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Major Project Failures Across Industries

This table summarizes major project problems across various industries, highlighting the significant financial and operational impacts caused by technical issues, management failures, cost overruns, delays, and documentation mismatches. The absence of robust version control systems (VCS) has been a common underlying factor in these cases, contributing to miscommunication, rework, and increased costs.

Project Name Industry Initial Price Final Price Delay Estimated Loss
Olkiluoto 3 Nuclear Power Plant Energy €3 billion €11 billion Over a decade €8 billion
HealthCare.gov Website Launch IT/Healthcare $93 million Over $2 billion Several months ~$2 billion
TSB Bank IT System Migration Finance £220 million Over £400 million Several months £180 million
Boeing 787 Dreamliner Development Manufacturing $5 billion Over $32 billion Several years $27 billion
Aduhelm Development Pharma N/A N/A N/A ~$20 billion
LAUSD iPad Program Education $1 billion $1.3 billion Several months $300 million
Emergency Services Network (ESN) Police/Law Enforcement £5.5 billion Over £9 billion Several years £3.5 billion
Berlin Brandenburg Airport Transportation €2.5 billion €7.3 billion 10 years €4.8 billion

Conclusion

These cases highlight the critical importance of effective project management, including robust document version control systems (VCS). The absence of VCS has often led to documentation mismatches, miscommunication, and rework, significantly contributing to the delays and cost overruns. Implementing a VCS can mitigate these issues by ensuring that all stakeholders have access to the correct and most current versions of project documents, thereby improving coordination and reducing the likelihood of errors and associated costs.