In engineering and construction, complexity takes many forms. It often means new construction amid operating facilities. It might include expanding highways or airports, upgrading communications networks, or adding capacity to power plants, mining facilities, or oil refineries. It might involve the first application of a new process technology or the substantial scale-up of a technology for the first time.

Just as often, complexity demands that we help align stakeholder interests to finish a megaproject. We did it for the Channel tunnel—a job that involved two languages, two governments, three railways, scores of subcontractors, and 220 banks.

We are doing it again at a project to permanently enclose a damaged nuclear reactor.

As leader of an integrated international team since 1998, Bechtel’s early work on the Chornobyl Shelter Implementation Plan involved selecting the right design to confine the fragile “sarcophagus” erected after the accident in 1986. The solution is unique: a weatherproof arch three football fields across and 10 stories high. Construction requires assembling the arch at a safe distance away, then sliding it into place on giant skids. As the arch takes shape during the next two years, we will strive to assure that tens of thousands of schedule milestones are met and documented.

A complex alignment-assurance job underlies these technical challenges. Bechtel has multiple customers at Chornobyl and we must meet the expectations of numerous government agencies and international regulatory authorities. We also report to 25 donor entities and oversee design compliance and licensing through Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers. It must all happen on a multicultural, multilingual project site.

Prioritization, focus, and communication are key on a program this complex as we help stakeholders understand and comply with the strict parameters governing this historic job, and work together toward a common goal.