ALEXANDRIA,
VIRGINIA. In late 2015, Dutch Rijkswaterstaat
employee and PIANC member Mr. Arjan Hijdra, switched agencies temporarily when
he came to the United States for four weeks at the Institute for Water
Resources of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The purpose of his visit
was to collect and share knowledge in the field of Performance Management. In
other words, how to maximize the performance of waterways using the least resources.
Just like Rijkswaterstaat, the USACE continually tries to optimize the
performance of the waterways. Key questions included ‘how to ensure minimum
service levels are achieved’ and ‘how maximized societal value can be realized.’
Both organizations have limited resources to meet these goals, so everything
revolves around smart choices.
USACE’s Value to the Nation At Rijkswaterstaat this optimization
process is called 'Performance Management,' and is a task of the institute of
Water, Traffic and Environment. Currently the system of Performance Management
is being improved and expanded. The US Army Corps of Engineers is working on
similar issues. Their efforts of continuously steering and improving
performance fall under the umbrella name of 'Value to the Nation’. One of the major differences, Mr. Hijdra
noticed, was that Rijkswaterstaat works with a tight rein on solid performance
levels where the USACE focuses on a mix of measures in order to contribute
maximally to the socio-economic and political needs. Where Rijkswaterstaat
reports on whether agreed performance levels are achieved or not, in the
American context the achievements are, where possible, monetized. The average
economic value over the past years was $110 billion (Value to the Nation, National Fast Facts 2010-2013). However, yearly spending is restricted roughly to $8
billion dollars per year. Not a bad achievement at all!
Methods behind Performance Management
One mission of Mr. Hijdra’s
visit was to learn about the tools and methods that are used by the USACE in
order to optimize the performance of the network in an attempt to provide
clarity on issues such as: how to determine network quality, how to measure it,
how to make choices, and how to divide up limited resources. The time spent at IWR proved to be
advantageous because lessons learned were more valuable when viewed within
their context and could easily be converted into a product for disseminating
the information. Moreover, numerous 'accidental' learning points were also
gathered concurrently based on various discussions and presentations that
occurred during his visit.
Cooperation US Army Corps of
Engineers and Rijkswaterstaat Mr. Hijdra’s visit to the United States was part of an existing
eleven year cooperation program between the US Army Corps of Engineers and
Rijkswaterstaat. A joint steering committee annually identifies themes and
issues that have mutual interest. For more information on the above topic
please contact arjan.hijdra@rws.nl.
Learn More
For more information,
visit IWR www.iwr.usace.army.mil
Rijkswaterstaat
www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/English/index.aspx