|
PPP = Prolonged, Painful, and Pointless. But not this time. Somehow, against all odds, cultures, and acronyms… The New Royal Adelaide Hospital in South Australia didn’t just avoid disaster — it delivered. Let me break it down for you:
The predictions? “Too complex.” But guess what? They finished it. And not just finished — they pulled off a clinical-grade, digitally-integrated, energy-efficient mega-hospital that actually works. The secret sauce?
Crazy, right? How couldn’t I have thought about it? A PPP that respected scope, handled conflict like grown-ups, and even came out functional on the other side. How could it be possible… Anyway. Some still say it was luck. I say it was proof that PPPs can work… if you don’t staff them with saboteurs. Do you want some blood? Take a look to the lessons below?
​
PD 1: If you liked this email, don't keep it in secret and forward it to a friend. They will thank you enormously one day. PD 2: If somebody has sent you this email and you want to receive emails like this yourself, visit vicentevalencia.com PD 3: If you want unsubscribe, click the link below. |
Weekly insights on how to perform when it matters | High-stakes decisions. Real situations. No BS. | 👇JOIN +2k readers 👇
Outcomes vs processes. This is the never-ending story of the project manager in any major infrastructure project. What to do. What to prioritise. Where to push. Where to let go. What matters. What is noise dressed up as “governance”. Well… A few days ago I had a discussion with one of my clients. I explained my views. Then, after the call, I sent him a message. WhatsApp. Yes. Not a 35-page PowerPoint. Not a colour-coded framework. Not a “strategic alignment deck” with triangles, arrows and...
Close to Pointe-Claire. Montreal, Canada. Circa 2011. A pen flies across the meeting room. Not metaphorically. A real pen. From the other side of the table. The guy receiving the missile activates his very sophisticated kung fu reflexes and leans to one side. Impact avoided. Silence. Everyone in the room freezes. Then he says: “Don’t get angry. If we don’t solve this now, things are going to get pretty bad for all of us. And in the blame game, nobody wins.” The meeting goes on. No more flying...
There are big, monumental, screw-ups…. Or “cagadas”. And then there are cagadas so big that someone should build a monument to them. The kind that doesn’t just destroy a project. It changes an industry. I’m thinking now about that traffic model that cost a traffic advisor millions and millions because its forecasts were more optimistic than Putin’s three days “special military operation” in Ukraine. That mistake changed the way PPPs with traffic risk were viewed. Contractually. Financially....