Best Practices

Strategic Action Plan (SAP)

An SAP is a document with a twofold purpose:

• firstly it describes the project management system applied to the preparation, planning and implementation of the Action up to its final completion;

• secondly, during implementation, it provides decision-makers with all relevant information and analysis in order to take informed decisions whenever deviations from the SAP are encountered, as well as for assessing the impact of such decisions over the remaining implementation period

Examples of complete SAPs

Maasroute, upgrade of inland waterways from class Va to class Vb specifications (2007-NL-18010-P)

The SAP of the "Maasroute" project is considered a "best practice" case for a large infrastructure project. It consists of a main SAP document with 17 annexes. All annexes are "real life" documents, they were not put together just for the SAP. The annexes are a mix of governance and methodology documents as well as their application to the Maasroute project.

They show in detail:

• how the project "lives"
• how it is being planned, implemented and modified
• how risks are assessed, identified and dealt with
• how formal reporting is done on the national level
• how quality checks and audits are planned and carried out
• how communication to stakeholders and a wider interested audience is ensured

The main SAP document, the only paper produced just for the purpose of providing the SAP, follows the TEN-T EA guidelines for SAPs and presents the core information requested with references to the annexes, where more details are provided. While the SAP is written in English, one of the three TEN-T EA working languages, the annexes are in Dutch, which is also understood by the TEN-T EA Project Manager.

Together the SAP, including its annexes, provides the TEN-T EA with excellent insight in the required and usual working practices on the national level. This helps the Project Manager to understand the framework in which the Maasroute project managers operate. It builds trust in the project managers on the beneficiary's side because it makes their working conditions and actual work transparent.

In case of future deviations from project plans, the TEN-T EA Project Manager will understand better why certain choices are made on the beneficiary's side. The overall impression resulting from this SAP is that the project is generally well managed and that potential problems in the future will not get out of control.

Document	Download
Maasroute Strategic Action Plan (SAP)	.doc (810.5 KB)
Annexes 1-17	.zip (22.8 MB) Right click and "Save As"

Elimination bottleneck north-south artery A2 (E25): Building the urban highway tunnel in Maastricht

The SAP of the "urban highway tunnel Maastricht" project is considered a "best practice" case for a large infrastructure project which experiences implementing problems. Its strength is its way of systematically facilitating an easy comparison between the planning of the project at the time of submitting the application form and the time of drafting the SAP.

This is achieved by doubling the tables giving quick overview on key information such as the completion dates of the individual activities, the financial planning of the project (per activity and per year) as well as the Gantt chart for the overall project progress. Together with the explanations on the nature of the delays these tables allow appreciating the extend of the problems the project is currently facing. 

Throughout the report the descriptions are to the point and concise but do not lack sufficient level of detail and information. Furthermore, graphics and charts are used frequently to display information concerning complex matters such as the organisational structure and governance of the project, reporting matters or risk management.

Overall the SAP strikes a sound balance between keeping the volume of reporting to the necessary minimum without loosing information while making systematic use of tables and graphics which allow the reader to efficiently appreciate the information provided.

Document	Download
Maastricht urban tunnel Strategic Action Plan (SAP)	.doc (1 MB)