Introducing VIDA’s Digital Engineering Leadership Team

VIDA has established a new Digital Engineering Leadership Team (DELT) to help bring a more consistent approach to digital engineering across the organisation.

Made up of leaders from right across VIDA, the DELT has been created to provide direction, support and oversight as digital engineering becomes a bigger part of how we plan, design and deliver projects.

Put simply, digital engineering is about moving beyond static drawings, PDFs and spreadsheets and using shared digital tools and data to make better decisions - akin to transitioning from the Melways to Google Maps. It gives teams access to up-to-date information in real time, helping everyone work from the same source of truth.

That means better coordination between teams, fewer mistakes, less rework and the chance to identify issues earlier – before work starts on site, when changes are more expensive and harder to manage.

While digital engineering has been used in parts of the Victorian infrastructure sector for years, it has not always been applied in the same way across projects. Some teams have been working from static files, while others are using live 3D models and more advanced digital tools. This has made it difficult to share information, work consistently and get the full benefit of digital ways of working.

The new DELT has been set up to change that. It will help by aligning tools, systems and ways of working so teams across VIDA can share learnings, use common resources and build a stronger, more connected digital engineering capability.

Under Chair Andrew Henry, Executive Director, Engineering & Program Services at VIDA Rail, and with technology oversight from VIDA’s Chief Information Officer, Sam Khoury, the DELT is developing a roadmap for the future of digital engineering across VIDA.

The DELT has also set up a new VIDA Digital Engineering Hub - a central hub for Digital Engineering applications, documents, training, reporting and support across VIDA infrastructure projects.