Project Management At Sea
RMS Titanic
Could Project Management Have Helped?
Walter A. Viali, PMP
Yet another presentation on
Project Management?
I’m beginning to feel like this guy…
Acknowledgements
• “On-line, On-time, On-budget”
– Titanic Lessons for the e-business Executive
– MC Press publication authored by Mark Kozak-Holland, February 2, 2005
• “Titanic Lessons for IT Projects”
– IT Projects from Hell
– Authored by Mark Kozak-Holland, HP Services, August 6th, 2007
•
•
•
•
•
•
“Titanic, Destination Disaster”, J.P. Eaton, C. Haas
“The Titanic Experience”, B. Riffenburgh
“The Sinking of the Titanic”, Nimbus Publishing
“Titanic, The Story of the Disaster”, E. Caren, S. Goldman
“James Cameron’s Titanic”, E.W. Marsh, D. Kirkland
“882 ½ Amazing Answers To Your Questions About The Titanic “, H.
Brewster
• Approximately 21.8 million hits on the Internet
4
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Why It Could Not Happen Today
• SOLAS (Safety of Life At Sea) Convention
– The first version of the treaty was passed in 1914
in response to the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
– It prescribed numbers of lifeboats and other
emergency equipment along with safety
procedures, including continuous radio watches.
– Newer versions were adopted in 1929, 1948,
1960, and 1974.
6
Why It Could Not Happen Today
• IMO (International Maritime Organization)
– Former Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative
Organization (IMCO).
– Implements SOLAS Convention updates
• Example: Carnival Conquest – 24 tenders with capacity
of 150 people each for a total of 3,600 passengers
(exceeding actual need).
7
Why It Could Not Happen Today
• International Ice Patrol
– established in 1914 in response to
the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
– Almost every year, since 1914, the
United States Coast Guard and the Ice
Patrol lay a wreath from a ship or an
aircraft at the site of the Titanic
disaster.
8
Why It Could Not Happen Today
• The RADAR!!!
RAdio Detection And Ranging
9
Why It Could Not Happen Today
• … and the Sonar!!!
SOund Navigation And Ranging
10
Why It Could Not Happen Today
And, of course,
there are no
icebergs
around here….
11
Or Could It Happen Today?
What Did Happen Back Then?
RMS Titanic
13
What Happened
• The RMS Titanic sailed from
Southampton (UK) on April 10, 1912
with stops in Cherbourg (France) and
Queenstown (Ireland).
• On April 14 it struck an iceberg at
11:40pm in the Atlantic Ocean.
• The RMS Titanic sank at 2:20am on
April 15.
• Only 706 people were saved.
• Over 1,500 people died.
• Bad luck?
• Or was this yet another monument
to the carelessness and arrogance of
man?
15
Why the Fascination with Titanic
• Almost an obsession
• Almost 22 million hits with Google
• Movies like “Raise the Titanic” and
blockbuster films like “Titanic”
• Keeping track of all its survivors
– Last survivor, Millvina Dean, died on
May 31, 2009
• Scores of documentaries and books
on how and why the Titanic sank
• Titanic museums everywhere
16
We Still Mourn the Titanic
• Accident could have been
easily avoided.
• Weather conditions
contributed to the
disaster.
• Collision dynamics the
worst possible.
17
We Still Mourn the Titanic
• The unnecessary, tragic
loss of human life.
• A ship that sank on its
maiden voyage after only
4 days at sea.
• Unprecedented luxury
almost immediately lost
at the bottom of the sea.
• Help was only a few miles
away.
18
History of the Titanic
• History of the Titanic starts in
1907 after a dinner party.
• Bruce Ismay of the White Star
Line and Lord William James
Pirrie, a controlling partner in
the firm of Harland and Wolff,
which built all White Star Line
ships, decided to build the
most luxurious ship ever made.
19
History of the Titanic
• The Titanic was built to
compete with Cunard Line's
Lusitania and Mauretania.
• Construction of RMS Titanic,
funded by the American J.P.
Morgan and his International
Mercantile Marine Co.,
began on March 31, 1909.
• Titanic's hull was launched
on May 31, 1911.
• Outfitting was completed by
March 31 the following year.
20
Director Bruce Ismay
• As the owner of White Star
Line he had a significant role
in the whole endeavor.
• He was responsible for
initiating the Titanic project,
articulating the vision with
Pirie and building the business
case for the venture.
• Ismay’s vision was centered
around building a reputation
for the White Star liners as
being the final word in luxury.
21
Ship Design
• Largest ship ever built up to that
time (1912)
• Double hull
• Hull 1.5-inch thick steel plates
• 3 million rivets
• Water-tight bulkheads (16
compartments)
• Will stay afloat with 4 damaged
water-tight compartments
• “Unsinkable”
• Marconi wireless radio telegraph
• Ship is wired with electricity
• Four electric elevators
• An indoor swimming pool
Thomas Andrews - Shipbuilder
22
Largest Ship Ever Built
23
24
Ship Design
• Emphasis on first class
areas
• 60% of space was
reserved for first class
passengers (905)
• 7% of space was
reserved for third class
passengers (1,134)
• This led to compromises
in the ship design and
safety
25
Ship Design
26
Ship Design
27
Captain E.J. Smith
"Millionaires' Captain"
• Commander of the White
Star fleet, he was given the
honor to captain Titanic on
her maiden voyage, his final
command before retiring.
• His record however tarnished
by the Olympic's collision
with HMS Hawke, which had
delayed Titanic's maiden
voyage by a month as the
Olympic was being repaired.
28
RMS Titanic’s Itinerary
• Leave Southampton (England)
at noon on Wednesday 10
April.
• Arrive Cherbourg (France) at
about sunset on same day.
• Arrive Queenstown (Ireland)
just before noon on Thursday
11 April.
• Depart Queenstown 2:20pm
on Thursday 11 April.
• Arrive New York in early hours
of Wednesday 17 April.
Last picture of the Titanic
(taken by Father Frank Browne)
29
RMS Titanic’s Itinerary
30
An Uneventful Passage, At First
A “who’s who” collection
of wealthy first-class
passengers enjoying lavish
accommodations and
surroundings.
– John Jacob Astor IV
– Ben Guggenheim
– Molly Brown
– Isador and Ida Straus
– Maj. Archibald Butt
– … and many more
31
An Uneventful Passage, At First
Even third-class
passengers are treated
to amenities most did
not normally enjoy in
1912, such as excellent
meals, running water,
comfortable cabins,
smoking and reading
rooms.
32
Iceberg Warnings
Captain Smith, in
response to initial
iceberg warnings
received via
wireless has drawn
up a new course
taking the ship
slightly southward.
33
Iceberg Warnings
• On Sunday, April 14, at 1:45pm,
a message from the steamer
Amerika warns that large
icebergs lie in the Titanic's path
• Harold Bride and Jack Phillips,
the Marconi wireless radio
operators, are employed by
Marconi and paid to relay
messages to and from the
passengers
• They are not focused on
relaying such "non essential"
ice messages to the bridge.
34
Iceberg Warnings
• In the evening, another
report of numerous
large icebergs, this time
from the Mesaba, also
fails to reach the bridge.
• It is not marked "MSG"
(short for Masters'
Service Gram) which
would require Captain
Smith to see it and sign
off on it.
35
Iceberg Warnings
“To Titanic. Ice report
in lat 42.n to 41.25n
Long 49w to long
50.30w saw much
heavy pack ice and
great number large
icebergs also field ice.
Weather good clear.”
36
Iceberg Warnings
• The SS Californian, a British
steamship traveling south of
Newfoundland, encounters a
large ice field.
• At 10:20pm, Captain Lord
decides to stop the ship and
wait until morning to proceed
further.
• At 11pm, the Californian's
radio operator, Cyril Evans,
attempts to warn the Titanic
of ice ahead.
37
Iceberg Warnings
• Evans is cut off by an
exhausted Jack Phillips, who
fires back an angry response.
• "Shut up, shut up, I am busy;
I am working Cape Race."
• At 11:30pm, Evans turns off
the Californian's wireless and
goes to bed for the night.
38
Is Disaster Looming?
• The temperature
of the air and of
the water drop
significantly.
• The ship races
for New York at
close to top
speed.
39
Is Disaster Looming?
• This Spring of 1912,
the Labrador
current has pushed
freezing conditions
further south than
ever before.
• “Iceberg Alley” is
stretching further
south than normal.
40
Is Disaster Looming?
• Sea is totally flat with no
waves washing against
potential obstacles.
• There is no moon to help
see what is ahead.
• There are only two
lookouts on duty in
Titanic’s crow’s nest.
• It’s close to freezing and
they have no binoculars.
41
“Iceberg, Right Ahead”
• At 11:40pm, the two lookouts,
Fredrick Fleet and Reginald Lee,
spot a large iceberg directly
ahead of the ship, only a quarter
of a mile away.
• Fleet sounds the ship's bell
three times and telephones the
bridge exclaiming, "Iceberg,
right ahead!"
42
“Hard-a-Starboard”
• First Officer William Murdoch tries to avoid
the iceberg by issuing his famous command,
followed by orders to stop the engines and
close the watertight doors.
• Unfortunately, the iceberg scrapes the Titanic
under the waterline for more than 300 feet.
• The scrape opens up five of the front
compartments, as rivets pop and steel plates
buckle.
• Water pumps are immediately overwhelmed
(water is rushing into the ship at ten times
the rate it can be pumped back into the sea).
43
Titanic Will Sink!
At 11:55pm, after
inspection reports
from Thomas
Andrews, the ship
designer, Captain
Smith knows the
worst... Titanic is
going to sink with
more than 2,200
people on board.
44
CQD… Calling for Help!
• At 12:15am, Titanic begins
sending out distress
signals... CQD… SOS…
• By 1:00am, numerous
ships have heard the
Titanic's distress signal
and many are on their way
to assist, including
Carpathia, which is 44
miles to the Southeast.
“CQD – SOS. From MGY
We have struck iceberg, sinking
fast, come to our assistance.
Position Lat 41-46n. Lon 50-14w
MGY “
45
S.O.S.
• “Save Our Souls?” “Save Our Ship?”
• None of the above…
• Just a clear Morse Code signal to avoid
confusion!
We Are Sinking!
Women and Children First!
• At 12:25am, Captain Smith
gives the order to begin
loading the lifeboats with
women and children.
• If every lifeboat is filled to
capacity, there is only
enough room for 1,178
people out of the
estimated 2,223 on board.
48
Reality Sets In…
• 12:45am – The first lifeboat
(65-person capacity) is lowered
with only 28 people.
• Crew begins launching distress
rockets off the ship deck.
• 1:15am – Water has reached
Titanic's name on the bow of
the boat. Seven boats have
now been lowered.
49
A Ship in the Distance
• The Officers on the Californian
see the rockets launched by the
Titanic.
• They try to contact the Titanic
with a Morse lamp.
• They believe the ship they see
is in distress, but Captain Lord
takes no action.
• When Evans will turn on his
wireless at 5:30am, he will
find out that the Titanic has
been lost.
50
Panic and Fear Set In on Titanic
• 1:30am – Signs of panic
begin to appear as the
tenth boat is lowered
from the Titanic.
• Officer Lowe is forced
to fire three warning
shots to keep a group
of unruly passengers from jumping into the
already full boat.
51
The End Is Near
• At 1:45am, most of the boats
have been launched and the
remaining passengers begin to
move to the stern area.
• At 2:00am, the water is ten
feet below the Promenade
Deck and Captain Smith
releases the wireless operators
from duty.
• The heroic band plays on until
the very end.
– “Nearer, My God, to Thee”
52
Many Heroes on Board
• John Jacob Astor IV and Maj.
Archibald Butt work tirelessly
to help women and children
get in the lifeboats. They both
go down with the Titanic.
• Molly Brown, is busy providing
encouragement to her fellow
survivors in her lifeboat.
Having survived a shipwreck
before, she becomes the
“Unsinkable Molly Brown”.
53
Many Heroes on Board
• The crew works tirelessly to
keep the ship’s lights on until
the very end. Almost 700 of
the 900 crew members perish.
• Harold Bride and Jack Phillips
continue to work incessantly in
the Marconi room sending
calls for help, up to a few
minutes before the ship sinks.
Jack does not survive the
disaster.
54
Many Heroes on Board
• Many wives refuse to leave their
husbands. One of them is Ida
Straus, wife of Isador Straus,
owner of Macy’s. They both
perish.
 "We have been living together for
many years. Where you go, I go."
• Captain Smith is last seen
swimming towards a lifeboat
with a small child and handing
the child to a passenger in the
lifeboat. He then disappears in
the icy water.
55
A Grand Ship Is Lost Forever
• At 2:17am, Titanic's bow
plunges under. A minute
later a huge roar is heard
as all movable objects
inside Titanic crash
toward the submerged
bow.
• The lights blink once and
then go out.
• The ship is now almost perpendicular, then snaps in two
between the third and fourth funnel.
56
A Grand Ship Is Lost Forever
• The bow slips into the
Atlantic.
• The stern crashes on
the surface and for a
moment rights itself.
• Within a few seconds, however, the stern turns
upward pointing to the sky and finally sinks to the
bottom of the cold Atlantic.
57
Rescuing the Survivors
• At 4:10am, the first
lifeboat is picked up by
Carpathia.
• By 8:50am all the
lifeboats are aboard.
• Carpathia leaves the
searching for other
survivors to other vessels,
as it heads to New York
with 706 survivors.
58
So Many Lost At Sea…
59
Could This Disaster Have Been
Avoided?
• Theories abound
–
–
–
–
–
–
Bad design?
Bad materials?
Bad construction?
Poor operation of the ship?
Poor organization on board?
Was the crew skilled enough?
• Could Project Management Have Helped?
– Where was the PMBOK® Guide when we needed it?
60
The Knowledge Areas Captain Smith
Did Not Learn on Land or at Sea
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Scope Management
Quality Management
Procurement Management
Communication Management
Human Resource Management
Time Management
Cost Management
Risk Management
Integration Management
61
Untested Assumptions
• Sixteen watertight compartments
make the Titanic “unsinkable”.
• The North Atlantic route is safe
and, if ice is present, a more
southern route will eliminate risk
altogether.
• If there are any “obstacles”, we
will have plenty of room and time
to steer around them.
• Safety drills and lifeboat drills are
not that important, if not outright
obsolete.
62
Scope Management
• Product specifications for
the Titanic were “faulty”
to begin with!
– Ship called for large
unobstructed salons for
the first-class passengers.
• This led to the bulkheads
going up only about 10 feet
above the waterline level
(deck E).
63
Scope Management
– First-class passengers
were to have a most
spacious outside deck for
their strolling pleasure.
• This led to the number of
lifeboats being reduced
from 48 to 16 (plus 4
collapsible boats) to
remove “clutter” on deck.
64
Scope Management
– Even though the Titanic
had a double hull, it was
only 7 feet tall and well
below the water line.
• The double hull proved
useless, given the dynamics
of the accident.
– Rudder was 40% too small
for the size of the ship.
• This made it impossible for
the Titanic to avoid the
collision with the iceberg.
65
Quality Management
Several studies have been
conducted to examine the quality of
the steel used to build the ship.
– It had been claimed that the steel
used in the Titanic hull was too
brittle.
– Using modern tests, scientists
found that the steel, full of sulfur
impurities, shattered when
struck, just like glass hitting the
pavement.
66
Quality Management
Other studies have been
conducted to examine the
quality of the rivets used to
hold the steel plates together.
– Riveting machines using
hydraulic power were used to
drive steel rivets in place on the
hull of the Titanic.
– Where riveting machines could
not be used, because of the
curvature of the ship’s hull, iron
rivets were driven in place by
crews of workers. Iron rivets,
also full of impurities, were not
as effective as steel ones.
67
Procurement Management
• Procurement issues, due to
the large quantities of
material required to build the
Titanic, are overshadowed by
the simple oversight of not
procuring enough binoculars
for the lookouts in the crow’s
nest.
• This may have very well
contributed most dramatically
to the loss of the Titanic.
• The ship’s water pumps were
also inadequate.
Key to binoculars locker
68
Communication Management
• There were significant
communication issues
and problems before
and after the Titanic
collided with the
iceberg.
• Up to 8 ice warnings
were received by the
Marconi wireless
operators before the
disaster.
69
Communication Management
• Only a couple of the
ice warnings
reached the bridge.
• The wireless
operators were
busy taking care of
the backlog of
outgoing messages
from the first-class
passengers.
70
Communication Management
• Had all ice warnings reached
the bridge, it is likely that the
extent of the danger would
have not been so grossly
underestimated.
• The novelty of new wireless
technology drove first-class
passengers to swamp the
Marconi room.
71
Communication Management
There are number of possible
explanations for the poor
communication aboard the
Titanic after the collision with the
iceberg:
– The ship had no public-address
systems.
– Important information was
communicated to passengers by
word of mouth by the crew
knocking on each cabin door.
– Many passengers, especially in
third class, spoke no English.
72
Communication Management
– The crew didn't have accurate
information on the situation, so
different information was
relayed to different passengers.
– The Captain believed in the
safety systems of the ship and
probably found the architect's
verdict too hard to accept
because everything appeared
normal in the first hour.
73
Communication Management
– The captain knew there were
lifeboats for only half of the
2,223 people on board.
– Better to allow the lifeboats
to be filled in an orderly
manner when the time was
right.
– The ship's segregation of
classes allowed first-class
passengers to have the best
access to the boats.
74
Communication Management
– The captain feared widespread
panic.
– He and the other officers were
aware of the French liner La
Bourgogne, lost 14 years earlier.
– With room in the lifeboats for
only half the people on board,
widespread panic had broken
out on La Bourgogne, with the
crew attacking the ship’s
passengers.
75
Communication Management
– Captain Smith knew he
could save the maximum
number of lives by loading
only those who were lucky
enough to reach the boats.
– So, he may have
intentionally avoided
informing all the
passengers, especially in
third class.
76
Human Resource Management
• A number of Titanic’s officers
were replaced at the last minute
by officers of the Olympic (which
was being repaired).
– Second Mate David Blair’s rush to
leave Titanic caused him to carry
off the key to the binoculars’
locker, instead of handing it off to
his replacement, Charles Lightoller.
– Had Lightoller taken possession of
the key, there surely would have
been a pair of binoculars in the
crow’s nest.
Key to binoculars locker
Second Mate David Blair
77
Human Resource Management
• Crew members were
still being hired the
morning that the
Titanic sailed.
• Many crew members
were not familiar with
the ship and had not
participated in
lifeboat and safety
drills.
78
Time Management
• Work on the Titanic
slowed down when the
Olympic was damaged in
an accident and had to be
repaired.
• This led to limited sea
trials, lifeboat and safety
drills, as well as less
training for the crew.
79
Time Management
• The Titanic’s maiden voyage was
postponed by 3 weeks, as work
proceeded feverishly to complete
the interior of the Titanic.
• Once at sea, did Ismay actually
order Captain Smith to proceed
“full speed ahead” in an attempt to
beat the crossing record of the
Olympic? The controversy
continues.
80
Cost Management
• The Titanic cost $7.5 Million to
build in 1912.
• The White Star Line was eager to
begin recovering its investment
as soon as possible.
• Registered as a British ship (RMS,
Royal Mail Ship), the Titanic was
actually owned by J.P. Morgan,
the American Railroad tycoon, as
he had acquired White Star Line
in 1903 in an attempt to seize
control of the Atlantic shipping
trade.
81
Risk Management
• Poor risk management began
with the design of the Titanic
(low bulkheads, not enough
lifeboats).
• It continued as the ship was
preparing for its maiden
voyage:
– few lifeboat and safety drills
due to time constraints,
– crew members hired up to the
morning of the departure from
Southampton,
– the Titanic officers replaced by
officers from the Olympic.
82
Risk Management
Poor risk management pales in
comparison with what took place
once the ship was in the middle of
the Atlantic Ocean.
The ice warnings were
treated as notices of very
limited value by all (wireless
operators, Captain Smith,
the ship officers).
83
Risk Management
• Had all the warnings been
plotted, based on the
available longitudes and
latitudes, the picture
would have become
frightfully clear.
• Instead, the Titanic raced
blindly in the middle of an
ice field with all the odds
stacked against it.
84
Integration Management
• There was no integrated plan that took advantage
of the power of the wireless radio telegraph,
through more effective communication between
the Marconi Room and the Bridge of the Titanic.
• Captain Smith did not trust new technology and
was too confident in his own ability to handle any
situation.
• An integrated recovery plan for possible disaster
scenarios was not available.
• Officers and crew did not grasp the seriousness of
situation. Up to an hour after the collision there
was still disbelief on the part of the officers and
crew.
85
Integration Management
• When it came time to loading the lifeboats,
different rules were used on the port side and
on the starboard side of the ship.
– Second Officer Lightoller only allowed women and
children on the boats on the port side.
– First Officer Murdoch (on the starboard side)
allowed woman and children in the lifeboats, first,
then men boarded the boats if there were no other
women and children waiting.
86
Integration Management
• The officers were not sure how
many people the boats could really
hold and lowered the first boats
with only a few passengers.
• Some passengers could not be
convinced to leave the ship initially.
• With a capacity of almost 1,200
people, the lifeboats ended up
saving only 706 passengers.
2nd Officer Lightoller
1st Officer Murdoch
87
The Aftermath
• More confusion…
“April 15
Underwriters have
message from New
York that Virginian
is standing by
Titanic and that
there is no danger
of loss of life =
Ismay.”
88
The Aftermath
“April 15
Latest word from
press agency is
Titanic proceeding
to Cape Race all
passengers
transferred
presumably to
Virginian = Ismay”
89
The Aftermath
“15 April 1912
Titanic struck
iceberg sank
Monday 3am
41.46N 50.14W
Carpathia picked
up many
passengers and
proceeding to
New York
Captain Rostron”
90
The Aftermath
“April 16
Referring
telegram
yesterday Titanic
deeply grieved
say that during
night we received
word steamer
foundered about
675 souls mostly
women and
children saved Ismay”
91
The Mackay-Bennett
• The White Star Line
commissioned four ships with
the grim task of recovering
the bodies of those who had
perished.
• On Thursday, April 17, the
first of these vessels, the
Cable Ship Mackay-Bennett,
sailed from Halifax, Nova
Scotia (Canada), and steamed
to the site of Titanic's sinking.
92
The Mackay-Bennett
• The first bodies were
brought aboard on April
21. They were found
floating upright appearing
as if asleep.
• Over the following four
days, the crew retrieved
306 bodies in all.
• 190 bodies were brought
back to Halifax, while 116
bodies were "returned to
the sea."
Mount Olivet Cemetery
Fairview Cemetery
93
Carpathia Heads for New York
• Carpathia reached New
York late on Tuesday the
18th of April.
• First she lowered the
Titanic lifeboats at Pier
59, then the passengers
at Pier 54.
• This was all that was
left of Titanic.
94
The World Reacts
95
The World Reacts
96
U.S. Inquiry Is Swift
• U.S. Inquiry
Recommendations:
– lifeboat space for every
person on all ships from
U.S. ports;
– lifeboat drills for passengers
and crew;
– adequate manning of boats;
– 24-hour operation of
radiotelegraph equipment.
William A. Smith
(R - Michigan)
97
U.K. Inquiry Is More “Lenient”
• U.K. Inquiry findings:
– confirmed U.S. Inquiry recommendations;
– kept White Star from bankruptcy by not
finding it liable for the Titanic disaster;
– felt the European winds of war and
considered the fact that the U.K. needed
large ships for its troops and materials;
– found Captain Lord of the Californian
negligent for not responding to the Titanic’s
flares;
– criticized the British Board of Trade for not
updating its antiquated lifeboat
regulations.
Charles Bigham
Captain Lord
98
The Enduring Legacy of the Titanic
• The Titanic was popularly believed to have been
unsinkable.
• It was a great shock to many that, despite the
extensive safety features, the Titanic sank.
• The frenzy on the part of the media about
Titanic's famous victims, the legends about the
sinking, the resulting changes to maritime law,
and the discovery of the wreck have contributed
to the continuing interest in, and notoriety of,
the Titanic.
99
Last Survivor Dies on May 31, 2009
• Millvina Dean was the youngest
passenger on RMS Titanic, just nine
weeks old when she was wrapped in a
sack and lowered from the sinking ship
into a lifeboat in the cold North Atlantic.
• Millvina lived to become the disaster's
last survivor. She died at the age of 97 in
Southampton, the English port from
which her family sailed, intending to
begin a new life in the United States.
• Millvina died on Sunday, May 31, the
98th anniversary of the launch of the
Titanic.
100
Titanic Memorial Cruise
http://www.titanicmemorialcruise.co.uk/
101
Titanic Memorial Cruise
102
Lessons for Project Managers
• “Established assumptions” always need to be
questioned, as conditions change over time.
– Very unusual currents pushed ice fields and icebergs
much further south than normal.
– Established assumption that icebergs did not travel
that far south was legitimate, but it turned out to be
bad and catastrophic.
• We need to learn to expect the unexpected. If
something can go wrong, it may very well do so.
– The iceberg damaged the ship in a way that could not
be expected to happen, but it did.
103
Lessons for Project Managers
• Technology can be our friend, but we
need to clearly understand the tools we
use on our projects and know where
they can fail.
– The ship’s design significantly contributed
to its demise even with all its new safety
features.
104
Lessons for Project Managers
• As leaders, we are responsible for what
happens to the people around us. The more
responsible we are, the better leaders we’ll be
in their eyes and in our jobs.
– The Titanic’s officers were dumbfounded.
– It took them much too long to accept the fact that
the ship was indeed going to sink and thus
provided poor leadership at a most critical time.
– In the end, it’s all about people and how well we
can motivate and reward them.
105
Lessons for Project Managers
• Communication on projects must always be
crystal clear!
– There were too many communication problems all
along the way, which led to an even greater loss of
life than could be expected.
• Thorough risk management can make the
difference between success and disaster.
– Ignoring or downplaying even only one of the
iceberg warnings was totally unconscionable!
106
In the Final Analysis
“For over 1,300 of the 1,517
passengers who perished on
April 15, the sea has been
their final resting place since
1912. They are 1,000 miles
due east of Boston, which
will be as close as they will
ever get to the land of hope
and promise they so much
wanted to live in.”
107
In the Final Analysis
“As of April 15, 1912, their
hopes and dreams rest
13,000 feet below the sea,
on the ocean bottom, on a
gently sloping alpine-like hill
overlooking a small canyon
with the 'unsinkable' Titanic
as their only companion.”
108
In the Final Analysis
Like so many other
disasters, was this
bad luck or yet
another monument
to the carelessness
and arrogance of
man?
109
In the Final Analysis
… By now, we know the
answer to this question
and we also know that
the proper application of
Project Management
best practices would
have indeed saved the
Titanic and over 1,500
souls on that dark and
awful night!
110
In the Final Analysis
Getting close to Titanic can stir up
many emotions.
If we then study the people who
perished, and their life stories, we
cannot help but think about what
could have been for so many and
never was…
It’s inevitable to wonder just how
many more monuments we will
have to erect to the carelessness
and arrogance of man…
We all hope there will be fewer
and fewer as mankind continues
to reach for the stars…
111
Reach for the Stars…
So, as project managers and as
professionals, let’s continue to reach
for the stars and work as hard and as
smart as we can to avoid costly
disasters in everything we do!
Project Management At Sea
Thank You
Walter A. Viali, PMP
Contact Information
Walter A. Viali, PMP
PMO To Go LLC
www.pmotogo.com
713-252-9722
[email protected]
June 14 – 16, 2010 114