In message , at 09:35:21 on Sun, 14 Jul
2019, tim... remarked:

I'm suggesting he should have had people monitoring what the
contractors were doing, and more to the point monitoring how well the
TfL people supposed to be managing the contractors were doing.
....
So how many such major infrastructure projects have you been personally
involved in then Roland ?

Several. That's my original day-job.

infrastructure ?????

There's more to infrastructure than people with muddy boots (hence
perhaps the meme "there's three kinds: good engineers, bad engineers,
and civil engineers").

To expand on Mark's example:

"This supermarket is opening next week, but you are clearly still
working on the car park, will it be ready for the Mayor to cut the
ribbon?"

Yes. The building itself was finished last month

And the shelving and fridges/feezers?

All installed and ready

What about the stock?

Arrives on Wednesday, because we need access across the car park
first. But we planned for that, and have drafted in extra
shelf-stocking staff, and it'll all be ready on time.

And the tills?

Yes, all installed and tested.

Anything else I should know?

Weeeell, it'll be cash-only the first six weeks.

"What!!"

Yes, the tills don't have connectivity for the credit card
transactions

But I thought you said the tills had been tested.

Yes, and that was when we discovered the existing broadband
wasn't adequate. But we've ordered it from BT. And their lead
time is six weeks. Partly because they'll need to dig a trench,
erm, across the new car park...

--
Roland Perry