Boskalis CSR report 2017

Business Conduct CSR 2017 – BOSKALIS 58 WAY OF WORKING: FOCUS ON THE CLIENT AND REDUCED COMPLEXITY GETTING IT RIGHT “Now that we see different disciplines and divisions increasingly teaming up to tackle ever more complex projects, the drawbacks of using different quality systems were becoming apparent, especially during the project execution phase. Different ways of monitoring progress or managing subcontractors can represent a threat to the success of a project and for the client, at the expense of performance,” Vavier continues. “No matter what phase a project is in, it is always important to put client and corporate interests center stage by focusing on the principles of our Way of Working. This improves the quality of the dialogue,” Vavier explains. “It is crucial to know that we have a clear understanding of the client’s requirements and of our social impact throughout a project. Our safety program NINA has a prominent place in WoW: together they help us to be more aware of our expert role. The system also integrates CSR aspects of our work, such as the assessment and inclusion of stakeholder interests and expectations. WoW stimulates to consider sustainable alternatives and propose these to the client. In that sense, it is the ideal platform to further execute and embed our social impact program within our process, organization and the mindset of our colleagues. Over eight hundred colleagues, including trainees, have completed the introductory course this past year. Already, WoW is used extensively by various tender teams for an increasing number of projects.” Vavier is supported in her opinion by Frank Stikkel, project manager in the Dredging & Inland Infra division: “The new Way of Working makes 65% of existing procedures redundant, thanks to a new uniform approach. What’s more, we are improving quality by learning from each other, from the best practices within Boskalis and by looking at things from the client’s perspective.” This year we saw the start of the rollout of the new Boskalis integrated quality management system Way of Working (WoW). The system is designed to give Boskalis employees the best possible support in achieving operational excellence. It is aimed at offering a consistent client approach, with a clear focus on providing safe and sustainable solutions. “WoW reduces the complexity of our systems and operational processes, and helps us to understand client requirements better. Following the implementation, we have had many enthusiastic reactions, both from colleagues and from clients,’ says corporate SHE-Q manager Joke Vavier.

“One of our goals, both during the tender phase and during the execution of a project, is to keep the client center stage and ensure that all our colleagues have client expectations in mind throughout the process. It all begins with clear communications in the tender phase, and with tight coordination to ensure that we are interpreting client requirements correctly. A crucial aspect is the identification and discussion of possible inconsistencies in a project request. WoW provides us with the necessary, clear framework to achieve this,” Stikkel explains about the WoW goals. THE WOW FACTOR “The WoW approach gives us uniformity within a clear structure. It means that we can find what we need in our toolbox faster. At the same time, WoW stimulates internal synergies because it provides us with a clearer picture of what other disciplines, such as offshore or dredging, can do. Conversely, the other disciplines also know more about how we work,” Richard Janssen observes about the benefits of WoW. “The Way of Working enriches the dialogue with our clients and helps us to be accepted as an equal partner at different levels of the client’s organization.” “In addition, because NINA is part and parcel of WoW, we can take the burden off the client: we can now provide our proven safety system or combine it with the client’s own system. The benefit for us is that we can work using our own tested methods, rather than having to follow client procedures, which are usually not tailored to the work at hand. It makes it much easier to maintain performance standards and optimize collaboration with clients and subcontractors. I call that the WoW factor!” Janssen concludes.