Ehrbar, Heinz: Success criteria and success factors for the planning and realisiation of underground structuresUnderground construction is an important branch of infrastructure building in many countries. Underground power generation plants, transport routes, supply and disposal structures are all significant to securing economic prosperity. Society expects such projects to be completed successfully and sustainably.
Success here is predicated on a consensus definition of project success, i.e. agreement on the criteria constituting success. To this end, there first needs to be a comprehensive catalogue of requirements. Rather than being limited to quality, costs and deadlines, said catalogue must encompass ecological and social requirements as well. Moreover and in the interest of direct comparability between projects, success criteria that are specific to the project at hand must be structured according to standardised overarching criteria.
As the project progresses, periodic comparisons are made with the catalogue of requirements; this facilitates controlled intervention should deviations be identified. A project-specific catalogue of requirements is therefore necessary, but insufficient on its own for achieving project success. Attaining that goal requires a conducive environment, implementation of appropriate processes, and putting in place measures designed to avert threats and exploit opportunities. While project-specific success criteria may be derived from the project’s ecological, social and economic environment, the easiest way to derive overarching success criteria is from retrospective analyses of completed and operational projects.
Such analyses show that in the present, as in the past, the human factor matters just as much as the means and methods employed. Human failings are what cause the vast majority of loss events.
Technical innovations, awareness-raising and training are necessary to minimise the impacts of such failings. Yet most important of all is commitment and motivation on the part of all staff working on the project. Organisational models that align the interests of the project owner, designer and contractor help to avoid confrontation. They foster cooperation and thus the commitment and motivation of all project participants.
Developments aimed at further progress are under way everywhere. The coming years will show whether and which successes will materialise. What is needed here are appropriate success criteria and their monitoring by qualified bodies.
ABOUT MUIR WOOD LECTURE:
Sir Alan Muir Wood was born in 1921 and after a degree from Cambridge University, he joined the Royal Navy in 1942. In 1952, he joined Halcrow and Partners and worked first on design of small diameter rock and soft ground tunnels. He is especially remembered for his association to the history of the Channel Tunnel as he worked on the different projects since 1958.
In 1970, Sir Alan was the President of the OECD Conference on Tunnelling in Washington This was a “unique conference” as the goal was to advise governments on the policy which they should adopt for tunnelling. This conference is the starting point of ITA, as it first led nations to create their own tunnelling societies. In 1974 the ITA has been formed and Sir Alan was elected as its first President. IN 1977 at the end of his term he was then Honorary Life President. Until his death, he has been very active in ITA, attending the 25th anniversary in Oslo in 1999 and other WTCs.
After his death in 2009, ITA decided to create a Sir Alan Muir Wood Lecture. Each year at the WTC a chosen lecturer gives his view on tunnelling, following Sir Alan path who had a vision of Tunnelling. Sir Alan was pushing for innovation as a key for economy and safety in this special tunnelling world where uncertainty is a feature, which can be understood and controlled so that it does not cause any damaging risk.
Ehrbar, Heinz: Success criteria and success factors for the planning and realisiation of underground structuresUnderground construction is an important branch of infrastructure building in many countries. Underground power generation plants, transport routes, supply and disposal structures are all significant to securing economic prosperity. Society expects such projects to be completed successfully and sustainably.
Success here is predicated on a consensus definition of project success, i.e. agreement on the criteria constituting success. To this end, there first needs to be a comprehensive catalogue of requirements. Rather than being limited to quality, costs and deadlines, said catalogue must encompass ecological and social requirements as well. Moreover and in the interest of direct comparability between projects, success criteria that are specific to the project at hand must be structured according to standardised overarching criteria.
As the project progresses, periodic comparisons are made with the catalogue of requirements; this facilitates controlled intervention should deviations be identified. A project-specific catalogue of requirements is therefore necessary, but insufficient on its own for achieving project success. Attaining that goal requires a conducive environment, implementation of appropriate processes, and putting in place measures designed to avert threats and exploit opportunities. While project-specific success criteria may be derived from the project’s ecological, social and economic environment, the easiest way to derive overarching success criteria is from retrospective analyses of completed and operational projects.
Such analyses show that in the present, as in the past, the human factor matters just as much as the means and methods employed. Human failings are what cause the vast majority of loss events.
Technical innovations, awareness-raising and training are necessary to minimise the impacts of such failings. Yet most important of all is commitment and motivation on the part of all staff working on the project. Organisational models that align the interests of the project owner, designer and contractor help to avoid confrontation. They foster cooperation and thus the commitment and motivation of all project participants.
Developments aimed at further progress are under way everywhere. The coming years will show whether and which successes will materialise. What is needed here are appropriate success criteria and their monitoring by qualified bodies.
ABOUT MUIR WOOD LECTURE:
Sir Alan Muir Wood was born in 1921 and after a degree from Cambridge University, he joined the Royal Navy in 1942. In 1952, he joined Halcrow and Partners and worked first on design of small diameter rock and soft ground tunnels. He is especially remembered for his association to the history of the Channel Tunnel as he worked on the different projects since 1958.
In 1970, Sir Alan was the President of the OECD Conference on Tunnelling in Washington This was a “unique conference” as the goal was to advise governments on the policy which they should adopt for tunnelling. This conference is the starting point of ITA, as it first led nations to create their own tunnelling societies. In 1974 the ITA has been formed and Sir Alan was elected as its first President. IN 1977 at the end of his term he was then Honorary Life President. Until his death, he has been very active in ITA, attending the 25th anniversary in Oslo in 1999 and other WTCs.
After his death in 2009, ITA decided to create a Sir Alan Muir Wood Lecture. Each year at the WTC a chosen lecturer gives his view on tunnelling, following Sir Alan path who had a vision of Tunnelling. Sir Alan was pushing for innovation as a key for economy and safety in this special tunnelling world where uncertainty is a feature, which can be understood and controlled so that it does not cause any damaging risk.