Megaprojects with Dakota White

Dakota White is a results-oriented Project Manager with experience in higher education and healthcare business operations, with a track record of consulting with executives to influence business decisions and optimize organizational effectiveness. She is best known for successfully managing cross-functional relationships and streamlining business processes. Amidst the pandemic, Dakota took on her first "megaproject," the campus transformation at Loma Linda University Health located in Loma Linda, California. The medical center operates some of the largest clinical programs in the United States in areas such as neonatal care and outpatient surgery, and is recognized as the international leader in infant heart transplantation and proton treatments for cancer.

In this week's episode of The Everyday PM Podcast, Dakota and I chat about what a megaproject is and how she kept her sanity and focus working on a project of this magnitude.

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), the following attributes are associated with a megaproject:

• large-scale;
• complex;
• cost more than 1 billion US Dollars;
• take many years to build;
• involve multiple public and private stakeholders;
• are transformational; and
• impact millions of people.

Executing a megaproject can be highly risky. The risk of executing a megaproject amidst a pandemic is astronomical. Dakota White shares her experience in leading a megaproject, how she was able to coordinate the project amongst a team of project managers and stay grounded amidst the uncertainty.

Enjoyed the conversation with Dakota? Want to learn more about mega projects and what it takes to execute one successfully? Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below!

Reference: Project Management Institute (2014). What you should know about megaprojects | PMI academic summary. Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/research/research-summaries/flyvbjerg_megaprojects.pdf.

***

Follow Our Hosts on LinkedIn:

Ann Campea, MSPM, MPH, PMP

Worldwide Readiness Program Manager at Apple, Inc.

Program/Project management professional with 10 years of experience in product development, physical retail launches, health care, and tech industries.

Dakota White, MBA

Project Manager - Campus Transformation at Loma Linda University Health

Results-oriented Project Manager with experience in higher education and healthcare business operations, with a track record of consulting with executives to influence business decisions and optimize organizational effectiveness.