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> Sometimes I wonder what the world would be like if we just said "that sucks" and required a full postmortem instead. This is how BAA built Heathrow Terminal

> Sometimes I wonder what the world would be like if we just said "that sucks" and required a full postmortem instead. This is how BAA built Heathrow Terminal 5. They took on all risk and just dealt with each problem as they came up: https://www.christianwolmar.co.uk/2005/04/project-management-at-heathrow-terminal-5/ https://www.christianwolmar.co.uk/2005/04/project-management...

arethuza 6y ago
Didn't they have a disastrous opening day for Terminal 5 because of mistakes that looked like poor project management? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7322453.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7322453.stm
- xhedley 6y ago
  BA British Airways had a bad go live day for Terminal 5 because of parking assignment, baggage handlers having trouble logging onto the system, other staff not having maps, delays in getting staff through security and so on. That’s bad change management from the airline BA. The article was about BAA ( British Airports Authority originally) building the physical terminal building with a roof and ceilings and power and networks. Different organisation and set of project managers.
  - arethuza 6y ago
    Ah good point - my mistake. Still shows that public memory of projects which go well in one area can be effected when someone else screws up. Not that this would every happen in software projects.... ;-)
- SideburnsOfDoom 6y ago
  It was bad, but at least it wasn't Berlin Brandenburg.
Gibbon1 6y ago
I read a paper that tried to answer why tunnels cost more in New Zealand/Australia/US and Britain. Part of the answer was labor is a much large part of the cost than one would assume. And second those countries try to push 100% of the risk onto the contractors. One could haplessly think that's free but it's not. Smaller cheaper contractors won't bid[1]. And the largest contractors pad their bids so they will still make money even if everything goes wrong. [1] If you take projects with a 10% chance of bankrupting you, you'll be out of business in no time.
zaarn 6y ago
It's how BER is being built, so I doubt it's a good model.

arethuza 6y ago

Didn't they have a disastrous opening day for Terminal 5 because of mistakes that looked like poor project management? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7322453.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7322453.stm

xhedley 6y ago
BA British Airways had a bad go live day for Terminal 5 because of parking assignment, baggage handlers having trouble logging onto the system, other staff not having maps, delays in getting staff through security and so on. That’s bad change management from the airline BA. The article was about BAA ( British Airports Authority originally) building the physical terminal building with a roof and ceilings and power and networks. Different organisation and set of project managers.
- arethuza 6y ago
  Ah good point - my mistake. Still shows that public memory of projects which go well in one area can be effected when someone else screws up. Not that this would every happen in software projects.... ;-)
SideburnsOfDoom 6y ago
It was bad, but at least it wasn't Berlin Brandenburg.

Gibbon1 6y ago

I read a paper that tried to answer why tunnels cost more in New Zealand/Australia/US and Britain. Part of the answer was labor is a much large part of the cost than one would assume. And second those countries try to push 100% of the risk onto the contractors. One could haplessly think that's free but it's not. Smaller cheaper contractors won't bid[1]. And the largest contractors pad their bids so they will still make money even if everything goes wrong. [1] If you take projects with a 10% chance of bankrupting you, you'll be out of business in no time.

zaarn 6y ago

It's how BER is being built, so I doubt it's a good model.