The Big Time: Are You Up To Running A Megaproject?

  PM Network  

There's no escaping them. From massive infrastructure investments in Asia to sprawling pipelines in Latin America, megaprojects are everywhere. And even in a dismal economy, they usually come with a decent budget. Landing a coveted leadership spot on one can be a career-defining coup, a powerful vehicle for showcasing strategic management, leadership and teambuilding abilities. But that’s only if project managers are able to scale up their experiences and build a rapport with the stakeholders who will look to them to lead the way—and blame them if things go wrong.

In this economy, managing a supersize project means bringing it in on time and on budget, no matter what it takes. There’s no room for error, and no budget cushion for projects that already have millions of dollars, pesos or yen attached to them.

Not everyone has what it takes, says Bob Prieto, senior vice president at Fluor Corp., an engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance service company in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

“A lot of owners only take on megaprojects periodically, some only once in a generation,” he says, noting that many companies don’t have the experience in-house to manage projects of such a grand scale.

“More and more owners are recognizing the unique skill set required to oversee a megaproject and acknowledging it is …

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