical dimensions of megaprojects to discuss crucial, but often underrepresented, questions of democracy and the ethics of the distribution of effects, discounting calculations and cost estimation (Chapter 6), and finally in this Part, consideration of the economics of China’s megaproject boom (Chapter 7). As a collection, this group of Chapters provide insights into some of the ‘mega-challenges’ faced by megaprojects from a range of perspectives and contexts.

Focusing on the causes of such challenges, the collection of chapters which make up Part II consider megaproject management from insightful perspectives and make interesting points, including: debunking ‘hand-hiding’ (Chapter 8), calls to pause for thought (Chapter 9), shaping and re-shaping megaproject design (Chapter 10), the pervasiveness of power (Chapter 11), the complexity of collective action (Chapter 12) and drivers of megaevents in developing economies (Chapter 13).

Part III offers cures to the above discussions. Some of the Chapters included here do manage to successfully bring together elements of the previous Chapters. Amongst the consideration of cures are flexible project management and working practices (Chapter 14), stakeholder engagement (Chapter 15), the role of private finance and public–private partnerships (Chapter 16), assessment of wider economic impacts (Chapter 17) and quality assurance processes (Chapter 18). The final offering in Part III provides a holistic consideration of cures in relation to megadams (Chapter 19).

To conclude the volume and make the strongest connection to practice, Part IV covers six cases in more detail to explore further the complexity of megaproject management. Part IV includes discussion of managing innovation at Boeing (Chapter 20), the importance of system integration for the London Olympics (Chapter 21), the Bilbao effect and iconic urban megaprojects (Chapter 22), risk allocation in public–private partnerships (Chapter 23), the politics of megaprojects (Chapter 24), and finally, the incorporation of dissent and principles of good governance over ‘good dams’ (Chapter 25).

The extent to which each Chapter in Parts I to III stays within its remit with regard to challenges, causes and cures is debateable. Although perhaps this is inevitable when working in complex territory and also a strength of the text as Chapters make interesting points and work both as part of the whole and independently. The final Part and its group of cases are thoughtful and pick up on the general themes of the text well.

With clear links to theory and academic research as well as many references to real megaprojects and how they played out in real life, this text would be of interest to students, academics and practitioners alike. Those with specific interests in certain types of forms of megaproject management will find certain Chapters of interest, while other readers may find their interest picked by something not previously considered. Overall, as an early attempt to form consensus and begin the process of paradigm construction, this text makes a sound start. It is usefully and logically structured and its content interesting and thoughtfully selected.

Samuel Hayes
Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, UK
[email protected]
© 2018 Samuel Hayes
https://doi.org/10.1080/14615517.2018.1445183