Rijkswaterstaat modernises legacy applications with Blue Green Solutions to improve project support

Rijkswaterstaat is responsible for managing and developing the Netherlands' national roads, waterways and water systems. Its work helps keep the country safe, accessible and a good place to live. This involves major construction and maintenance projects, from renovating bridges to upgrading roads and motorway junctions.

To manage these projects, Rijkswaterstaat uses a system called Integrale Projectsturing (IPS), or Integrated Project Management. This network of eleven interconnected Mendix applications supports more than 100 users every day. Blue Green Solutions has been working with Rijkswaterstaat for over four years through its technology partner CGI. Our Mendix experts help maintain and continuously improve the applications within IPS.

Ageing applications were reaching their limits

Large infrastructure projects bring together information from many different sources. This includes project data from SAP, financial information, procurement planning and contract management. Employees rely on this information to maintain an overview and manage their projects effectively.

The Mendix applications within IPS extend SAP with functionality tailored to Rijkswaterstaat's internal workflows. They combine project data from SAP with information from other systems, giving employees a more complete view of their projects.

Rijkswaterstaat has been using Mendix, an agentic development platform, for many years. However, some of its applications were more than thirteen years old. Over time, they had been expanded and modified, while the Mendix platform itself and its development standards had continued to evolve.

This gradually created technical challenges. Certain features became slow, while parts of the code were difficult for developers to understand. Some applications even crashed regularly, disrupting daily work.

The platform version also needed attention. One of the challenges was migrating from Mendix 7, which was approaching the end of its support period.

Rijkswaterstaat already had considerable expertise in-house. Its functional application managers understood the applications and business processes well. The organisation also had its own Mendix Center of Excellence, a dedicated team responsible for supporting Mendix adoption and development across the organisation. Blue Green Solutions complemented this knowledge with specialist development expertise and a fresh perspective on the existing applications.

Modernising the code while preserving existing functionality

Over the years, the applications had been carefully adapted to how Rijkswaterstaat manages its projects. Preserving that functionality was essential, even as the underlying technical issues needed to be resolved.

Working alongside CGI and Rijkswaterstaat, Blue Green Solutions improved the existing codebase. Some components only required targeted changes, while other modules and several complete applications were rebuilt from scratch.

Throughout the process, our experts applied current Mendix standards and best practices. This made the code easier to understand and maintain for the developers working with it. The team also addressed components that frequently crashed or responded slowly.

At the same time, the applications were gradually migrated from Mendix 7 to Mendix 10. Taking a step-by-step approach allowed the team to gain experience with the new version before moving on to the next applications.

Applications that evolve with changing business processes

Alongside technical maintenance, the team continues to develop new features based on user feedback. When a workflow changes or a task becomes unnecessarily complicated, we look at how the applications can be improved.

Every change also needs to be considered in the context of the wider application landscape. After all, the eleven applications exchange a significant amount of information with one another.

One example is the Projectendatabase (Project Database). This application gives employees an overview of who is responsible for a project, which challenges have been identified and what actions have been taken. It also provides access to financial information and project milestones.

In another application, Digitale Scope (Digital Scope), users define the work that needs to be carried out within a project. If the scope changes, those changes are reflected in the milestones recorded in the Project Database. This keeps the project scope and planning aligned.

Continuous monitoring for security vulnerabilities

As a Dutch government organisation, Rijkswaterstaat places a high priority on information security. The team therefore continuously monitors the applications to identify potential security risks. Automated checks flag possible vulnerabilities, allowing developers to take action based on the results, such as updating outdated modules.

Access permissions also determine which information employees can view or modify. Users sign in with their Rijkswaterstaat accounts, while the system records their access rights and who granted them.

The team also works on security measures aligned with the Baseline Informatiebeveiliging Overheid (BIO), the Dutch government's information security framework.

Fewer crashes and easier maintenance

Most of the technical restructuring has now been completed. The team has addressed the components that previously crashed or performed slowly. The improved code structure makes it easier for developers to understand how the applications work and where changes need to be made. This improves application speed and efficiency while making the applications easier to maintain, hand over and secure.

The entire application landscape now also runs on Mendix 10. With the outdated platform version replaced, the team can continue maintaining and developing the applications.

The main improvements include:

• Resolved issues with application crashes and slow functionality.
• Clearer, better-structured code that is easier to maintain.
• Applications running on a more up-to-date Mendix version.
• New features developed in response to everyday user needs.

These improvements ensure the applications continue to support project management while evolving alongside the needs of Rijkswaterstaat's employees.

Are your Mendix applications reaching their limits too?

Slow applications, recurring technical issues or changes that are becoming increasingly difficult to implement? Our Mendix experts can help identify the underlying problems and determine which improvements are needed.

Get in touch with Blue Green Solutions to explore how you can improve the reliability and maintainability of your existing applications.

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