PMFORUM Breaking News
Breaking News in the Project Management World
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The Big Dig! Dan McNichol to keynote MegaProjetos 2008 International Symposium in Sao Paulo
MegaProjetos 2008 conference organizers have announced that Dan McNichol American author famous for his writing about Boston’s Big Dig project, will be a keynote speaker at the April mega projects event in Sao Paulo. The MegaProjetos 2008 International Seminar and Exhibition will be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil during 3-4 April 2008.
Dan McNichol is a best selling author and award winning journalist who spent nearly twenty years working on and chronicling the Big Dig project. As a White House appointee to the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C., McNichol was keenly aware of the political philosophies that created the project. Later, as the Project Director’s executive assistant, McNichol was at the center of the project’s management team, witnessing its successes and failures while managing risk, scope, and schedule. Promoted to the Deputy Director of Public Affairs, he led the communication of the project’s mission statement while shaping the project’s legacy. Mr. McNichol’s speech in Sao Paulo will review the project’s history and statistics, and the historic contributions the project has made to the built environment and mega-projects management.
Some information about the Big Dig:
A mega-project is a special type of project, generally defined as a very large enterprise that requires an investment of over a billion dollars (frequently several billion). These projects attract a high level of public attention and political interest due to their strong direct and indirect impact on the community, on the environment and on public and private budgets. More and more mega projects are being developed throughout the world in various industries, like transportation, infra-structure, energy, oil and gas, telecommunications, information technology, aerospace, automotive, heavy construction, international events, defense, research & development, among others.
The International Seminar MegaProjetos 2008 will be the first event in Brazil that brings a wide view of key issues that are involved in major projects. Topics of great relevance to the success or failure of such projects such as management, environmental, financial, technological, organizational, communications, and political aspects will be discussed. Case studies of finished and on-going mega projects from Brazil and abroad will be presented and critical factors involved will be analyzed from the perspective of promoters, contractors, financiers, suppliers, managers, and other stakeholders.
The Mega Projetos 2008 International Seminar & Exhibition will be conducted on April 3rd and 4th, 2008 (Thursday and Friday) at the Frei Caneca Convention Center, Rua Frei Caneca, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The event promoter is Projectlab. For more information, visit www.megaprojetos2008.com.br. Contact info@megaprojetos2008.com.br if your company would like to participate, sponsor or provide support to the event.
Projectlab, a Brazilian project management training and consulting company, promotes the International Seminar MegaProjetos 2008 as part of its mission to promote PM best practices, elevate the PM maturity level of professionals and organizations, and stimulate the discussion of project management within the society. For information about Projectlab, visit http://www.projectlab.com.br/ or contact info@projectlab.com.br.
Some information about the Big Dig:
- The Big Dig was one of the largest – most expensive - public works projects in the history of the United States. It is also one of the most complex urban civil engineering projects in the world.
- During the peak years of construction the project consumed over $3.5 million a day, employing some 6,000 tradesmen, engineers and construction managers while over 200,000 vehicles passed through its construction sites each day. After adjustments for inflation the Big Dig cost twice as much as the Panama Canal.
- The project has proven to be a messy complexity of ruthless politics; courageous engineering and scope-creep on a mega scale, not to mention its seemingly bottomless budget, in the course of its 20 year long schedule.
A mega-project is a special type of project, generally defined as a very large enterprise that requires an investment of over a billion dollars (frequently several billion). These projects attract a high level of public attention and political interest due to their strong direct and indirect impact on the community, on the environment and on public and private budgets. More and more mega projects are being developed throughout the world in various industries, like transportation, infra-structure, energy, oil and gas, telecommunications, information technology, aerospace, automotive, heavy construction, international events, defense, research & development, among others.
The International Seminar MegaProjetos 2008 will be the first event in Brazil that brings a wide view of key issues that are involved in major projects. Topics of great relevance to the success or failure of such projects such as management, environmental, financial, technological, organizational, communications, and political aspects will be discussed. Case studies of finished and on-going mega projects from Brazil and abroad will be presented and critical factors involved will be analyzed from the perspective of promoters, contractors, financiers, suppliers, managers, and other stakeholders.
Projectlab, a Brazilian project management training and consulting company, promotes the International Seminar MegaProjetos 2008 as part of its mission to promote PM best practices, elevate the PM maturity level of professionals and organizations, and stimulate the discussion of project management within the society. For information about Projectlab, visit http://www.projectlab.com.br/ or contact info@projectlab.com.br.
