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1 results

  • Chapter 18 - Curbing Cost Increases and Benefit Shortfalls

  • from Part III - Practical Tips
  • Edited by Lavagnon A. Ika, University of Ottawa, Jeffrey K. Pinto, Pennsylvania State University
  • Book:
    Cambridge Handbook of Project Behavior
    Published online:
    22 November 2025
    Print publication:
    28 August 2025, pp 286-300

  • Summary

    Many projects experience cost overruns and fail to meet the expectations of users and funding parties. Numerous studies have documented projects that have failed, but there is less advice on what can be done to improve their performance. This chapter builds on research carried out by the Concept Research Programme in Norway, which for more than 20 years has been tasked by the Ministry of Finance to research large government projects. The authors offer advice on how project owners can increase the likelihood of project success. The advice includes the importance of a project governance regime, external review of estimates, and well-aligned incentives. The authors argue that the institutional context through which projects are delivered may have consequences for the ability of individuals and organisations to knowingly or unconsciously bias estimates. They also recommend follow-up activities after project completion, such as active ownership to realise benefits and systematic ex-post evaluation to improve accountability and learning.