IT Project Lessons from Titanic (Part 14)

  Lessons Learned  

In recapping the situation on board Titanic, a number of crew (325) and officers (50) remained at their posts, working in holds, boiler rooms and throughout the ship, ensuring electricity was available for as long as possible. They consequently did not survive. The launch of 16 lifeboats took more than 90 minutes because the order was given late, and the crew was not very familiar with the drill. There was not enough time to launch the last two Englehardts (collapsible lifeboats), which were frantically floated off upside-down.

Even if more lifeboats had been available, it is unlikely they would have been launched in the given time. There were only 1,178 lifeboat places and 2,200 people on board. The last 30 minutes were frenetic as most people came to terms with the disaster. The officers manning the launch of the lifeboats were under a lot of pressure as they controlled an explosive situation. Some scuffles broke out around the last lifeboat and gunshots were heard. In contrast, there were also many heroic acts as some wives refused to be parted from their husbands and get into the lifeboats.

In today's world, a disaster of this proportion can only be mitigated with a business-continuity plan (Part 13) and the appropriate recovery facilities. These should be business justified early on in the project (Part 2), and the design (Part 3) should proceed with this as part …

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