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The UK has done plenty of big projects just as well and often better than anyone else but I think the problem nowadays is twofold: 1) Health and safety legisla

by dazc 5y ago

The UK has done plenty of big projects just as well and often better than anyone else but I think the problem nowadays is twofold: 1) Health and safety legislation has evolved to an extent where construction companies can simply not take risks. Of course, this is a great thing if you're a construction worker who enjoys going home to his/her family each night but it does mean that big projects become bogged-down in planning and ensuring that nothing can possibly go wrong from a safety aspect. 2) Sub-contracting of specialist roles where you (as a main contractor) are reliant on multiple partners all being on top of their game and focused on the end goal when, in reality, everyone is out for themselves and happy to sabotage progress for the sake of an easy profit, ego boost or backstabbing opportunity. From the outside these kind of projects always look easy but from the inside it's a wonder that anything actually gets done.

KineticLensman 5y ago
> in reality, everyone is out for themselves and happy to sabotage progress for the sake of an easy profit, ego boost or backstabbing opportunity. Oftentimes these sorts of problems aren't due to malice but occur because of unintended consequences of poorly-defined service-level agreements and KPIs for separate contractors whose services have to integrate for overall success. I was embedded once at a UK Army base that ran in effect a military college for different trades. The on-site restaurant was part of a UK-wide contract that had nationally agreed contracted opening times. These inflexible eating hours were actually the main constraint on when physical education could occur. A single supplier company had two separate contracts to supply instructors and equipment maintenance staff. The maintainers had KPIs that were (again) part of a national level contract that worked against the instructors when important things needed to be quickly repaired.
- dazc 5y ago
  Interesting insight and, yes, appreciate this is also a factor.

by dazc 5y ago

KineticLensman 5y ago

> in reality, everyone is out for themselves and happy to sabotage progress for the sake of an easy profit, ego boost or backstabbing opportunity. Oftentimes these sorts of problems aren't due to malice but occur because of unintended consequences of poorly-defined service-level agreements and KPIs for separate contractors whose services have to integrate for overall success. I was embedded once at a UK Army base that ran in effect a military college for different trades. The on-site restaurant was part of a UK-wide contract that had nationally agreed contracted opening times. These inflexible eating hours were actually the main constraint on when physical education could occur. A single supplier company had two separate contracts to supply instructors and equipment maintenance staff. The maintainers had KPIs that were (again) part of a national level contract that worked against the instructors when important things needed to be quickly repaired.

dazc 5y ago
Interesting insight and, yes, appreciate this is also a factor.