When Yarra Trams was required to develop a Systems Engineering Management Plan that met the ISO1588 standard and Competency Guidelines, it called upon Systematiq’s consulting expertise to ensure compliance.
Yarra Trams has been a client of Systematiq for over two years, during which time they developed a solid working relationship. Working closely towards shared aims, Systematiq delivered successful projects including reliability and lifecycle cost modelling and engineering process modelling. Much of this work involved having consultants working onsite at Yarra Trams and offsite for extended periods.
Systematiq has delivered consulting expertise in order to help Yarra Trams develop strong Quality Assurance practices through the entire lifecycle of their contracted services.
As part of the MR4 franchise agreement with the Department of Transport, Yarra Trams was required to develop a Systems Engineering Management Plan in alignment with the ISO15288 industry standard for Systems Engineer and project life cycle.
Technical consultancy to meet high standards
Systematiq was required to conduct an audit of Yarra Trams’ Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP), develop the organisation’s Engineering Competency Framework as well as compiling Guidelines with Product Templates as per ISO/IEC/IEEE 15026 and ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288.
Yarra Trams required systems engineering and technical writing expertise in order to demonstrate compliance with ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 to the Victorian Department of Transport (DoT).
Yarra Trams engaged Systematiq in order to audit the existing SEMP and the current processes and procedures, as well as compile a series of technical guidelines which mapped the delivery of systems engineering deliverables from the requirements phase to operate and maintain.
Incumbent to the technical guidelines task was developing the Engineering Competency Framework as well as the Template for the Engineering Assurance Plan which accompanies all Yarra Trams Projects.
A trifecta of works
The solution included the management of the following deliverables over the period from 30 September to 1 November 2019:
- Compliance Audit: Comparative assessment of the SEMP and Yarra Trams processes and procedures with the requirements of ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288
- Developing engineering competency framework: Detailing the requirements of engineering and technical staff employed or sub-contracted to Yarra Trams.
- Guideline + Template: Includes the following Guidelines with Templates:
- Concept of Maintenance and Operations
- Functional Requirements
- Specifications
- Design
- Construct, Manufacture and Produce
- Test and Trial
- Integrate and Install
- Commission and Handover
- Verification
- Validation
- Operate and Maintain, including Disposal
This was then delivered in three progressive stages from establishing the architecture of the template through to developing the processes prior to authoring and reviewing the deliverables.
The keys to a successful outcome
In order to ensure that Yarra Trams saw progress with the task, Systematiq implemented a regular stakeholder meeting and provided updates in writing to ensure that Yarra Trams could measure progress.
Additionally, there were some situations in which the requirements of an issue facing Yarra Trams were not clear. In these cases, Systematiq adopted a proactive approach to working with Yarra Trams in order to define the problem and the activities required in order to solve the issue.
Systematiq’s relationship management and pragmatic problem-solving enabled its team to meet Yarra Trams’ requests and expectations within a short timeframe.
The project successfully delivered a compliance audit, engineering competency framework and series of guidelines which enables entry level engineering staff and sub contractors to conform to the ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 standard.
Richard DeNardi, Systematiq’s Director of Service Delivery and the task lead on the Yarra Trams project, said the successful outcome was due to Systematiq’s experience and ability to form strong working relationships.
“With our experience in systems engineering from Defence and developing operating frameworks for Industry, we were able to work with Yarra Trams to not only assist with the identification of their requirements, but work with them to develop a solution for them to meet their contracted requirements,” Mr DeNardi said.
“Through this project, Systematiq and Yarra Trams have developed a working relationship that is built on mutual understanding and flexibility, as well as our team responding to a complex environment with methodical and logical solutions that add value to Yarra Trams’ project management framework.”
Engaging Systematiq has helped Yarra Trams in future-proofing the asset owner by providing the appropriate governance for further project management.
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If your organisation requires expertise in project management, systems engineering, safety and quality assurance or training support, please contact us to discuss further.
