Case Study: AEC Project Failures Due to Poor Drawing Management

One striking example of an AEC project failure caused by inadequate drawing review processes is the case of Revlon's disastrous SAP implementation.

Revlon, the cosmetics giant, faced a shareholder lawsuit after a botched SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP) system implementation led to significant operational issues and financial losses. A key factor in the failure was the lack of proper drawing reviews and coordination between Revlon's internal teams and the external SAP consultants.

Miscommunications and version control nightmares resulted in critical design flaws and integration issues being overlooked during the drawing review stage. This led to costly rework, delays, and ultimately, a system that failed to meet Revlon's business requirements, costing the company millions in lost revenue and legal fees.

The Revlon case highlights the importance of clear visibility, efficient collaboration, and rigorous drawing review processes in complex AEC projects involving multiple stakeholders and interdependent systems.

Real-world examples of AEC project failures due to poor drawing management:

Revlon

Revlon's disastrous SAP implementation Revlon, the cosmetics giant, faced a shareholder lawsuit after a botched SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP) system implementation led to significant operational issues and financial losses. A key factor in the failure was the lack of proper drawing reviews and coordination between Revlon's internal teams and the external SAP consultants. Miscommunications and version control nightmares resulted in critical design flaws and integration issues being overlooked during the drawing review stage.

National Grid

National Grid's troubled SAP implementation National Grid, a major utility company, experienced severe delays and budget overruns in their SAP implementation project. One of the contributing factors was the lack of appropriate project management controls and checks and balances, which likely included ineffective drawing review processes and coordination among stakeholders.

i6 project

Police Scotland's failed i6 policing information management system The i6 project, aimed at implementing a new policing information management system for Police Scotland, failed and resulted in a £200 million lost opportunity cost. Among the cited reasons were failures in requirements management and a lack of regular visibility into the design, which could be attributed to poor drawing management and review processes.

Sources

• Project Failure Case Studies