Overview - SA Water identified the implementation of Systems Engineering (SE) as a key opportunity for process improvement, and engaged Aurecon to create a tailored methodology for the delivery of capital projects.
Context - SA Water began reviewing the feasibility of implementing SE in 2021. This review identified that project delivery was siloed, with limited information flows and reliant on the knowledge of senior personnel to progress. As a result, projects suffered from scope creep or late changes, subsequent cost variations, and a lack of traceability to the original project aims and needs.
Purpose - SA Water asked Aurecon to apply their SE knowledge to review existing processes for investigating high-level concept solutions; ensure that project selection is evidence-based; investigate options that consider and address all stakeholder needs; respect inputs from all stages of the project lifecycle; and enable data-driven decision-making.
Approach - Aurecon conducted interviews and workshops with representatives from all teams and levels throughout SA Water to consolidate a list of issues experienced when delivering projects. From this, a bespoke SE approach was tailored to the organisational level of understanding to ‘meet people where they are’ - introducing concepts that would deliver maximum value for limited effort, rather than just directing people to the SE body of knowledge.
It started small, with a reduced set of activities to help the realisation of project needs, developing these into verifiable requirements for the project to meet, and managing interfaces and stakeholder expectations across the developing network.
This has grown over the course of the engagement into a fully-fledged V-model, providing customised guidance and tailored approaches for SA Water.
Insights - This work provided insights in how to collaborate with an organisation that was relatively new to the concept but welcomed engagement and change in the space.