In an era where Microsoft opens a data centre every three days and the demand for project management talent is set to reach 88 million roles globally, mastering complex project management has never been more vital. At the recent IMI Senior Leaders Breakfast Briefing, leading experts in the field shared insights into the strategies and challenges shaping the future of large-scale projects.

Here’s what we learned about how to build the future.

Collaboration vs. Competition: Governance as the Key to Complex Projects

In the realm of complex projects, the difference between success and inefficiency often boils down to governance. Seán Keyes – Executive Director of Progress Ireland and former Finance Editor with the Currency – noted a striking statistic: the cost of building metro systems can vary tenfold between countries. The common denominator for those that excel? Effective governance frameworks

Seán drew a sharp distinction between two fundamental approaches: collaboration and competition. Each has its place, but the stakes of the project often determine which is more suitable.

When tackling high-risk, technically challenging projects—such as digging a tunnel beneath a city or sending a spacecraft into orbit—a collaborative structure is critical. These endeavours require stakeholders to align closely, share expertise and work toward a common goal. Collaboration fosters innovation and allows for adaptive problem-solving, particularly in situations where unforeseen challenges are inevitable.

Conversely, competitive models are ideal for projects with more standardised or replicable outcomes, such as manufacturing cars or phones. In these scenarios, companies can leverage market dynamics to drive down costs and increase efficiency by bidding out specific components or services.

However, attempting to apply a competitive structure to inherently complex projects can lead to inefficiencies, misaligned objectives, and staggering cost overruns. Like with Seán’s metro example, when countries fail to adopt collaborative governance for these large-scale infrastructure projects, they risk paying up to ten times more due to fragmented oversight, poor coordination and duplicated efforts.

The lesson is clear: when attempting to “push the envelope” or achieve a breakthrough, the governance model must be designed to promote collaboration over competition. This ensures that all players—whether public agencies, private contractors or multinational corporations—are aligned in purpose, capable of addressing challenges collectively, and incentivised to deliver long-term value rather than short-term wins.

For leaders managing complex projects, the takeaway is profound: assess the nature of your goals and adopt a governance framework that aligns with the level of complexity and innovation required. When the stakes are high, collaboration isn’t just beneficial—it’s essential

The Talent Challenge: Building Teams for the Future

Linda Cahalan of Mercury brought attention to the human side of project management, describing the extraordinary demand for skilled workers in the construction industry. “The demand for construction is mind-blowing,” she said, noting that competition for talent is fierce, with many organisations seeking the secure the same limited resources.

Linda emphasised the importance of curating the right teams to ensure project success. “You’re setting yourself up for failure by not having the right people working together,” she warned. Mercury addresses this challenge by investing heavily in its workforce, promoting from within and providing robust opportunities for education, training and growth.

The supply chain also emerged as a key issue. With a surge in global construction projects, resources are stretched thin, creating bottlenecks and increasing costs. Linda highlighted Mercury’s proactive approach, including rolling out a new strategy to manage the rising workloads while planning for sustained growth. Operating in 20 countries and expanding, Mercury demonstrates the importance of long-term planning and adaptability, while aligning talent and resources to maintain momentum in a competitive, high-demand environment.

Practical Tools for Collaboration and Prioritisation

James Louttit – Programme Director for IMI’s Impactful Project Management for Leaders – explored practical ways to enhance collaboration and prioritise effectively in the face of seemingly infinite demands. He introduced the concept of focusing on “high value, low effort” tasks as a strategy for maximising impact. “You need to estimate and plan the value of things and the effort involved,” James explained. By doing this, teams can identify which tasks deliver the most significant results with minimal resources and effort – a mindset that helps teams identity what truly matters amidst endless competing priorities.

James also stressed the importance of coaching and delegating, noting these tools aren’t just for individual contributors but can be applied at every level, from teams to boards. Delegation, when done effectively, fosters collaboration and ensures work is distributed in a way that leverages the strengths of all team members without overburdening individuals.

On the issue of skills gaps, James argued the solution lies in building capabilities internally rather than relying on external consultants. “The knowledge leaves with them,” he noted. Instead, organisations should focus on fostering a culture of learning, providing both formal training and mentorship to encourage adaptability among their teams. “Just because someone doesn’t know how to do something today doesn’t mean they’ll never know. Build the ability to learn.”

Cross-Functional Skills: A Necessity, Not a Luxury

Katherine Murphy of Diageo provided a case study in how cross-functional skills drive success in the company’s extensive capital investment projects. With Diageo’s global footprint involving extensive facility expansions and modifications worldwide, Katherine described how the internal project management team—composed primarily of engineers—bridges the gap between clients and technical partners.

Team success depends on a unique blend of technical expertise, functional competency and softer skills like stakeholder management. Katherine explained that while Diageo outsources technical functions such as architecture and utility design, they focus on building the necessary capabilities in-house for long-term resilience. She also discussed the dual nature of digitalisation as both an opportunity and a threat. While outsourcing certain tech expertise for specific projects, Diageo remains committed to developing digital capabilities internally, striking a careful balance between leveraging external knowledge and maintaining control over core processes. “We would never outsource our beer production,” she joked.

Risk Management: Embracing Transparency

One of the greatest challenges in complex project management is risk management, and James Louttit offered a candid view of how to address it effectively. “You need to create a space where people can say things might go wrong,” he said. This transparency allows teams to identify risks early, develop contingency plans and prepare stakeholders for potential setbacks.

James highlighted the dangers of suppressing discussions about risks. When teams feel they can’t raise concerns, they may hide them in inflated estimates, making projects appear far more challenging than they actually are. A culture of openness not only mitigates risk but also builds trust among stakeholders and creates a more realistic picture of project feasibility.

This goes back to Seán’s point around governance structures, with poor governance connected to amplified risk in large-scale infrastructure projects. Seán highlighted how countries that bypass collaborative planning structures often resort to costly external consultants, leading to inefficiencies and skyrocketing costs, overall reiterating that effective governance frameworks are non-negotiable when managing complexity.

Looking Ahead: Sustainability and Innovation

Katherine closed the discussion by looking to the future, sharing Diageo’s ambitious €100 million investment to decarbonise the St. James’s Gate site. This project aims to reduce emissions and water usage through advanced technologies like biogas generation and water treatment systems.

Such initiatives highlight a growing trend: sustainability is no longer a peripheral concern but a central pillar of complex project management. As organisations face mounting pressures to balance economic, environmental and social goals, the need for innovative approaches and collaborative governance will only intensify.

Key Takeaways Applying the Key Takeaways to History

Rather than neatly summing up and listing the key takeaways from panel, we wanted to bring their insights and recommendations to life by applying them to two of the most complex and famous projects of the Twentieth Century: the Manhattan Project (1942–1946) and the Apollo program (1961-1972).

1. Governance Models

The Apollo Program was a prime example of the collaborative governance structure Seán Keyes highlighted. It required the seamless integration of efforts across NASA, contractors, academia and international partners. Instead of fostering competition, the program thrived on unified goals and a shared mission to land on the moon. Apollo’s success underscores the value of having a governance model focused on collaboration rather than fragmentation, especially for projects with significant technical and operational complexity.

2. Risk Management and Talent Development

The Manhattan Project is an iconic example of how effective risk management and talent curation can enable the completion of a monumental task under tight timelines. Similar to Linda Cahalan’s emphasis on curating the right teams, the project pooled the expertise of scientists, engineers, and military leaders from around the world, creating an environment where diverse skills converged to tackle seemingly insurmountable challenges. The project also managed risk meticulously, balancing secrecy with the need for transparency within internal teams.

3. Innovation through Internal Capability Building

Both Apollo and the Manhattan Project invested in building internal capabilities rather than outsourcing critical tasks—a point Katherine Murphy emphasised. The Apollo Program, for example, spurred advances in materials science, computing and systems engineering, creating a legacy of innovation that extended far beyond its immediate goals. Similarly, the Manhattan Project developed knowledge and infrastructure that laid the groundwork for future technological breakthroughs. These examples mirror the approach of companies like Diageo, which focus on retaining critical expertise and leveraging it for long-term success.

4. Shared Purpose as a Driver of Success

Both projects succeeded because they rallied diverse stakeholders around a clear and compelling goal. Seán Keyes’ observation about the necessity of collaboration for groundbreaking initiatives ties directly to this principle. Whether it was landing on the moon or developing nuclear capability during World War II, the shared sense of urgency and purpose created alignment across teams, minimising inefficiencies and ensuring that everyone worked toward a common outcome.

Conclusion

The principles behind these historical successes are timeless: effective governance, the right talent, risk management, and internal capability building are just as crucial for today’s challenges. Whether constructing metro systems, managing global supply chains or decarbonising infrastructure, organisations can draw lessons from these historic achievements to ensure they deliver on today’s complex and ambitious projects.

Organisations that rise to this challenge will not only deliver successful projects but also build resilient, future-ready teams. As Seán Keyes aptly put it, “If you’re trying to push the envelope, collaboration isn’t just an option—it’s a necessity.”

Learn more about Impactful Project Management for Leaders here.