Network Rail asset managers are facing the challenges of maintaining an ageing network, carrying traffic of varying intensity and speed, and increasingly restricted funding. To tackle these challenges, Network Rail is developing an asset leadership programme to enhance peer-to-peer support, increase confidence and widen personal networks across regional boundaries, and has engaged UKCRIC members the Universities of Southampton and Birmingham to provide elements of the programme. This includes a series of residential workshops comprising structured, peer-to-peer learning away from the front line, to help senior asset managers get the most out of their existing expertise.
Asset managers have identified their key challenges as: management and mitigation of asset risk; working with codes and standards; setting an appropriate specification for work; delivery - cost, control and assurance; management across asset disciplines; influencing business and investment decisions; and attracting and retaining the next generation of asset managers.
There is a high level of engineering competence in the cohort but the depth of understanding that discipline-specific asset managers have of other and allied disciplines varies. There is also variable working across disciplines, which makes it difficult for asset managers to take a system view, as is the confidence of asset managers to make sometimes quite finely nuanced decisions concerning safety and performance consequences. They also find it difficult to challenge and control the cost of smaller and refurbishment works. They know what things cost but not always what they should cost and this makes it difficult to be confident about ways of meeting budgets other than by reducing outputs. It can also be challenging to assert an asset perspective in an organisation that is driven by service availability metrics.
The five-year programme empowers experienced staff to apply their expertise and professional judgement, supporting them to control their supply chain, apply or depart from standards appropriately, and properly influence business decisions.
The programme will strengthen links between staff across the regions, creating a network that supports a collegial approach to often common but sometimes unusual issues. This one-of-a-kind peer network will advise, encourage and support any of its number who need to challenge standards, specifications and target prices, backed by the latest knowledge in engineering science and assessing risk. It will enhance and encourage sound professional judgement.
The programme begins with small groups meeting for three- or four-day residential workshops of structured, peer-to-peer learning away from the front line. Workshops are based on facilitated discussions of case studies together with provocative presentations from academics, senior National Rail staff, and practitioners in related industries.
A long term objective of the network is to influence stakeholders’ and business leaders’ decisions and build trust between maintenance, capital delivery and asset management. A further objective is to improve organisational culture by enabling the delegates to identify their team’s current culture and providing them with the tools to make positive change.
Feedback from delegates has been overwhelmingly positive with a high likelihood of participants recommending it to colleagues (64% rating it between 9 and 10 out of 10). More workshops are being planned to expand the benefit across the organisation. Network Rail is developing on-line tools and a collaboration space to maintain the network after the initial workshops, and short refresher workshops are also planned.