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Sometimes, government has to build something big. Really big. A high-speed railway network, a fleet of nuclear submarines, an IT system big enough for the health records of every person in the country. But Britain has a woeful record of delivering projects of this scale. They are either late, over budget, deliver less than promised – or all three. Some are never completed at all. What is going wrong?
In the wake of the cancellation of HS2, Jonathan Simcock, former Major Projects Director of the Office of Government Commerce, provides answers. This eye-opening text draws on testimony from the Ministers, officials and project managers who have tried, and mostly failed, to deliver the country’s biggest projects.
To face up to its challenges – productivity, growth, national security, and the changing climate – Britain needs huge publicly funded investment. So how do we close the Delivery Gap?
This compelling book lays bare the systemic problems that have plagued major government projects for too long. A must-read for those who believe we can – and must – do better.
Jonathan Simcock is a recognised expert in the challenges of major government project delivery. After a career in the private sector, he has spent sixteen years leading, governing, assuring and advising many of government’s largest projects.
Chapter 1. Death of a Project: HS2
Chapter 2. The Delivery Gap
Chapter 3. Obfuscation and Delusion: Crossrail
Chapter 4. Vacillation and Paralysis: The Palace of Westminster
Chapter 5. Blind Ambition: Universal Credit
Chapter 6. Complexity: Smart Meters
Chapter 7. The Inverse Square Law: Astute
Chapter 8. Naivety: Privatising Sellafield
Chapter 9. Arrogance: The NHS National Programme
Chapter 10. Faster, Higher, Stronger: The Olympics projects
Chapter 11. The Business Case Fallacy
Chapter 12. Old Chestnuts
Chapter 13. Candour, Clarity, Rigour