July 2006
Dear Governor Romney,
I am not a structural engineer. I do not work on the Big Dig, and I don’t believe I know anyone who does. No one has given me inside information about the Big Dig and I have not examined the construction details. But I know everything about this project, and I know just how it will turn out.
Why? Because I am a software engineer and have studied large, complex projects that are in crisis. Crisis projects are characterized by being overly ambitious, far behind schedule, way over-budget, and with conflicting priorities and poor management. The Big Dig fits this description. Projects in crisis share striking similarities, and have predictable outcomes, regardless of the subject matter.
The key element that operates within these projects is “crisis mentality”. Crisis mentality is tunnel vision toward arbitrary goals. The principal players involved with the project assume this mode of thinking, and all decisions flow from this point of view. In the case of the Big Dig, the arbitrary goals have been opening X off-ramp by Y date, completing X percentage of the project for Y billions of dollars, etc. Good project management needs goals, but in crisis projects the goals take on a life of their own and overrule all else, even common sense. The Big Dig has been in crisis mode for five to ten years.
The first thing that happens in crisis projects is a loss of quality. Design decisions that are obviously incorrect are not challenged, because doing so would add time to the schedule. Implementation details (hands-on construction) are done poorly, because doing them correctly would take longer. Mistakes are covered up, because fixing them would require time and money.
I can assure you Governor that the problem you are seeing with the suspended ceiling is the tip of the iceberg. The entire project almost certainly suffers from similar design and construction deficiencies. In all likelihood, the roadbed is poorly made, the tunnel walls will not last as long as they should, the true ceiling (above the suspended panels) is weak also, the guardrails are substandard, the electrical work is shoddy, and the plumbing is inferior. For this not to be the case, the Big Dig would have to be an exception to all other crisis projects that have come before it.
Is there a way out? Yes there is, as we have learned from other large projects. Take a fresh look at where things really stand, which is probably different than what the project managers are saying. Find out which aspects are truly finished with top quality (maybe none), which need to be re-done now, and which are substandard but useable for a few years. Re-examine the project goals. Is cost control an immovable, over-riding force? Or is public safety more important? Can we stretch out the finish date without dire consequences? In short, the whole project needs a reality check, and then a resetting of goals, budget, and timeline.
Sincerely,
Charles Connell
CC: Boston Globe, Boston Herald