2022 in Project Management - 6/8
2022 has been an unprecedented year, and it brought with it a wide range of challenges and developments that have the potential to change the way that project managers approach their craft.
This is the sixth article in the list.
6. The Aquadom collapse
The Aquadom was the largest free-standing cylindrical aquarium in the world, containing a million litres of water and home to 1500 fish, located in the lobby of an hotel in Berlin.
In the early morning of December 16th, 2022, the giant aquarium had burst, flooding the hotel and nearby streets.
It is not my goal here to make hypotheses about what happened and why. Instead, let’s look back at 2003, when the aquarium was built, and try to understand how the decisions and the actions taken twenty years ago have determined its durability.
“a time bomb”
Creating something radically new can be a daunting task, especially when there are no rules or regulations that cover the potential risks associated with that project. With no clear guidelines to follow, it can be difficult to ensure that the project is done correctly and that all the risks are taken into account.
In an interview with Bild, an expert points out that the building was "a time bomb". However, being it a completely new kind of construction with an innovative concept, existing regulations could not foresee all the related risks.
According to the article, the Berlin Senate granted the permit to build the structure, but did not give any specific instructions on how the structure was to be maintained. A letter merely states that the permit "included the obligation for the owner and operator to regularly check the condition of the construction and its individual parts".
Innovation is inspiring, and sometimes even innovation for its own sake can trigger a wave of subsequent meaningful innovations that make good use of the original change.
But it also carries with it an inherent risk.
The List
The Aquadom collapse (this article)
Upcoming
Generative AI gone mainstream
ABBA Voyage virtual concert
Bonus point
Agile Methodology and big-”A” vs small-”a”: according to the State of Agile report 2022, "Accelerate Time to Market" is the #1 expected result of an Agile transformation. The ability to manage changing priorities has disappeared from the radar, meaning that it is relevant for no more than 30% of respondents.
Up next
#7: Generative AI gone mainstream
I asked ChatGPT how to manage my next project and it doesn’t have a clue.