Megaproject Development and Decision Making
Why do so many billion-dollar megaprojects—designed to power economies and transform societies—fail, and what can be done to change the story?
Megaproject Development and Decision Making: Strategies for Successful Projects and Investments answers this urgent question by focusing on the most overlooked stage of every large venture: the period before the first shovel hits the ground. Drawing on more than three decades of global project leadership in energy, mining, refining, and infrastructure across six continents, Akin Oni demonstrates that the fate of megaprojects is rarely sealed in execution; it is determined in the early stages of development, evaluation, and strategic decision making.
This book dismantles the myths that complexity, politics, or market volatility are the primary culprits of failure. Instead, it reveals how weak governance, unclear goals, flawed evaluations, and poor risk discipline doom projects long before approval. With clarity and conviction, Oni equips leaders with the frameworks, tools, and foresight to prevent these costly missteps.
Far from a theoretical treatise, this is a practical, field-tested guide for project managers, executives, investors, and policymakers. Readers will find:
- Proven evaluation and decision-making frameworks tailored to high-stakes projects
- Early warning signals and diagnostic tools to spot problems before they escalate
- Templates and case-based insights from global projects across sectors
- Guidance on embedding ethics, sustainability, and stakeholder alignment into every stage
Both a practitioner’s manual and a leadership call to action, the book reframes megaprojects as more than technical or financial feats: they are ethical commitments, legacies of trust, and opportunities to shape a better future.
If you are entrusted with stewarding capital-intensive projects, this book will not only inform you—it will challenge you to lead differently.