The "human factor" and its influence on quality

The Gotthard Base Tunnel project, with 2 tunnel tubes each 57 kilometres long including the north and south access routes with a total length of 35 kilometres, is the central construction project within the NRLA, the new transalpine rail link. Transtec Gotthard (TTG) is responsible for the planning, realisation and commissioning of the railway technology. Within TTG, AFTTG is responsible for the performance of all services to be rendered under a contract for work and services for the track system. It was founded by the two shareholders Balfour Beatty Rail and Renaissance Construction.

Project organisation ARGE Fahrbahn Transtec Gotthard

The project management has installed two management levels in its organizational structure (Fig. 1) to implement the project task. The first management level represents the superordinate project management. The project is managed at the management level throughout all project phases and for the entire duration of the project. The second management level represents the three lines of engineering (logistics), construction and quality control/construction supervision. At this level, the project is managed operationally in the execution phase. All listed technical management (staff and line) are required to fulfil all work contract requirements towards the client ATG in all project phases. They are contractually agreed with the client.

A special feature here is the distribution of resources among management staff at project management level. The project team has been deliberately installed by the management in a "lean" way in order to counteract losses of information. Distributing several key roles to one employee is intended to multiply the knowledge of the individual in the team. It also serves to promote the assumption of responsibility and motivation.

Implementation of management systems

In 2010, AFTTG introduced a certified management system in accordance with ISO 9001:2008. All activities are documented in process descriptions. All AFTTG employees have been trained by the process owners under the guidance of the quality manager. The depth of training goes down to the level of industrial production employees. The processes are summarized in a process landscape (Fig. 2).

In addition, AFTTG formally committed to a further external audit of its operational activities in 2011. With the introduction of factory production control of concrete production in accordance with SN EN 206- 1:2000 by the Swiss Certification Body for Construction Products S-CERT, AFTTG guarantees customers fresh concrete produced in accordance with applicable standards. The certification of concrete production on the contractor's side is still a novelty in Switzerland.

Methods and instruments of project management

The project management of the AFTTG uses both the "top down" and the "bottom up" approach as a management tool. While the leadership is responsible for the effectiveness of the implementation of this strategy, the cadre employees are responsible for the efficiency of this alignment. The interaction of the two approaches creates a cooperative working relationship based on mutual trust among all involved employees in the project team. The key element for achieving excellent results is communication. This is managed equally at all levels, both within and outside of AFTTG. Regular project meetings within the management team at project management level between project management and management staff ensure a constant exchange of information across all specialist lines from the top (Up) to the bottom (Down) and vice versa. This principle is also applied at the production management level. In the regular project meetings at the production level, all information is exchanged between the line managers and their staff. The line managers are executives in the management team and transfer the information from their teams to the project meeting at the project management level. In addition to the project meetings, management reviews of the quality management system are conducted at periodic intervals. Here, among other things, the overall achievement of objectives is reviewed, the effectiveness of the processes is considered and corrections to the objectives and processes are initiated. After the completion of significant events, such as the completion of the first sub-project, the "Faido-Bodio West test section", the first switch installation and after the introduction of new technologies, lessons learned workshops were consistently held.

In order to transform the complex requirements into a result that complies with the work contract, the project management has agreed targets with all management staff at each management level. The targets are based on both the project goals and the employees' personal goals (Management by Objectives - MbO). Linking project goals and personal goals creates a personal benefit for each employee in the management team, which in turn effectively promotes the meaningfulness of everything they do.

The management staff, who are responsible with their teams for achieving the targets, are thus directly measured and involved in the success together with their agreed personal targets. Communication at all levels leads to a constant alignment and exchange of information. Early corrections of deviations from targets thus ensure one hundred percent target achievement at all times.

The human being as a success factor

In addition to a structured, lean and process-oriented organization with clear, measurable and realistically achievable goals, the most important thing is each individual employee who can identify with the project both with passion and with his or her personal and professional know-how. Experienced employees with the ability to work respectfully in a team and to think and act in an interdisciplinary manner are what particularly distinguish this type of employee. This applies to both the management team and the production level.

Management has the important task of assigning employees a clear role in the project. It must also create an environment of creative thinking and action with a high degree of freedom, so that the potential of the employees can unfold and complement each other.

Furthermore, in addition to the importance of the project task in economic terms, the management must above all create the transfer of knowledge and understanding of the complex project task so that the employees can master this task successfully and sustainably. A consistent project structure as well as the use and mastery of professional tools, such as project management software and information management systems, form another cornerstone for handling successful projects.

The promotion and demand of open and objective communication in daily work are just as essential as the implementation of training courses and the facilitation of individual further training for the personal development of employees.

Last but not least, a cooperative, open and partnership-based collaboration both within the project team and with all stakeholders such as customers (external and internal), authorities, partners, shareholders, suppliers and service providers is another decisive success factor.