[Cyclefrance]

Don't know enough about MBAs (and seems no reason/encouragement why I should want to), but an adage that stands good for all situations is one I learned from the systems approach I subscribe to , namely ' show me how you measure me and I will show you how I perform'

I am sure you see the same problems in US we have here. For example, someone comes along, digs up a road, lays a gas pipe, patches the road, goes away. Two weeks later someone else come along digs up te same roda, lays an electric cable, patches the road, goes away. a month later - well you get the picture.

Having adequate funds is one thing, and $200 billion does sound a tad generous(!) but what will be important (and a pleasant change) is to see the money spent wisely. For that the objective needs to be something other than 'get it done and hang the cost'. Give that as the objective and you have a recipe for waste and chaos.

I'm all for quality control if it is in the right place - no point doing a quality check when the jobs finished if it reveals that things were done wrong in the early stages - the checks need to be appropriate to the situation. For that you need planning which only means sitting down and working out what you need to do and in what order before you actually go ahead and do it. And that isn't just a once off exercise - it's a continuous process which allows you to react and respond to issues at the time this is most effective.

That's what you have to do. Bloody simple really when you think about it!

Would anyone really start out on a journey to somewhere they didn't have a clue the best way to get to the destination, without looking at what's involved and planning a suitable route first. And even then, how many times would you you stop and check that you weren't deviating from the route and incurring unnecessary time and expense as a result...? (second thoughts, maybe you shouldn't answer that!).

It's a shame we have this culture that says it is better to be seen to be doing something rather than nothing and that this then translates as needing action first and thought after (as though thought is not doing something).