Reflections about the DAVID project

Last week we finished the DAVID project by writing a paper about the challenges that are by overcoming risks in mega project. The paper focussed on the role of the information architect in mega projects. More concrete how the information architect can help identify potential risks already in the decisions making phase.

I was thrown into the DAVID project a few weeks after Helene and Karina started working with it and it has been a confusing process not really knowing exactly what we were doing. But I also think it has been a process very close to one I could meet in my future work life.

Ellen told us to reflect upon the knowledge and the competences that we have gained and try to separate these two concepts. I think this is a difficult thing to do because knowing what to do theoretically does not mean that you are capable of doing that in a real situation. In this project we have had the chance to actually act in a “real” context and that has been really educational. In the following I will shortly try to list the knowledge and competences that I think I have gained during this process:

Knowledge

• Insight in the potential risks in mega projects and a theoretical knowledge from the book: Flyvbjerg et al: Risk management in megaprojects.
• Knowledge about the information architects role in mega projects and how the information architect can help optimizing the process by identifying risks. Especially by making sure that a performance specification is carried out.
• A theoretical framework for how to make sure that at project group share a common language and works towards common goals

Competences

• Identifying the information architects role in a mega project and keep the focus on the specific task instead of loosing the overview because of information overload
• Be critical and always keep an eye on worst case scenarios
• Be specific about goals by illustrating where the project is heading
• See the project in a context and furthermore a long-term perspective