Implementing the ISO/IEC 15288 Systems Engineering standard in Dutch civil and infrastructure construction organisations and their projects

One of the largest clients in the Dutch civil and infrastructure construction industry, Rijkswaterstaat, is mandating contractors to adopt the ISO/IEC 15288 Systems Engineering standard in construction projects. Theory suggests that Systems Engineering standards should be implemented in the organisational processes of a construction organisation. Projects executed by the construction organisations should consequently tailor these organisational processes to project processes on basis of project-specific needs. This paper examined how the ISO/IEC 15288 was implemented in three construction projects in The Netherlands. Despite the fact that the construction projects investigated succeeded in the implementation of the ISO/IEC 15288, this study found that process managers developed project processes and tailored the ISO/IEC 15288 for each project again. Three major explanations as to why process managers redevelop project processes and tailor the ISO/IEC 15288 for each project were found in this study. They are: i) lack of compliant organisational processes, ii) inward project focus by the process managers and iii) the lack of top management commitment for the implementation of the ISO/IEC 15288. Recommendations for process managers to increase the efficiency of the ISO/IEC 15288 implementation on construction projects are to i) develop compliant organisational processes using a bottom-up approach, ii) implement these compliant processes on construction projects with a social learning approach and iii) ensure top management commitment to develop compliant organisational processes and adopt these on projects. Process managers should first focus on processes that are enacted similar in different construction projects, e.g. risk management and planning. They should introduce the compliant organisational processes with e.g. workshops. Top management commitment can be increased by involving them in the assessments or audits that concentrate on the ISO/IEC 15288.