Efficient project development: Top 10 tips

With experience of major development projects for Kuwait Metro, London’s Docklands Light Railway, Etihad Rail and others, our new Head of Engineering offers recommendations for the delivery of successful projects.

1 Be prepared
Planning processes can take years. Use the time now to develop schemes so that when the money is unlocked again, the project is ready for delivery.

2 Fail quickly
Adopt the motto of Silicon Valley, find out which schemes don’t work early on. Be ruthless in abandoning schemes that don’t deliver enough and learn the lessons.

3 Break with tradition
Reverse the feasibility process – start with the budget and see what you can design for the money. If you can’t do it, then you haven’t got a scheme.

4 Experience pays
Don’t compensate for lack of experience with big teams. A few wise heads will get you closer to the answer much quicker than design by committee.

5 Rely on relationships
What you save on competitive pricing you may lose in the learning curve. Cut-throat pricing indicates a team in trouble, and they may not be around for long enough to deliver the job.

6 Know what you want
Take time to develop your requirements in detail. You will have to do so at some point, so better to save money by refining them at the beginning of the project than halfway through, or later.

7 Test and challenge
Get a second independent opinion. It won’t cost much but it will bring you either comfort or added value.

8 Pay once
Develop whole life cost thinking from the start so that you don’t pay for it again in untimely maintenance and renewals.

9 Invest innovatively
Pursue new funding avenues such as sponsorship, revenue sharing or private finance with buy-back break points in the contract.

10 Think holistically
No project exists in isolation, and most major risks and opportunities come from those interfaces. Work with a team that knows how the project relates to its environment.