The best formula for risk management_

The Landesbetrieb Bundesbau Baden-Württemberg (BBBW) is one of 16 building administrations that plan and coordinate construction projects on behalf of the federal government. As bodies functioning under the federal government’s “borrowed administration”, they are responsible for projects both in their respective federal states and abroad. These include construction projects for federal authorities such as the Federal Foreign Office or the Ministry of Defence and encompass a wide variety of developments ranging from embassies to a multi-storey car park for a military hospital. The goal: functional, representative, and sustainable buildings.

The starting point

The Baden-Württemberg State Office for Federal Construction is home to the entire Federal Construction’s risk management unit. It is here that methods are being constantly developed to better assess and evaluate the risks, duration, and costs of federal construction projects. To set standards for future projects, the knowledge and experience of the architects and project managers from previous federal construction projects are compiled and made accessible. A model for forecasting project costs was implemented in an enormously complex spreadsheet in which data from several different projects was translated into formulas that could be applied to projects still in development.

This model was to be converted into a modern, web-based platform with a user-friendly interface. The user interface should simplify data entry, content administration, and expand the model’s possibilities. At the same time, BBBW did not have the IT infrastructure to operate a web application.

With these requirements in mind, the BBBW launched a tender and in the end chose cronn as their partner for the development of the platform.

Solution

An agile cronn team of business analysis, development, testing, and DevOps experts set about designing the solution. A business analyst evaluated the data and formulas of the spreadsheet together with the experts from the Federal Building Department and translated them into mathematical models. Parallel to this the team worked with the client to conduct a technology evaluation for the creation of a cloud infrastructure. To this end, the team advised on topics such as cyber security, administration, and operation of a web platform.

After jointly selecting an operating environment while fulfilled the BBBW’s requirements, the team set up the operating environment and began developing the web platform. The mathematical models were implemented with Java programming language in the backend, and the data was mapped in a relational database (PostgreSQL).

At the same time, a user interface was developed that offers users completely new possibilities. Project managers create risk assessments of their construction projects by choosing parameters, risks and avoidance strategies. After that, they are offered similar projects for comparison. As the final step the platform provides a forecast of realistic costs and construction time of the project. In addition, there are separate interfaces for the administration and editing of the data.

The platform will be continuously developed by cronn and expanded with new modules in the future.

Customer benefits

Thanks to its agile way of working, cronn was able to show results quickly and incorporate feedback in a timely manner. Thanks to our expertise from numerous successful projects, we were also able to provide fundamental advice on operational and safety issues to support the choice of the appropriate technologies. Thanks to our mathematical expertise, our analysts were able to analyse requirements and data models and translate them into a mathematical model. Our team was even able to improve the models together with the specialist department. As a long-term partner, we will use the experience gained from the project for further developments.