Germany’s Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV) is responsible for maintaining and developing the country’s waterways. The authority has now extended its existing CONTACT solution to efficiently manage hundreds of parallel projects.
The WSV has been using CIM Database PLM since 2019 and now expanded the solution from CONTACT Software into a “Multi-Project Management Information System” to streamline project coordination. Currently, the authority manages over 1,000 projects across more than 700 structures. These projects often have timing dependencies and draw from the same personnel and financial resources, making high-level coordination essential. Building on the existing CIM Database installation, CONTACT has worked with partners to implement a Multi-Project Management (MPM) system that captures, consolidates, and transparently provides information.
“The enhanced CIM Database solution allows us to easily oversee our numerous construction projects at any time and manage them simultaneously,” says Thomas Rosenstein, Head of the Waterways Department at the Directorate-General for Waterways and Shipping. “The expansion of our existing solution enables us to utilize our resources even more efficiently.” The MPM system has been successfully operating since April 2023. Projects from the WSV’s 25 offices are gradually being integrated into the solution.
The MPM system merges data from multiple sources, including structural information from a digital object registry and financial data from SAP. Project managers regularly update project milestones and staffing information through a defined process. CONTACT has worked closely with its service and implementation partner Capgemini to develop a standardized reporting framework – this collaborative approach has proven especially beneficial for projects with high technical and organizational complexity. The system also incorporates the business intelligence tool Tableau to analyze and visualize data.
The MPM system will be accessed by thousands of users and complies with the German Barrier-Free Information Technology Ordinance (BITV 2.0). CONTACT has established a dedicated Public Sector business unit to meet the distinct needs of government and public sector customers.
The German Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration is responsible for the operation, maintenance, and development of Germany’s federal waterways, including infrastructure such as bridges, locks, and weirs. The organization ensures smooth shipping traffic across 7,300 km of inland waterways and 23.000 km2 of maritime routes. The WSV is part of the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport and employs around 12,500 people.
