How Big Things Get Done: Surprising Factors Behind Every Successful Project, Home Renovations To Space Exploration Book

How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors Behind Every Successful Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration is a clear, practical paperback for anyone who wants to take an idea and see it through. Ideal for project leads, small business owners, home renovators, students of management, or curious readers, this book breaks down why some projects succeed spectacularly while others stumble. With real-world case studies—from Apple’s rapid iPod launch to London’s Crossrail delays—you’ll get actionable insight into planning, execution, and the human dynamics that tip the balance.

What’s inside

This paperback edition explores the unexpected factors that shape outcomes: team dynamics, incentive design, timing, communication, and the small structural choices that compound into big wins or costly setbacks. Whether you’re launching a product, organizing an event, managing a renovation, or tackling a multi-year engineering program, the lessons here translate across contexts and scales. The book mixes vivid anecdotes with practical frameworks so readers can apply ideas immediately.

Highlights & real examples

• Apple’s iPod: Learn how a project with a small, focused team became a global success in eleven months—what choices sped progress and how similar strategies can work on smaller projects.
• Crossrail: Study a major infrastructure program that delivered years late and billions over budget to see common pitfalls—complex coordination, unclear incentives, and scope drift.
• Everyday projects: The book connects high-profile cases to everyday efforts—launching a small business, organizing a conference, or finishing a work project on time—so readers gain practical takeaways for immediate use.

Product details

• Title in this Set: How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors Behind Every Successful Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration
• Condition: BRAND NEW
• Format: Paperback
• ISBN: 9781035018956

Why readers love it

• Connects big-picture strategy to everyday project work—useful for managers, entrepreneurs, and DIYers.
• Packed with concrete examples and actionable frameworks rather than abstract theory.
• Readable, engaging style that makes complex organizational dynamics easy to understand.
• Perfect for learning how to anticipate problems and design projects to avoid them.

This book is an excellent addition to a professional development library, a classroom syllabus on project management, or a personal collection of practical business reads. It’s a great gift for a new manager, entrepreneur, or anyone about to start a major undertaking—offering calm, evidence-based guidance to increase the odds of success. Pick up this paperback edition to turn ambition into accomplishment: practical, readable, and focused on what really makes projects succeed.