Challenges and Best Practices of Managing Government Projects and Programs

Many government projects and programs are prolonged for years, failing to meet the projects’ objectives, wasting taxpayers’ money, or they are abruptly terminated in the midst of planning or implementation.

Government funded projects and programs set out to achieve national growth and enhance the lives of citizens. They are ubiquitous—and notoriously unwieldy.

Drawing on an impressive array of large-scale government projects gleaned from government audit reports across three major sectors—infrastructure and transportation, information systems, and defense—this study explains why government projects go wrong and what can be done to improve their success rates.

Government projects undertaken in the United States, the UK, and Australia are examined in relation to non-financial benefits, political dynamics, formal project management processes, megaproject approaches, long product life cycles, and engagement with multiple stakeholders. With these characteristics as a framework, readers gain an understanding of the unique characteristics and recurring problems of managing government projects and programs.

This book offers useful recommendations for disentangling the overlapping technological, legal, political, and social factors affecting these kinds of projects, including:

• Addressing current and future needs of product durability, functionality, and flexibility
• Considering public-private partnerships (PPP)
• Splitting programs into smaller, more manageable projects
• Consulting the business community

Challenges and Best Practices of Managing Government Projects and Programs provides a crucial foundation for practitioners, researchers, policymakers, as well as constituents to realize the benefits governments can bring to their people.