Title: A Motherless Child–Why do Construction Projects Fail
Abstract: Abstract A significant share of projects fails with respect to both producing the intended effect and achieving expected business results, in part due to organisational hierarchy and bureaucratic structures. These form obstructions to clients’ demand for higher value. Within the field of real estate and infrastructure, most clients have to organise projects with external project organisations. Problems escalate when external suppliers are involved. This strategy-to-performance gap is attributed to poorly formulated plans, misapplied resources, breakdown in communication and limited accountability for results. In this paper, this challenge is assessed in the construction project perspective, focusing on what may be a missing link between strategic decisions and project outcomes. The challenge is double, i.e., it concerns clearly expressing the intention of projects and establishing organisations adaptive to project strategies. A major challenge for a design team is to balance functional expertise with a client's need for integrated teams focusing on solutions that enable users to create value. A functional organisation providing resources represented by design and engineering expertise is directed by a respective department's goals. On the other side, a project is directed by a client's goals, but affected by functional goals.