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How Big Things Get Done
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About the author
Bent Flyvbjerg
14 books100 followersBent Flyvbjerg is a Danish economic geographer. He is the Villum Kann Rasmussen Professor at the IT University of Copenhagen.
His research focuses on management of megaprojects, including the Olympic Games, and cities.
He is the author or editor of 10 books and more than 200 papers in professional journals and edited volumes. His publications have been translated into 19 languages.
Research interests:
Decision Making, Risk, Project Management, Infrastructure, Cities
His research focuses on management of megaprojects, including the Olympic Games, and cities.
He is the author or editor of 10 books and more than 200 papers in professional journals and edited volumes. His publications have been translated into 19 languages.
Research interests:
Decision Making, Risk, Project Management, Infrastructure, Cities
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 10, 2025
Well written, with lots of useful information and tips and tricks to make projects more successful.
October 26, 2025
Having worked on several successful & unsuccessful major projects on the UK I found this book to be fascinating.
January 20, 2026
This is an important book, especially if you work with large or complex projects.
I work in infrastructure and project delivery, and How Big Things Get Done puts words and evidence to patterns I have seen repeatedly in real life. Projects fail not because they are ambitious, but because they rush into delivery without enough disciplined thinking upfront. The authors make this point convincingly, using strong data and clear examples rather than theory.
What I found most valuable is the emphasis on slow, careful planning followed by fast execution, modular design, and learning from real historical data instead of optimistic forecasts. The idea of breaking big projects into smaller, repeatable parts feels obvious once you read it, yet it is still rarely done well in practice. The book also explains very clearly why experienced teams matter more than bold ideas alone.
The writing is engaging and accessible, despite being deeply researched. It does not feel abstract or academic. The examples, from megaprojects to everyday renovations, make the lessons easy to understand and apply.
One point I partially disagree with is the way opportunity is treated relative to risk. I agree that unmanaged risk is a major blocker to execution, but in practice opportunities are often treated as “nice to have” and quietly ignored. From my experience, opportunity needs its own discipline and structure, separate from risk, otherwise it never receives the attention it deserves.
Overall, this is a thoughtful, well-researched, and practical book. I see real value in it and would strongly recommend it to anyone involved in project management, infrastructure, or large-scale decision making. Its core message is simple and powerful: success does not come from complexity, but from clarity, humility, and disciplined execution.
I work in infrastructure and project delivery, and How Big Things Get Done puts words and evidence to patterns I have seen repeatedly in real life. Projects fail not because they are ambitious, but because they rush into delivery without enough disciplined thinking upfront. The authors make this point convincingly, using strong data and clear examples rather than theory.
What I found most valuable is the emphasis on slow, careful planning followed by fast execution, modular design, and learning from real historical data instead of optimistic forecasts. The idea of breaking big projects into smaller, repeatable parts feels obvious once you read it, yet it is still rarely done well in practice. The book also explains very clearly why experienced teams matter more than bold ideas alone.
The writing is engaging and accessible, despite being deeply researched. It does not feel abstract or academic. The examples, from megaprojects to everyday renovations, make the lessons easy to understand and apply.
One point I partially disagree with is the way opportunity is treated relative to risk. I agree that unmanaged risk is a major blocker to execution, but in practice opportunities are often treated as “nice to have” and quietly ignored. From my experience, opportunity needs its own discipline and structure, separate from risk, otherwise it never receives the attention it deserves.
Overall, this is a thoughtful, well-researched, and practical book. I see real value in it and would strongly recommend it to anyone involved in project management, infrastructure, or large-scale decision making. Its core message is simple and powerful: success does not come from complexity, but from clarity, humility, and disciplined execution.
August 12, 2025
Ik heb al menig boek gelezen over project management. Dit was het eerste boeiende boek.
De vraag die beantwoord wordt is zeer eenvoudig: Waarom worden sommige projecten op tijd en binnen budget afgeleverd en waarom blijft het maar steeds fout gaan voor de meeste andere projecten? De voorbeelden die worden aangehaald zijn ook zeer divers: van een keukenrenovatie, een boek schrijven, tot het bouwen van een wolkenkrabber. En voor degene die nooit iets zullen lezen over PM; waar gaat het nu eigenlijk mis? De schrijver eindigt met 11 bruikbare tips die zeer eenvoudig zijn. Ik beschrijf hier eens de meest verrassende. Om een budget te berekenen gebruik je niet de optelsom van alle onderdelen. Je gaat op zoek naar gelijkaardige projecten en kijkt hoeveel die gekost hebben, op het einde van de rit. Pas daarna bepaal je of je project groter of kleiner is dan het gemiddelde van de projecten die je vond. Dat heet ‘reference class forecasting’ en daarmee maak je echt kans om op budget te kunnen afleveren. Deze, en nog 10 andere eenvoudige kleerhangers, kun je in dit werkje vinden.
De vraag die beantwoord wordt is zeer eenvoudig: Waarom worden sommige projecten op tijd en binnen budget afgeleverd en waarom blijft het maar steeds fout gaan voor de meeste andere projecten? De voorbeelden die worden aangehaald zijn ook zeer divers: van een keukenrenovatie, een boek schrijven, tot het bouwen van een wolkenkrabber. En voor degene die nooit iets zullen lezen over PM; waar gaat het nu eigenlijk mis? De schrijver eindigt met 11 bruikbare tips die zeer eenvoudig zijn. Ik beschrijf hier eens de meest verrassende. Om een budget te berekenen gebruik je niet de optelsom van alle onderdelen. Je gaat op zoek naar gelijkaardige projecten en kijkt hoeveel die gekost hebben, op het einde van de rit. Pas daarna bepaal je of je project groter of kleiner is dan het gemiddelde van de projecten die je vond. Dat heet ‘reference class forecasting’ en daarmee maak je echt kans om op budget te kunnen afleveren. Deze, en nog 10 andere eenvoudige kleerhangers, kun je in dit werkje vinden.
November 13, 2025
Very interesting and captivating stories in attempt to show how big things get done. There were definitely some horrible incidents where things were not done efficiently which really did help in proving how big things should be done.
June 24, 2025
Excellent book!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews