Need help choosing a project to research for class!

Amethyst

Amethyst

Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
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I'm taking a course in complex project management. For our grade, we are to analyze a well-known complex project (in any field) where things went wrong during the project, resulting in problems after completion. (And, it can't be the Hubble Space Telescope because too many students have done that one).

We have 5 weeks to research the project and describe what could have been managed differently to achieve a better outcome.

I'm having trouble finding a suitable project to research. If a lot is known about something, that's usually because it was a success. Poorly performing projects get buried.

Can any of you practical, knowledgeable folks suggest an idea from your field of interest/endeavor/region? Any and all suggestions welcomed.

Thanks!
 
How about London Heathrow's new Terminal 5


New airport terminals are usually plagued by faults and problems within the first couple of days of opening and T5 was no exception. Despite running a six-month trial, requiring the use of 16,000 volunteers to put every aspect of the terminal to the test from parking and toilets to check-in and seating, the terminal experienced a host of major problems on day one.

On the first day of operations staff experienced difficulty getting through security into the building, once there they had navigational problems, and delays were compounded by a lack of available car parks.

For passengers, staff unfamiliarity with the check-in system led to flight delays, which in turn overloaded the baggage handling system. The end result was the cancellation of over 300 flights and the mishandling of thousands of items of luggage. The debacle cost BA at least £16m, and resulted in the resignation of two senior managers.

T5 was branded a 'disaster' by government ministers, with the Commons Transport Select Committee launching and enquiry. The subsequent transfer of long haul flights from T4 was delayed. All BA flights are now not expected to fly from T5 until the end of October, rather than April, as originally scheduled.
Click to expand...
 
Pittsburgh light rail underwater tunnel to nowhere.

AKA north Shore Connector. Some suggested to make it into underground shopping arcade. As is true of most light rail projects, initially lowballed to get it going with great hooppla, soon to have gargantuan cost overruns etc. etc. etc..
 
Digital TV conversion.

Technically, it seemed to go well. But in terms of getting info to the public, getting the public prepared, getting clear messages out, handling the rebate coupons, PR-wise - a disaster, IMO.

-ERD50
 
This is the costliest mismanagement in the history of Earthdom. The real cost is not known but it cost more to get ZERO return than it has to bail out the banks.
Noah Shachtman's site: Boeing: We Screwed Up, Give us $500 Mil


And so, guess what, they decide to give it a second go. Worse result.
U.S. Government Cancels Satellite Program

So the government spends $14billion dollars and get's no further than the "study" phase, then cancels and tries to buy a commercial version and puts some many requirements on it that they eventually have to cancel that.

Yet Google, buys the satellites regularly for about $10mil a pop.

A project management study is warranted. Have fun.
 
Think war - it is more dramatic and emotional - brings the point home.
WWI has many examples - there was one where many Australians were killed because of British screw ups

Look into the Charge of the Light Brigade

WWII - right after the war a distroyer was sunk - men in the water for days - Name?

Let us know what you decide
 
DIA and the baggage system or the beautiful marble floors which when wet cause many slips, trips and falls which I was an early participant in.
 
The nearby Joe DiMaggio public swimming pool/playground was rebuilt a couple of years ago at mega-taxpayer expense. It has two pools; a few weeks after the grand re-opening one of the pools sprung a leak and has been closed since 8/08. Why have they been unable to fix it, did something go wrong in planning/building; I peek in the windows and see no evidence of workman; did someone neglect to pay off someone?
 
dex said:
Think war - it is more dramatic and emotional - brings the point home.
WWI has many examples - there was one where many Australians were killed because of British screw ups

Look into the Charge of the Light Brigade

WWII - right after the war a distroyer was sunk - men in the water for days - Name?

Let us know what you decide
Click to expand...

USS Indianapolis?
 
Khan said:
USS Indianapolis?
Click to expand...

That's it.

While Indianapolis sent distress calls before sinking, the Navy long claimed that they were never received because the ship was operating under a policy of radio silence. Declassified records show that three SOS messages were received separately, but none was acted upon because one commander was drunk, another had ordered his men not to disturb him and a third thought it was a Japanese prank.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Indianapolis_(CA-35)#cite_note-3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Indianapolis_(CA-35)
 
Gotadimple, wasn't the Challenger disaster the result of bad o-rings coupled with cold temps? The Columbia disaster was due to damage to the left wing from debris off the solid rocket fuel booster. I really loved the NASA adventures and can remember exactly where I was when the Challenger exploded. Also, the Columbia.
 
dex said:
That's it.

While Indianapolis sent distress calls before sinking, the Navy long claimed that they were never received because the ship was operating under a policy of radio silence. Declassified records show that three SOS messages were received separately, but none was acted upon because one commander was drunk, another had ordered his men not to disturb him and a third thought it was a Japanese prank.

USS Indianapolis (CA-35) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Click to expand...

DEX , why in your previous post did you say this happened AFTER the war. It was during the war. The Indianapolis had just delivered the atom bomb to the island of Tinian.
 
JOHNNIE36 said:
DEX , why in your previous post did you say this happened AFTER the war. It was during the war. The Indianapolis had just delivered the atom bomb to the island of Tinian.
Click to expand...

Should have said towards the end of the war.
 
JOHNNIE36 said:
Gotadimple, wasn't the Challenger disaster the result of bad o-rings coupled with cold temps? The Columbia disaster was due to damage to the left wing from debris off the solid rocket fuel booster. I really loved the NASA adventures and can remember exactly where I was when the Challenger exploded. Also, the Columbia.
Click to expand...

Yes you are correct, and either would be a good research subject on complex project management. The goal, for Amethyst, is to explain how the projects went bad and what mitigating actions the project manager could have undertaken.

The Challenger project, unfortunately was plagued by bad politics from the beginning.

-- Rita
 
Of course, there is always the unsinkable cruise liner, The Titanic.
 
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