Improving Information Requirements Management in Complex Rail Transport Projects

Abstract

The infrastructure construction industry is undergoing a digital transformation, shifting from traditional engineering practices and services to new digital and model-based approaches. Digital engineering is widely regarded as a significant enabler of this digitisation trend. Throughout the digital delivery of transport infrastructure, the elicitation, specification, implementation and verification and validation of the asset information requirements to support the development of the physical and digital assets are crucial to establishing the golden thread and harmonising data in support of the digital twin. High levels of integration in complex project environments present significant challenges for traditional requirements management practices. Existing approaches to requirements management in the rail transport sector lack a whole-of-system and whole-of-life methodology and have lower levels of maturity regarding the traceability and management of both physical system and asset information requirements, impacting effective and efficient creation of a digital twin. To address this gap, this thesis implemented a design science research methodology to explore the improvement of asset information requirements management capability in the rail transport sector in three cycles: relevance cycle, rigour cycleand design cycle.

In the relevance cycle, a systematic and cross-domain literature review was conducted to better understand requirements management capabilities, initiatives and challenges in digital delivery across similar domains. As a result, 22 requirements management capabilities were identified, covering process, technologyand peoplerelated areas. Initiatives and methods used across different domains were analysed. Finally, challenges in requirements management were identified and categorised into the same areas as capabilities.

In the rigour cycle, a multiple-case study was undertaken to investigate the contemporary requirements management practices in Australian transport projects. Key requirements management capabilities, initiatives in real projects, and challenges to requirements management practices were identified. A deeper investigation was conducted focusing on the status of requirements management and digital engineering standards, the maturity levels of requirements management practices, and the significance of challenges in the complex infrastructure sector.

In the design cycle, a Capability Improvement Framework was developed based on findings from earlier research steps and then revised according to feedback from professionals in the industry. This framework had four maturity levels and identified 82 information requirements management activities across seven project stages. Each activity is linked to one or more information requirements management capability areas. This framework can be used at the organisational and project levels to assess capability maturity and provide a basis for potential improvements.