The Advanced Passenger Train (APT)

Questions

1. What was the root cause of many of the APT's problems when it was first brought into service?

2. Why would it generally be regarded as bad practice to put prototypes into passenger carrying service?

3. If the failure of the hydro-kinetic braking system described in the text was not a technical problem, what kind of a problem was it?.

4. Why are organisations organised along Functional lines and what are the potential benefits of this type of structure?

5. What is meant by a workshop culture and why is such a corporate culture likely to be inappropriate for hi-tech innovation projects like the APT?

6.What type of corporate venture was the joint venture considered for this innovation and had it been implemented would it have been appropriate for a radical innovation like the ATP?

7. What is a matrix structure and why would it have helped the management of this innovation project?

8. Why would project management experience have been advantageous for senior members of the APT team?

9. Why did the consultants recommend the appointment of a project manager and how would such help the management of this innovation project?

10. Outline what you consider to be the main failings in terms of the management of this innovation project.