Charm program
In the CHARM program, Rijkswaterstaat is working on future-proof road traffic control centres and innovative road traffic management. Due to the intensive use of the Dutch road network, the demands placed on traffic management are high. However, current road traffic management is currently an incoherent set of customised systems and maintaining them costs unnecessary amounts of money. As a result, continuity is at stake. In addition, the large number of different systems means that the workload in the traffic control centres is high, and innovation is virtually impossible.
Project Charm ATMS
The CHARM ATMS (Advanced Traffic Management System) project was set up to move from approximately 30 systems to one national uniform platform. This project aims to implement the new and uniform DYNAC platform, which will lead to more efficient road traffic management. However, this will also result in radical changes in the working environment for employees in the traffic centres. In order to supervise these changes, we are working closely with the CHARM IWB project (Implementation, Work Processes and Management). All in all, an enormous task; CHARM is currently the largest IT program of Rijkswaterstaat.
The role of Pryme
PrYme provided planning and risk management consulting for project CHARM ATMS since early 2016 until the end of 2019. For such a large project, collecting the right information is quite a challenge. However, this is information is very valuable to the project team and provides insight into the control elements of time, money and quality. With the support and full commitment of the project team, we were able to make timely adjustments when necessary.
Project Charm ATMS
The CHARM ATMS (Advanced Traffic Management System) project has been set up to move from approximately 30 systems to 1 nationally uniform platform. This project aims to implement the new and uniform DYNAC platform, which will lead to more efficient road traffic management. However, this also causes drastic changes in the working environment for the employees in the traffic control centers. To guide these changes, there is therefore close collaboration with the CHARM IWB project (Implementation, Work Processes and Management). All in all, a huge task; CHARM is currently Rijkswaterstaat’s largest IT program.
Planning-driven
The goals of CHARM were and still are ambitious: a phased implementation started in 2018 and by the end of 2020 all traffic centres should have switched to the first increment of the new DYNAC platform. This requires close monitoring of the schedule and regular collaboration with the technical team, the business team, and the implementation team. Good coordination with the system supplier required a critical and analytical approach.
During weekly meetings, the workload and bottlenecks in the planning were discussed. The changes resulting from this were immediately included in the detailed planning, thus guaranteeing the integration with other program components. In addition, long-term milestones were regularly evaluated and made transparent in an outline planning.
Tijdens wekelijkse overleggen werden de werkzaamheden en knelpunten in de planning besproken. De daaruit voortvloeiende wijzigingen werden direct in de detailplanning opgenomen, waarmee de integraliteit met andere programmaonderdelen werd gewaardborgd. Daarnaast werden lange termijn mijlpalen regelmatig geëvalueerd en inzichtelijk gemaakt in een hoofdlijnenplanning.
Monthly management report
In the dynamic and extensive playing field of CHARM, clear management information is indispensable. The most important findings of our work were therefore presented on a monthly basis. In addition to the main conclusions regarding changes and new insights in the field of planning and risk management within the project, advice was also given on further steering of project control.
Joint risk management
In collaboration with the project team, we also actively considered potential risks during the replacement of the applications and the operability of the platform in the future. Risks were formulated and updated in one-on-one meetings, and management strategies for the most important risks were outlined during plenary risk sessions. In addition, the joint approach to top risks also contributed to consensus building and prioritisation of activities.
Projectbeheersing binnen project CHARM ATMS ging echter nog een stap verder. Zo werd er onder andere met de leverancier meegedacht over het optimaliseren van het proces en de planning. Tegelijkertijd speelden naast de risico’s van het projectteam, ook risico’s bij de ontwikkelaar van het nieuwe platform een belangrijke rol in de projectvoortgang.
Releted
Until the end of 2019, PrYme continued the search for the optimal method of working and delivered customised solutions. Through a flexible attitude and great commitment to the project team, we worked in close cooperation with the team members towards a successful implementation of the new traffic management platform.
