Due to the highly complex nature of modern railway megaprojects, it is impossible that any team or organization has all the required skills and knowledge to deliver a successful outcome on its own. As is true for any major project, collaboration is critical.
One of the main goals of systems integration (SI) is to enable effective technical collaboration by building it into the management framework of a megaproject/program. From this perspective, collaboration can be defined two ways:
- Right Resources at the Right Time – Getting the right mix of niche technical expertise and deep domain knowledge, with the team efficiently deployed against the program to assure the outcome
- Driving Collaborative Behaviours – Supporting all team members to work in an aligned way toward the collective delivery of the program
Enabling collaboration across a megaproject organization is a critical skill for SI team leadership. If the focus on collaboration and communication is not there, no amount of tools, techniques, people or process will fill the void. With teams and people at its core, WSP’s SI:D3 framework provides practical methods for collaborative SI.