PMI Houston Galleria: "The Tay Bridge Disaster; A Study in Project Failure " (In-Person)

The Tay Bridge Disaster; A Study in Project Failure 

Pre-Dinner Presentation: “The Tay Bridge Disaster; A Study In Project Failure”

Jim Benvie PMP, The History PM is a project manager and speaker with TyauvinOn Solutions.

Following retirement and a false start or two  he created “The History PM” blog and associated YouTube channel.
His blog and presentations, combine a lifelong passion for history and four decades of project and operational management experience, provide inspiration  from history for project managers and leaders.

The concept is not simply to copy historical precedents, but to use them to expand your awareness, develop your thinking and stimulate your curiosity.

Do not expect, “Five simple steps to becoming a stellar project manager”, instead expect “Some assembly required”.

However, he believes that like Aesop’s Fables you will find the content both entertaining and informative.
 
A long-term volunteer with PMI Houston, he lives with his wife Juliet in the Tomball area and his interests are reading, studying history, and cycling.

Topic Synopsis:

The Tay Bridge opened to great fanfare on 1st of June 1878. The longest iron bridge in the world.  It was a key link in the Scottish east coast railway line. For the main players it brought honours and business success. But that success was short lived. 

On the night of 28th of December 1879, in one of the worst storms in living memory, the bridge collapsed, taking with it the Edinburgh train and 59 passengers.

The subsequent public inquiry and later analysis identified several technical failures. 
But this is a tale of an inspirational project, a pinnacle of Victorian engineering, that was undermined by greed and lack of leadership.

Learning Objectives:

1. A project manager’s responsibility to ensure public safety above that of financial gain.

2. The importance of the selection and supervision of a competent workforce.

3. “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.” Richard Feynman

PDU Triangle:

1 Power Skills PDU

Dinner Presentation: "The Tay Bridge Disaster Part 2; The Ethics "

Topic Synopsis:

The 1879 Tay Bridge disaster was a massive engineering failure. 
It was not that Thomas Bouch, the designer, did not understand the engineering principles involved.

He found himself under pressure and made a series of bad decisions which compounded to cause the disaster. The problem was one of ethical failure. How can you as a project professional avoid a similar fate?

Learning Objectives:

1. What does the PMI code of ethics say?

2. How can you anticipate ethical challenges and develop your ability to withstand them.

3. “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.” Richard Feynman

PDU Triangle:

1 Business Acumen PDU

Meeting Agenda:

5:00 pm to 5:30 pm    Networking
5:30 pm to 6:30 pm    Pre-dinner Speaker Presentation
6:30 pm to 7:00 pm    Networking, Dinner Opens, Chapter Announcements, PM Toastmasters Club Announcement
7:00 pm to 8:00 pm    Dinner Speaker Presentation

Location:

GalloWorks
2425 West Loop South, 5th Floor
Houston, TX 77027