Book of the month

If only those responsible for HS2 had read this brilliant book.

(Or at least the opening few pages—there’s an unforgettable story of incompetence and poor leadership.)

In 2008, work started on the California High-Speed Rail. It was scheduled to go from downtown Los Angeles to downtown San Francisco. It was to cost $33 billion and be ready by 2020.

But 14 years later, much about the project remains uncertain. Plans were changed repeatedly. Cost estimates soared. The current estimate is £100 billion.

In 2019, it was announced that only part of the route would get built: the 171-mile section between Merced and Bakersfield—two small towns in California’s Central Valley.

Sound familiar?

How Big Things Get Done, by Bent Flyvberjerg and Dan Gardner is a remarkable book. And highly recommended.

Full of vivid examples, ranging from the building of the Sydney Opera House to the teamwork behind Pixar blockbusters, this book reveals how to get any ambitious project done—on time, and on budget.