Applying systems engineering in the civil engineering industry: an analysis of systems engineering projects of a Dutch water board

ABSTRACT The past decade, practice and literature have shown an increasing interest in Systems Engineering (SE) in the civil engineering industry. The aim of this study is to analyse to what extent SE is applied in six civil engineering SE projects of a Dutch water board. The projects were analysed using a framework that was developed from existing SE literature. The projects that scored highest on the application of SE were those where the project leader was highly motivated to apply SE, where top management support for SE was arranged, and where an experienced engineering consulting firm was involved. The lowest scoring project was a routine project in which project team members considered the use of SE unnecessary. To improve SE implementation and execution in organisations, it is recommended to arrange top management support for SE, to enhance the SE skills of employees, and to establish clear SE standards and procedures.

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