Projects are notorious for going over their budget, deadline, and often failing to meet their specification. Oxford’s Bent Flyvberg is arguably the foremost expert on tracking the state of so-called megaprojects, and in his recent book How Big Things Get Done, he outlines 11 heuristics to help ensure that your project doesn’t follow all of the others.

1. Hire a masterbuilder – This is the most important heuristic, as it’s important to get a project lead with a proven track record of delivering the kind of projects you’re currently looking at. This will give them the experience and tacit knowledge required to succeed.
2. Get your team right – The team is equally important, however, and Flyvberg suggests this was cited by every successful project lead he had spoken to. The masterbuilder usually selects the right team and may even be the same team they’ve worked with in the past.
3. Ask “why?” – Understanding the ultimate purpose has been widely understood to be crucial in a wide range of domains, so it’s no surprise that it’s equally powerful for project success. Despite this, an understanding of this ultimate purpose is often lacking.
4. Build with Lego – The power of modularity is well known in areas like software development but Flyvberg argues that it’s equally applicable to all kinds of projects. If we start small and then replicate, that not only gives us the chance to build on our experience with each iteration, but it reduces the risk of failure.
5. Think slow, act fast – With major projects, he explains that there is a temptation to get shovels in the ground as quickly as possible as then the project can’t be rowed back on. This rush tends to result in expensive mistakes that are very difficult to undo.
6. Take the outside view – Often we think that each project is completely unique and so has to be constructed from scratch. That’s unlikely to be the case, and by looking outside we can explore the numerous similar projects that have been already done and learn from them (and maybe even utilize their team).
7. Watch your downside – Often with projects we can focus exclusively on the potential benefits and overlook the risks entirely. Flyvberg’s data suggests that the risks are often extremely large (the so-called “fat tail”), so should certainly not be ignored.
8. Say no and walk away – An understanding of the risks goes hand in hand with the willingness to walk away if either the risks are too great or the resources are not present to make the project a success.
9. Make friends and keep them friendly – Most projects have a multitude of stakeholders, many of whom can derail your project if they’re not kept onside. Diplomacy is likely, therefore, to play a crucial role in the success of the project.
10. Build climate mitigation into your project – Climate change is likely to hang over every project in the years ahead as it’s the preeminent issue facing mankind today.
11. Know that your biggest risk is you – Last, but not least, Flyvberg reminds us that while it’s tempting to blame external factors for the failure of a project, it’s far more likely that we’re center stage. We need to understand the various behavioral biases that can cloud and distort our thinking and tackle them head on.

Obviously, these heuristics won’t guarantee a successful project, but if you can follow them you stand a much greater chance that your own project won’t join the litany of forebears that failed to deliver on their promises and objectives.