Economics Explored

What HS2, Channel Tunnel & Sydney Opera House Teach Us about Project Management w/ Adam Boddison OBE - EP275

Episode Summary

In this episode, Gene Tunny interviews Prof. Adam Boddison, CEO of the Association for Project Management. They explore why projects—whether in construction, IT, or public infrastructure—often go over budget and run late. Adam shares insights on project planning, risk management, and the importance of stakeholder engagement. They also discuss real-world case studies, including the Sydney Opera House and the Channel Tunnel, highlighting how long-term benefits sometimes outweigh initial budget overruns.

Episode Notes

In this episode, Gene Tunny interviews Prof. Adam Boddison, CEO of the Association for Project Management. They explore why projects—whether in construction, IT, or public infrastructure—often go over budget and run late. Adam shares insights on project planning, risk management, and the importance of stakeholder engagement. They also discuss real-world case studies, including the Sydney Opera House and the Channel Tunnel, highlighting how long-term benefits sometimes outweigh initial budget overruns.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for Gene, please email him at contact@economicsexplored.com.

About this episode’s guest: Prof (Dr) Adam Boddison OBE 

Adam is Chief Executive of the Association for Project Management. He has a non-executive director portfolio that has previously included being Chair of the Corporation for a Further Education college and a Trustee for a multi-academy trust providing education for 32,000 pupils across 58 primary, secondary and specialist settings. Adam is also a Visiting Professor at Stranmillis University College (Queens University Belfast) and the University of Leicester (School of Business).

Prior to this, Adam held a number of executive leadership roles including Chief Executive for nasen (National Association for Special Educational Needs), Director of the Centre for Professional Education at the University of Warwick and Academic Principal for IGGY (a global educational social network for gifted teenagers). He has published a range of education books and mathematics text books and is a qualified clinical hypnotherapist.

Adam has a particular interest in leading organisations that deliver societal benefit.

Source: https://www.adamboddison.com/

Timestamps for EP275

• Introduction and Importance of Project Management (0:00)
• Overview of the Association for Project Management (2:59)
• Professional Qualifications and Training (5:58)
• Critical Chain Project Management (11:15)
• Challenges and Successes in Project Management (14:29)
• Examples of Successful Projects (26:16)
• Risk Management and Judgment in Project Management (30:40)
• Mega Projects and Project Management Literature (34:52)
• Adam’s work which led to his OBE award (39:00)

Takeaways

1. Most projects fail at the start, not the end. Poor initial planning and unrealistic expectations often set projects up for failure.
2. Stakeholder engagement is critical. Involving the right people from the beginning can prevent costly mistakes later.
3. Project success is about more than time and budget. Long-term benefits, such as economic impact and societal improvements, should be factored in.
4. Mega-projects are prone to overruns. Large-scale projects often face budget and timeline issues due to political, technical, and financial uncertainties.
5. The "Pre-Mortem" approach helps mitigate risk. Imagining a project's worst-case scenario before starting can identify potential pitfalls early.

Links relevant to the conversation

Association for Project Management:

https://www.apm.org.uk/

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Full transcripts are available a few days after the episode is first published at www.economicsexplored.com.