A guide to using the power of design flexibility to improve the performance of complex technological projects, for designers, managers, users, and analysts. Project teams can improve results by recognizing that the future is inevitably uncertain and that by creating flexible designs they can adapt to eventualities. This approach enables them to take advantage of new opportunities and avoid harmful losses. Designers of complex, long-lasting projects-such as communication networks, power plants, or hospitals-must learn to abandon fixed specifications and narrow forecasts. They need to avoid the "flaw of averages," the conceptual pitfall that traps so many designs in underperformance. Failure to allow for changing circumstances risks leaving significant value untapped. This book is a guide for creating and implementing value-enhancing flexibility in design. It will be an essential resource for all participants in the development and operation of technological systems: designers, managers, financial analysts, investors, regulators, and academics. The book provides a high-level overview of why flexibility in design is needed to deliver significantly increased value. It describes in detail methods to identify, select, and implement useful flexibility. The book is unique in that it explicitly recognizes that future outcomes are uncertain. It thus presents forecasting, analysis, and evaluation tools especially suited to this reality. Appendixes provide expanded explanations of concepts and analytic tools.

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. THE MOST PRACTICAL, COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE PLANNING, DESIGN, AND MANAGEMENT OF AIRPORTS--UPDATED BY LEADING PROFESSIONALS"With the accelerated rate of change occurring throughout the aviation industry, this edition is a timely and very effective resource for ensuring both airport professionals and those interested in airports acquire a comprehensive understanding of the changes taking place, and how they impact airports and the communities they serve. A must read." -- James M. Crites, Executive Vice President of Operations, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport "Airport Systems has been a must read for my management team and my graduate students because of its outstanding comprehensiveness and clarity. Now further enhanced by an expanded treatment of both environmental and air carrier issues, it promises to retain its placeas the foremost text in the airport planning, engineering and management field." -- Dr. Lloyd McCoomb, retired CEO Toronto-Pearson Airport, Chair of Canadian Air Transport Security Authority "The chapter on Dynamic Strategic Planning should be required reading for every airport CEO and CFO. As de Neufville and Odoni emphasise, the aviation world is constantly changing and airport master planning must evolve to be more strategic and adaptable to ever changing conditions." -- Dr. Michael Tretheway, Chief Economist, InterVISTAS Consulting Group Over the past decade, the airport industry has evolved considerably. Airport technology has changed. New research has taken place. The major airlines have consolidated, changing demand for airport services. In order to reflect these and other major shifts in the airport industry, some of the world's leading professionals have updated the premier text on airport design - making it, now more than ever, the field's most comprehensive resource of its kind. NEW TO THIS EDITION: Chapter-ending conclusions, with reference material, and exercises Coverage of the latest aircraft technology and air traffic control Advances in the design, planning, and management of airports Additional chapter on Aircraft Impact on Airports Updated environmental regulations and international rules Two contributing authors from Massachusetts Institute of Technology