UNCERTAINTY AND RELIABILITY - Introduction to Soft Soil Geotechnique: Content, Context and Application - page 125

in order to get good results from the risk management steps? Have all six steps
been explicitly elaborated in each project phase?
The scan yielded six lessons, further elaborated in 19 recommendations, with a
distinction to content related (C) and process related (P).
Lesson 1 - clear risk management positioning.
- Ground related risk management should be an integral part of project risk
management, but with an explicit status (P);
- All specific ground related risks should be part of a project's risk register (P&C).
Lesson 2 - clear risk management responsibility.
- Appoint a coordinator responsible for ground related risk management (P);
- All ground related risk should be allocated contractually to one or more of the
parties within a project (P);
- Ground related risks, completely allocated to the contractor, needs still
evaluation by the client (C).
Lesson 3 - clear risk communication.
- Link explicitly the functional and technical level of project organisation to each
other (C&P);
- The risk file of a client should be known by the contractor and vice versa (P);
- Tests are required on feasibility of requirements with a geotechnical scope (C).
Lesson 4 - a ground related risk register.
- Description of a risk needs to satisfy basic demands (C&P);
- All GeoQ steps should be explicitly executed step by step during each project
phase (P);
- A ground related risk session should be organised in early project phases (P);
- Communication should be explicitly risk based between project and third parties
(P);
- Explicit guarantee on completeness and correctness of ground related risks and
analyses is necessary (P);
- Checklists are recommended as a check on the completeness of risk files (C).
Lesson 5 - risk driven site investigations.
- Site investigation should be explicitly risk based (C);
- In-situ soil and lab research should be flexible executed (C);
- Quality control of site investigations is necessary (C).
Lesson 6 - risk driven field monitoring.
- Monitoring should be used as a tool for guarantee of quality and control of risks
(C);
- Ground related risks should have an explicit place in a monitoring plan (C).
These lessons seem to be generically applicable in construction projects. Ongoing
application of these lessons in Dutch projects supports this conclusion.
F EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE : G EO B RAIN
In the current geotechnical engineering practice, the reliability is disappointing.
The consequences for many works are serious, leading to cost and time overruns.
The lack of reliability has caused loss of confidence in the profession and damaged
the image of the construction sector. Systematic learning from case histories of
completed projects is not well organised in the profession. Practicing engineers do