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  • A Failed Project: at 4:21 AM

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    Amber Younas
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    The Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse in 1940 was a classic engineering project failure due to several factors. While aerodynamic and structural problems contributed to the collapse, an important lesson was that the designer's past accomplishments led others to have undue confidence in his abilities, even as warnings about flaws in the design were dismissed. Known as the halo effect, overreliance on credentials can be a common cause of project failure, especially in software. The bridge was doomed to fail before construction even began due to problems with the design and use of improper materials.

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    The Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse in 1940 was a classic engineering project failure due to several factors. While aerodynamic and structural problems contributed to the collapse, an important lesson was that the designer's past accomplishments led others to have undue confidence in his abilities, even as warnings about flaws in the design were dismissed. Known as the halo effect, overreliance on credentials can be a common cause of project failure, especially in software. The bridge was doomed to fail before construction even began due to problems with the design and use of improper materials.

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    1 views2 pages

    A Failed Project: at 4:21 AM

    Uploaded by

    Amber Younas
    The Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse in 1940 was a classic engineering project failure due to several factors. While aerodynamic and structural problems contributed to the collapse, an important lesson was that the designer's past accomplishments led others to have undue confidence in his abilities, even as warnings about flaws in the design were dismissed. Known as the halo effect, overreliance on credentials can be a common cause of project failure, especially in software. The bridge was doomed to fail before construction even began due to problems with the design and use of improper materials.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    A Failed Project

    at 4:21 AM 15 comments

    Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse in 1940. It is one of t e classic ci!il engineering pro"ect fail#re: t ere were aerod$namic pro%lems& and t ere were str#ct#ral pro%lems d#e to t e si'e of t e s#pports& and t ere were ot er pro%lems t at com%ined to ca#se a distincti!e resonance w ic ga!e t e %ridge its distincti!e (gallop.) B#t one of t e most important lessons we too* awa$ from t e %ridge collapse isn+t tec nical. It as to do wit t e designer. According to ,ldridge& (eastern cons#lting engineers) petitioned t e -.A and t e /econstr#ction 0inance 1orporation 2/013 to %#ild t e %ridge for less& a%o#t w ic ,ldridge meant t e renowned New 4or* %ridge engineer 5eon Moisseiff& designer and cons#ltant engineer of t e 6olden 6ate Bridge. Moisseiff proposed s allower s#pports 7girders 8 feet 22.4 m3 deep. 9is approac meant a slimmer& more elegant design and red#ced constr#ction costs compared to t e 9ig wa$ :epartment design. Moisseiff+s design won o#t& inasm#c as t e ot er proposal was considered to %e too e;pensi!e. <n =#ne 2>& 19>8& t e

    -.A appro!ed nearl$ ?@ million for t e Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Anot er ?1.@ million was to %e collected from tolls to co!er t e total ?8 million cost. T ere was plent$ of warning from man$ people in t e ci!il engineering comm#nit$ w o didn+t t in* t is design wo#ld wor*. B#t t ese warnings were dismissed. After all& t is was designed %$ t e g#$ w o designed t e 6olden 6ate BridgeA .it credentials li*e t at& ow co#ld e possi%l$ %e wrongB And w o are $o#& wit o#t t ose credentials& to C#estion imB T e point$D aired %osses and %ean co#nters won o#t. -redicta%l$& t eir !ictor$ was temporar$. Incidentall$& some people refer to t is as one *ind of alo effect: a person+s past accomplis ments gi!e ot ers #nd#e confidence in is performance at a different "o%& w et er or not e+s act#all$ doing it well. It+s a nast$ little pro%lem& and it+s a reall$ common root ca#se of pro"ect fail#re& especiall$ on software pro"ects. 5esson to learn from t is disaster: . en $o# loo* at t e !ario#s root ca#ses7pro%lematic design& coc*$ designer& improper materials7one t ing is prett$ clear. T e Tacoma Narrows Bridge was a fail#re %efore t e first $ard of concrete was po#red. 0ail#re was designed into t e %l#eprints and materials& and e!en t e most perfect constr#ction wo#ld fail if it #sed t em.

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