RC121 NovDec 2025 - Magazine - Page 33
Governance: The critical component for building fast
HOW CAN MAJOR PROJECTS BE SUCCESSFUL?
SIX PILLARS OF SUCCESS TO DELIVER MAJOR
PROJECTS ON-TIME, ON BUDGET AND AS PROMISED.
PILLAR 1: INVESTMENT AND BUSINESS PLANNING
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The first pillar focuses on business case and necessary investment throughout the project’s lifecycle.
Success is impossible to achieve if it’s the “wrong” project from the get-go. Is this project worth
investing in? Does it have the right financial foundation? Is it viable? How does it compare to other
projects?
We recently joined a project that started off in the wrong direction, driven by engineering concerns
instead of business outcomes. It’s difficult to reverse course once a project is baked, so the need
for proper project business planning cannot be overstated. After revisiting the project objectives, we
revised the project scope, reduced costs by 30 per cent and cut project delivery time in half, helping
our client avert project failure and significant economic impact to the region.
Pillars 2-5 provide a valuable planning and diligence roadmap at each critical planning stage.
Once a project is selected and defined, these pillars set the course for the project implementation to
follow.
Too often, however, leadership bypasses pillars 2 and 3 and moves too quickly to pillars 4-6. The
rationale is that this is what’s needed to get projects off the ground faster.
Our research shows that pushing governance decisions down the road makes success in
subsequent pillars more difficult to achieve. Project owners need to manage this tension between
building smart and building fast. Smart requires front-end planning. - not just in design but in
deliverability. It’s what ensures you have the right people, the right structures, approvals and
processes to acquire the speed and capacity to deliver.
The success of major projects therefore hinges on preliminary decisions and planning by executive
leadership and Boards and a smooth integration of all the pillars.
Helping clients manage risks,
disputes, and uncertainty
For more than 20 years, HKA has helped Canadian owners, developers, contractors, and
counsel navigate pitfalls that could derail large, mission-critical infrastructure projects.
Employing over 1,000 experts and consultants worldwide, HKA’s goal is to mitigate
construction problems as early as possible, from preconstruction through delivery.
• Project Governance
• Testifying Expert Witnesses
• Project Advisory
• Quantum
• Dispute Avoidance
• Delay & Disruption
• Dispute Resolution
• Forensic Engineering,
Architectural, &
Technical Services
• Claims Management
• Claims Analysis
• Forensic Accounting &
Commercial Damages
Calgary
Mississauga
Montréal
Toronto
Vancouver
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025 – RENEW CANADA 33
