About the organisation
The Midland Metro Alliance (MMA) delivers an integrated transport system for the West Midlands.
It was created in 2016 and consists of the West Midlands Combined Authority, which owns the West Midlands Metro, a consortium of design experts and rail construction specialists.
MMA strives to deliver stakeholder-focused services and the best integrated transport system for the future.
As part of their efforts to transform public transport and regenerate the West Midlands region, MMA, together with Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and local authority partners, is committed to designing and delivering a number of metro extensions.
The challenge
The scale of the development programme comprising several projects across the region meant MMA needed to engage with key stakeholders and within the communities affected by the construction and future tram operation.
The team required a proper stakeholder management system that would allow activities and stakeholder engagement for each project to be implemented and documented before and during the project's execution.
Urban construction on this scale is complex, and for each individual project, there was a wealth of work involving consultations at every stage. And for each route worked on, MMA had a range of mini-projects that had to be compliant with legislation and a range of stakeholders that had to be contacted and engaged with.
The requirements
Midland Metro Alliance identified that the ability to effectively manage several complex projects across the region was essential.
They needed a system that would help them:
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Build long-term relationships with stakeholders and with the communities impacted by the projects and future operations.
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Ensure compliance with legislation.
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Provide confidence that affected parties would be contacted and engaged with.
The action taken
MMA started using Tractivity for all their stakeholder engagement and management in 2016.
They were able to use the software right away to speak openly and honestly with all their stakeholders across the region.
With Tractivity’s speed of set-up and easy-to-use system MMA was able to log and address over 300 queries from events, face-to-face meetings and other engagement activities, all within only a few months of launch.
Tractivity also allowed MMA to track who they have engaged with, map out where stakeholders might be and ensure that even slight changes, such as lane restrictions or localised engineering works, are communicated well in advance.
With many different elements, including schemes crossing geographical areas managed by multiple councils, it helps that the team at the Midland Metro Alliance have one centralised system to keep all information securely within to manage multiple projects at once.
The results
Because Tractivity allows MMA to issue surveys that tie together every single piece of issued communication to an individual stakeholder, MMA has been able to gather a bird’s eye view of the changing perception and opinion of the project, illustrating value for money on liaison activities.
Similarly, because the project has been able to run across multiple councils and alliances using Tractivity’s web-based software, each person involved in the project has been able to contribute to the process of stakeholder engagement with no risk of missing key information or data.
The increase in tram availability and access to new destinations has already shown benefits, such as more people using the West Midlands Metro in this area for day-to-day travel, supporting economic and population growth by linking jobs and people.
Without engaging with stakeholders, this project may not have been able to succeed.
Rose Rees, Head of Engagement & Skills at Midland Metro Alliance, shared:
“It is a huge project for us and the West Midlands region, and with it affecting multiple numbers of residents and businesses, it was key that before any work started that our stakeholder engagement was done in a way that was effective, comprehensive and allowed us to engage thoroughly.
Tractivity allowed us to lay the foundations for the projects before we started in earnest, and as we are now at a stage of implementation, we can see the benefits in fruition.
We have won awards such as Partnership Initiative of the Year 2018 at the British Construction Industry Awards, Integration & Collaborative Working Award 2019 at the Construction Excellence Awards – West Midlands and Team of The Year at the Global Light Rail Awards 2017 as well as specific accolades for our communication and engagement activities and having Tractivity as a stakeholder management tool has definitely contributed to this success.
