Case Study Boston Big Dig

Case Study 1

Boston’s Big Dig

Hsin- Tien, Liao

QSO680 Seminar in Project Management

Southern New Hampshire University

Professor David Lendry

Aug 12, 2015

According to Boston’s Big Dig issue, we just realized Boston had suffered from such a significant construction impact during late twenty century. Bechtel was the designer and manager of projecting Big Dig, and he made mismanagement on budget and schedule, which ballooned the profit on transportation plan. The final cost was over five times as the original estimate more than what Bechtel planned, so the taxpayers were not pleased to pay additional cost to fix the project, which caused by Bechtel’s mistakes. Moreover, the transportation project apparently associated with politics and government, Bechtel used the front line of his friends who were in the high position of politicians to protect from oversight. The politicians covered 1.1 billion for additional fix fee in Boston’s Big Dig due to Bechtel’ inaccurate estimation, and they did not blame on the lack professional project skills with Bechtel. The high cost on construction in Boston became a famous history and flawed factors on developing the big city. Some taxpayers felt sick and unfair to pay billions of dollars on build a roadway for the individuals outside of the city at the overhead of people who living inside of the city. This enormous amount on construction has become a insult to hurt the income of citizens in the history.

Apparently, Boston’ Big Dig has become a cruel lesson on producing an infrastructure with huge amount of investment. On the other hand, some opinions content that Boston’s Big Dig has improved the quality individuals’ lives and environment through suburban to urban in downtown. Moreover, I-93 definitely addresses congest and helps the suburban to obtain more jobs opportunities from Boston downtown. Central Artery successfully linked with the North End and downtown. Economic development is increasing and occurring new business chances because of this significant project with Bechtel. However, the project should be taken into consideration in preliminary planning and estimating.          

As far as I am concerned, I firmly content that the responsibility of the poor plan of Boston’s Big Dig was mostly belonged to Bechtel and the politicians. Bechtel’s lack of survey, measurement and error-filled designed triggered several times of original budget, and resulted in increased cost and delay of estimated due in project. The project should have been stopped or been killed to prevent from spending additional huge amount of investment. That is to say, even Bechtel leaded the project team to control all of the decision in mismanagement; the project members should have awareness to improve the decision in order not to spending additional cost and waste source. The most critical factor was to change the scope instead of keeping going with the inaccurate plan. With the improvement of scopes, the project might be done by declining cost and develop with useful source. In the case study, I strongly insist that additional cost is a cruel impact to finish entire project, and government control may be an affective barrier in processing the project to succeed the target of whole project.                  

...