Dealing with Cross-Sectoral Uncertainty: A Case Study on Governing Uncertainty for Infrastructures in Transition

Abstract

The interdependencies between infrastructures are growing. Engineering decision making that earlier was largely confined to a specific sector now requires more and more understanding of how systems interact: a system-of-systems perspective. The article analyzes the effect of that added complexity in a single case study in de Zuid-As, Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, and relates the findings to the literature on engineering decision making and project management in complex projects. The article concludes that cross-sectoral engineering decision making has an additional level of complexity that requires governance of uncertainty. Despite this challenge being a well-known challenge among infrastructure operators, it is still not recognized for its importance, and it seems to be a neglected element in collaboration. Key is an open approach in the early stages that goes beyond classic cooperative decision making in engineering and project management environments.

Research on Collaborative Mechanisms of Railway EPC Project Design and Construction from the Perspective of Social Network Analysis

“…Walker et al [30] developed a delivery strategy for a complicated project using an infrastructure project in Australia as an example to optimize cooperation. In a case study in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Rosok et al [31] found that collaborative decision making in XFN projects has additional complexity and requires the governance of uncertainty. Australian scholar Tokede [32] focused on how project coordinators affect trust-based partnerships in large infrastructure projects.…”

Inter-Organizational Collaboration in Interconnected Infrastructure Projects

“…In these environments, a higher level of interdependence between infrastructure projects is anticipated, necessitating closer collaboration between infrastructure owners in such projects. For next-generation infrastructure projects, collaboration among infrastructure owners is not simply a preferred approach, but a fundamental requirement to address the challenges and uncertainties arising from these interconnections [2,3], which requires new techniques, working methods, and processes.…”