Building Options at Project Front-End Strategizing: The Power of Capital Design for Evolvability

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

1.1 Problem Articulation

The design and development of new large-scale infrastructure assets is a fundamental project-based undertaking through which private and public organizations can create value. Physical infrastructure such as airports, railway lines, bridges, factories, hospitals, or power stations are main components (or systems) of critical and large socio-technical systems (or systems of systems) in transport, manufacturing, healthcare, and energy (Hughes, 1987). New infrastructure development (capital) projects play an important role in ensuring that existing socio-technical systems can respond to increasing demand for new services, evolution in usage patterns, and changes in technology. Capital development ...