A systems study of influential railway strategy documents

Strategy documents are used across different industries to communicate the envisioned direction of a system or organisation. In recent years, a range of strategy documents relating to the UK rail sector have been produced, including European publications and the UK’s Rail Technical Strategy. However, such documents are written by a multitude of stakeholders and can vary noticeably in structure, content and style. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the perceived quality and value of strategy documents can also be variable. This paper presents a study of three prominent railway documents, using information modelling and a user evaluation exercise. The findings show that inconsistent approaches to producing strategy can result in documents of varying quality and usefulness. The implications of poorly communicating strategy, it is suggested, are significant and far-reaching. The work supports a broader research project towards a new systems approach to designing strategy.