The difference between a stalled project and a successful ribbon-cutting ceremony lies in the project champion, a leader who possesses the courage, fortitude, and strategic mindset to navigate complex bureaucracies and transform ambitious plans into multigenerational realities.

Today on the podcast, BJ is joined by MCFA’s Brian Pieplow and Michael Fuhrman to talk about the necessity of cultivating a project champion to manage upcoming billion-dollar infrastructure programs. They unpack the three As, characteristics all project champions have, and highlight the importance of third-party consultants who provide the objective perspective needed. They also introduce the DNA framework, a strategic tool to help leaders assess project viability and overcome institutional inertia.

Tune in now to learn why leadership-driven approaches are critical to infrastructure projects to deliver long-term value to the public.

Key Points From This Episode:

Understanding the importance of a champion in moving projects forward.
They dig into the three As of a project champion.
How external partners bridge organizational gaps and enable effective execution of vision.
Brian takes us through the DNA process: discover, navigate, accelerate.
The importance of the project charter.

Quotes:

“Sometimes a third party within your organization can color outside the line and kind of protect and buffer the internal champion.” — Michael Fuhrman

“Discover, navigate, [and] accelerate is not necessarily a linear process, but it's iterative.” — Brian Pieplow

“Multigenerational projects are not easy and not for the faint of heart.” — Michael Fuhrman

“I think one takeaway — is the importance of the project charter, setting the tone and using DNA to help develop a strong project charter — every major project, mega project has a charter…” — Brian Pieplow

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Brian Pieplow on LinkedIn

Michael Fuhrman, MCFA

Make No Little Plans: A Planning as Project Development Approach to Building Infrastructure

DNA Workshop Workbook

Study (managing risk)

Getting Naked: A Business Fable About Shedding The Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty

JETC

American Planning Association Conference

Leadership Blueprints Podcast

Leadership Blueprints Podcast on YouTube

MCFA

MCFA Careers

BJ Kraemer on LinkedIn

Leadership Lessons from Billion-Dollar Infrastructure Projects