| Abstrakt: |
Recent reports from politicians judge that Crossrail is a failure, and depict its former leadership as enjoying overweening autonomy and disproportionate pay while fostering a project culture that denied responsibility. Such a picture is a distortion, this essay argues, for three overarching reasons: 1) the cost and time overruns are favourable in comparison with the scheme’s own original estimates, and in light of most other megaprojects; 2) the problems it encountered were systemic, originating in the contractual structure and not in individual incompetence; and 3) the leadership felt they had to keep the news positive, or risk even worse outcomes. It concludes that Crossrail tested the limits of UK programme management theory and practice, and can be counted as a success. |
