Part 4: The Masterbuilder’s Path to Recovery
David Clark2026-08-13T13:43:24+00:00Three articles have diagnosed the structural failures of the NHS digital pathology programme. This one asks what recovery looks like. Bent Flyvbjerg, whose Iron Law of Megaprojects has framed this series, does not only describe how large programmes fail. He also describes how the best ones succeed — and the leaders who deliver them repeatedly. He calls them Masterbuilders: not heroic individuals, but disciplined thinkers who define the destination before committing resources, plan slowly before acting fast, learn from comparable programmes rather than assuming their project is unique, and build from repeatable components rather than bespoke experiments. These principles did not shape the first wave of NHS digital pathology investment. They must shape the next one.




