Engaging stakeholders in rail development projects
Published on: 24th January 2017
In an article published in the January edition of Railway Strategies magazine (p30), Rob Bassil, DCA's Technical Director, explains the many different stakeholder groups that were involved in the design of the interiors for Hitachi’s new Class 800/801 trains.
The article provides a brief insight into how we structured and managed the project to engage with all these stakeholders throughout the development programme, actively involving them at every key decision point. This meant we had to present tangible materials that were relevant and accessible to the individual stakeholder groups. So physical models, mock ups and prototypes were introduced and widely shared as early as possible, even when these sometimes consisted only of very basic cardboard ergonomic rigs!
The end result was a more inclusive design that incorporated input from all the stakeholder groups and ensured their buy-in to the end result. Our inclusive approach also meant that we were able to engage in meaningful discussions with the selected NOBO from early in the development programme, allowing us to address their concerns during the interior development and mock-up process, smoothing the way for the later formal certification process.
