'The Entrance' benefits from Systems Engineering in the heart of Amsterdam

The public space on the center side of Amsterdam Central Station will be completely renewed. It will become more transparent, with fewer cars and buses and more space for pedestrians and cyclists. Realizing such a job, in an enormously busy and relatively small area, is complex and time-consuming.

For project management, the municipality of Amsterdam chose the 'Systems Engineering' approach. Technical manager at the municipality Michael Prinsen and consultant Martin van de Ven (of the external agency How2SE) explain why this method, in the context of the project, is already proving its added value.

Public space around Amsterdam Central gets a lot clearer
There is no more motorized traffic on the center side of the station. Buses and cabs now stop on the IJ side. Streetcars will remain on the center side, but the tracks and stops will be renovated and made suitable for longer streetcars and the disabled. There will be more water, with giant storage for 7,000 bicycles underneath and new jetties for tour boats. The Western Access has already been deepened so that buses can reach the center more easily. The Center Access Bridge between Station Square and Damrak will be widened. And the whole area will look different with beautiful materials everywhere, such as natural stone and wood.

Thanks to project 'The Entrée', livability and accessibility on the center side of the central station are improving. The challenge: how do you build all these parts, on a 'postage stamp' in the middle of the busiest part of Amsterdam, while daily life must continue? How do you ensure that everyone involved points in the same direction? And how do you prevent the whole thing from degenerating into a never-ending prayer, with shifting deadlines and rising costs?

Systematic and razor-sharp
To answer those questions, the municipality chose a modern approach to project management: systems engineering, "a systematic way of working and thinking, to get a razor-sharp picture of what we want and what we need to ask of our contractors," says technical manager Michael Prinsen.

In working according to Systems Engineering, the municipality receives experienced and expert help from How2SE. Martin van de Ven works there as a senior consultant: "One of the key concepts within the Systems Engineering approach is of course 'system'. The work has to fit into that environment, i.e. the Station Island and the adjacent city. Think for example of the streetcars and streetcar rails, the traffic lights and the road network."

Keeping good agreements and grip
To achieve the goal, working according to Systems Engineering helps in making good agreements and keeping a grip on a project. Martin: "It's about demarcation, about sharp choices, about clear agreements that are not multi-interpretable." Michael: "Systems Engineering is a complete way of working. I would describe it as explicit and traceable and serving the common, cross-project interest." 

Michael: "A very important part of Systems Engineering is making good agreements with stakeholders. At De Entree you can roughly divide them into two categories: users and managers. The first include GVB, NS, travelers, shipping companies, hotel owners and catering operators. The second are mainly municipal services and a number of private parties."

Balance between commitments and freedom
All of this is also about finding a balance, Michael says, "between laying down agreements and giving the contractor freedom. But on the other hand, leaning too much on the creativity of the contractor is not always desirable. Take, for example, the temporary jetties for the tour boats. The stakeholders here are of course the shipping companies. We have asked them what they need and defined the outlines. The contractors can work within that delineation."

Benefits already evident
Martin and Michael say that as implementation of the work begins to get underway, they are clearly experiencing the benefits of Systems Engineering. "It cuts both ways. Both technical management and stakeholder relations are better than they would be without the application of Systems Engineering. It keeps the momentum going and the agreements are clear. This is the first time we have worked with the approach in this way and on this scale in Amsterdam, but it definitely tastes like more."   

Michael Prinsen (left) and Martin van de Ven. Image: Felix Kalkman)

Engineering firm Amsterdam
Ingenieursbureau Amsterdam is the partner within the municipality of Amsterdam in the field of procurement, engineering and project realization in ground, road and hydraulic engineering.

How2SE
How2SE supervises complex projects for medium and large clients, including Rijkswaterstaat, ProRail, governments and private parties. How2SE's services include Systems Engineering consultancy and providing various Systems Engineering Trainings.