Rick Nelen

Systems thinker and
experienced Systems Engineering consultant at Synergio.

Beyond the Asset: Implementing Function-Based Systems
Engineering in a Complex Airport Environment

Bio.

Rick is an ASEP-certified Systems Engineering professional with experience in both railway and airport infrastructure. He specializes in connecting technical disciplines with organizational decision-making in complex, stakeholder-rich environments.
At Royal Schiphol Group, Rick contributes to the transformation of Schiphol Infrastructure with a focus on the asset management department by helping establish a more data-driven approach to portfolio planning and maintenance strategies. His work focuses on shaping the information foundations needed to support long-term organizational ambitions and data-driven decision making over the entire asset lifecycle using both Systems Engineering & Asset Management perspectives.

Abstract.
Since 2019, Schiphol has actively promoted Systems Engineering (SE) within its project development organization. While SE practices have gradually been introduced in individual projects, achieving consistent adoption across project management, asset management and governance structures has proven challenging.

Today, Schiphol finds itself at a unique moment in time. New main contracts are being established while project delivery and asset management governance structures are being renewed. Together, these developments create an opportunity to move beyond project-level application of SE and embed systems thinking more structurally within the organization.

This presentation discusses Schiphol’s transition from an object-based perspective towards a function-based approach. Traditionally, projects, responsibilities and decision-making have been organized around physical assets and asset categories. However, the operational performance of an airport is delivered through functions such as passenger processing, baggage handling and airport accessibility. These functions span multiple assets, disciplines and organizational boundaries and therefore challenge traditional ways of organizing work and responsibilities.

Using Schiphol as a case study, we will explore how function-based thinking can help connect project delivery, asset management and airport operations. One of the anticipated benefits is a more value-based decision making process based on operational benefits and risks and impacts rather than on individual object lifecycles. By understanding how assets contribute to airport functions and processes, decisions can be prioritized based on their effect on operational performance and passenger outcomes.

Particular attention will be given to the organizational implications of this transition. Moving towards function-based thinking requires changes in governance, responsibilities and collaboration across disciplines. It also requires a shared understanding of how operational outcomes are created and how systems engineering can support decision-making throughout the asset lifecycle.

By sharing both opportunities and challenges, this contribution aims to stimulate discussion among SE practitioners facing similar adoption and scale-up challenges in complex operational and asset-intensive environments. Participants will be invited to reflect on how their own organizations balance asset-focused structures with function-oriented system thinking, and how this shift can support more effective operational and asset-management decisions.