TNL 2007 Spring

Spring 2007
Inside:
Next Generation
Trns•port Release
Planning
Message from the Chair
Kansas Department of
Transportation NGT
Preview Period Update
NGT TRT Announced
SiteXchange™ at the
Nebraska Department
of Roads
NGT User Feedback
Implementation Status
MSE Status Report
SiteManager™
Enhancements
TRACER™ Evaluation
Version Announcement
CRLMS Update
Trns•port Calendar
Key Trns•port
Contacts
Licensing Status
2007-2008 MSE and
LRWP
TUG Preview
NGT Portal on
Cloverleaf™
Trns•port News
Next Generation Trns•port Release Planning
by Loren Lemmen, Michigan Department of Transportation and Andrea Confer-Oresky, Info Tech, Inc.
The Preconstruction Technical Review
Team (TRT) has been working closely with
Info Tech, Inc. to prioritize the functionality
that will be delivered in Release 1 and
Release 2 of Next Generation Trns•port
(NGT). A detailed review of the entire
backlog was done during
January and February to
determine which items
would be completed in
each release and which
items would have to
be deferred until later.
Weekly meetings are
held to review any
changes to the backlog, prioritize any
new items that may have been added,
and discuss potential implementations of
business functionality.
Release 1, currently projected for release
at the end of the August 2007 sprint, will
contain the basic functionality needed to
allow an agency to move from project
creation through award of the contract.
Once projects are created and associated
to proposals, the interface to Expedite™
allows the export and import of proposal
item information and bids. Real-time
checks and analysis can be performed
on the proposal bids to determine errors.
Functions are included to allow agencies
to postpone or re-let proposals much
more efficiently. Administrators can still
maintain reference data and create roles
for user access to pages in NGT. Areas that
are still under construction for Release 1
include interfaces between NGT and
other Trns•port products, implementation
of control groups, custom processes, and
improvements to performance and the
user interface. Decisions were made on
the functionality that could be pushed
into Release 2 and still provide a version
of NGT that would have
sufficient functionality to
be placed into production
by agencies.
The full-featured version
of NGT Preconstruction
will come with Release
2, currently projected for
release at the end of the July 2008 sprint. This
release will contain all of the functionality
in current PES®/LAS® as determined by the
Preconstruction TRT. It will also include the
rest of the Addenda tracking functionality,
field level security, planholder invoicing,
breakdowns, attachments, and continued
user interface improvements.
The TRT works closely with Info Tech to
ensure that any new backlog items added
to a release do not cause the release dates
to shift. For example, if a new backlog item
is added to Release 1, one or more backlog
items that are currently in Release 1 that
represent the same scope as the new item
need to be moved to Release 2 or later.
This ensures that the overall size remains
the same. Another scenario occurs when
larger backlog items are broken into a
number of smaller items as more detailed
requirements emerge. In the process of
breaking down a large backlog item into
continued on page 14
Spring 2007
Message from the Chair
by Jim Johnson, Florida Department of Transportation, TTF Chair
Trns·port
News
Produced and Published
by the Trns·port Task
Force
Executive Editor
Thomas P. Rothrock
Info Tech, Inc.
Editing & Design
Valerie Riley
Pete Janelle
Geri Farah
Janice Kaplan
Info Tech, Inc.
Trns·port is a
trademark of the
American Association
of State Highway and
Transportation Officials
It seems like only yesterday that I was
writing the article for the Fall Newsletter
and now, here we are, approaching
spring. Being in Florida, folks don’t
think we have very much of a winter.
But rest assured that although we don’t
have a ‘no construction season,’ we
do enjoy about 36 hours of winter
every year. When you don’t live in a
climate where the cold is extreme we
Southerners can’t imagine just how
‘ya’ll’ can get things done. I would
imagine the only way to really know
how this is done is to live in the cold
and experience it firsthand.
In a similar fashion that’s the way it is
with the work of the Trns•port Task
Force (TTF). We don’t live among all
of our users, as we only represent nine
different agencies and trying to make
sure we have the pulse of all our users
is a very challenging indeed. One of
most important things in dealing with
this very difficult task is communication
with our users on a broad scale, in
order for us to really know what’s
going on, how our users are doing and
just what it is that they want.
Communication is vital, especially
when you begin a new endeavor
of the magnitude that we’ve begun
with Next Generation Trns•port
(NGT). Communication that is missing
(‘miss-communication’) is just as
bad as communication that doesn’t
clearly express, to the intended
audience, the correct messages (‘mis’communication).
The TTF has received
comments from several of
our users that reveal that
we’ve made some mistakes in the area
of communication, and the TTF has taken
corrective measures to avoid these problems in
the future. Some of these measures include:
•Holding several WEBinars on NGT
Preconstruction to demonstrate the
development so far.
•C r e a t i n g a n N G T T e c h n i c a l
Architecture Document that
provides information on the proposed
architecture of NGT in one concise
summary form.
•Conducting teleconferences with
individuals or groups of users.
•Seeking more involvement of the
Trns•port User Group Technical
Advisory Groups.
•U s i n g b o t h N G T F o r u m a n d
WEBServers to communicate to
users.
•Establishing Technical Review
Teams (TRT) to assist the TTF in
review of each functional area being
developed. Currently functioning is
a Preconstruction TRT with a Civil
Rights and Labor Management TRT
and Construction Management TRT
in the works, and establishment of
other functional areas (Technical
Architecture, Estimating, Bids Analysis,
Decision Support and Materials
Management) planned shortly.
Speaking of the Preconstruction TRT, the
following individuals have volunteered to serve
on the TRT:
continued on page 14
Spring 2007
Kansas Department of Transportation
NGT Preview Period Update
by Abe Rezayazdi, Kansas Department of Transportation EUD and Elizabeth Rodgers, Info Tech, Inc.
In June of 2006, The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) met with
members of the Trns•port Task Force (TTF) and Info Tech, Inc. to discuss
KDOT’s participation as a preview agency of Next Generation Trns•port
(NGT). The discussion was prompted by the fact that NGT had sufficient preconstruction functionality to be put into a testing environment. KDOT was
asked to participate because, though we are a longtime licensee of Trns•port,
we are still operating on the mainframe with the Trns•port modules and are
looking for an alternative to client/server. Due to the fact that KDOT is still
using mainframe PES®/LAS®, we are only using a subset of the current PES/LAS
functionality. This made us a good fit for becoming an early adopter of NGT.
After the initial discussions with the TTF and Info Tech, we were willing to work
with them. We had the resources and willingness to participate in the preview
period and the ability to move quickly to a web platform from the mainframe.
We are dedicating numerous resources from our business and technical staff
to assist with testing NGT.
Info Tech was onsite at the end of January 2007 and worked with our staff to
install Sprint 18 of NGT. The installation was validated by running the FitNesse
acceptance tests. Initially we encountered an issue with the database installation
due to the generic nature of the NGT database installation files and an NGT
table and synonym name being the same as a default Oracle® Spatial synonym.
We worked diligently with the Info Tech staff utilizing the FitNesse test results to
resolve these issues, and from that process several backlog items were created
to improve the NGT installation and improve the system documentation. There
were some issues initially with performance, but Info Tech brought these issues
to the attention of the Trns•port Review Team (TRT) and several backlog items
regarding performance were pulled in to Sprint 20.
Currently we are installing Sprint 20 in our environment. Our technical staff
has taken on the task of performing a completely new install of the web and
database servers, and we are working with Info Tech to port our test data from
our previous installation to the new one. We are looking forward to previewing
the improved performance and other enhancements that have been added
to NGT since Sprint 18.
We have now been entering data into NGT for a month. KDOT and Info Tech
meet weekly via web and telephone conference to discuss outstanding issues,
progress that has been made, and next steps. We have almost come to the
completion of the KDOT preconstruction lifecycle in NGT. We are pleased
NGT TRT Announced
The TTF recently appointed
the following members to
serve of the NGT Phase 1 preconstruction technical review
team (TRT). Please thank these
individuals for serving in this
important role.
Loren Lemmen
Michigan DOT (Chair)
Andy Crenshaw
Alabama DOT
Liz Wunderlich
Nebraska DOR
Kristen McDaniel
Wisconsin DOT
Jennifer McAllister
Ohio DOT
Bill Kodani
CALTRANS
Theresa Wilson
Virginia DOT
Sheldon Kardell
Iowa DOT
with the application and are looking
forward to further development of
NGT. KDOT is learning about the
Agile development process that is
being used for NGT, and we are
excited about the way that our users
can review and provide feedback on
the working software early and often.
Once the testing is done, we would
like to be able to go into production
as soon as possible. •
Spring 2007
SiteXchange™ at the Nebraska Department of Roads
by Jim Ferguson, Nebraska Department of Roads
Let me start with a little background information. First,
what is SiteXchange™? SiteXchange is a Trns•port
SiteManager ® companion application developed
by AASHTO. It was designed to help manage the
subcontract data flow between the Prime Contractor
and the Agency.
process was very time consuming and often delayed
approval times. Since implementing SiteXchange
there have been no stacks and a smiling subcontracts
manager. We still monitor and review each subcontract
to make sure the amounts are correct. To do this in
a way that we think simplifies the process, we use an
apples-to-apples concept. Let me explain.
Here is how the process works, ”in a nutshell.” An
Agency exports contract and vendor data from
SiteManager. The data is converted into distributable
information by a component of SiteXchange called
SubGen. Using another component of SiteXchange
called SubCon, the prime is able to enter and submit
subcontract information. The Agency then imports the
information back into SiteManager using a component
named SubLoad. The exchange of software and data
files between the contractor and agency can be done
by using the Internet or e-mail.
Subcontract requests must be made in terms of the
items – and as-bid prices – shown in the contract.
In order for the department to monitor whether the
total amount subcontracted has exceeded the limits
established in the Specifications or special provisions,
the comparison of the amount subcontracted cannot
be made using other values (unless, of course, the
amounts and prices shown in the actual subcontract
are identical to those submitted as part of the bid).
For example, if a contractor wrote subcontracts for the
performance of 70 percent of the work at 90 percent
of the as-bid prices, and then used those per-unit prices
to calculate the amount of work subcontracted when
compared to the parent contract with the department,
the calculated amount subcontracted would be
understated by 10 percent (63 percent instead of the
true value of 70 percent). The Department must insist
on an apples-to-apples comparison when determining
the actual percentage of work subcontracted, and will
only accept subcontract requests made accordingly
– i.e. in terms of contract items and as-bid prices.
However, if a subcontractor is only doing a portion
of the work related to a specific item, the unit price
shown should equate to the actual percentage value
of the work compared to the as-bid price.
Sounds simple, right? Well it is. We have been
using SiteXchange since 2003. We made the use of
SiteXchange by our contractors mandatory in January
of 2004. Truth be told, it was our contractors who
pushed for this to be mandatory.
Now that we know a little about SiteXchange, let me tell
you about the Nebraska Department of
Roads (NDOR). Our program size
was approximately $350 million
for the 2005 fiscal year. In that
same year we approved $115
million worth of subcontract
work. That subcontract
dollar amount equates to
about 500 subcontracts.
In the past we handled
all of these subcontracts
by hand. Our subcontracts
manager literally had stacks
and stacks of folders on her desk,
on chairs and on the floor. The manual
Since I have already made a short story long, let
me end by saying that we are very pleased with
SiteXchange. It had an immediate positive impact on
the working relationship we have with our prime and
sub contractors. Bottom-line…SiteXchange allows us
to do more with less. •
Spring 2007
NGT User Feedback
by Tim Lindberg, South Carolina DOT, Denis Glascock, Missouri DOT, Ian Baldwin and Bob Dehoff, Info Tech, Inc.
Even as development work for Next Generation
Trns•port (NGT) continues, the Trns•port Task Force
(TTF) and Info Tech, Inc. place a high value on feedback
received from the Trns•port user community.
system administration. Please contact Info Tech or
the TTF to request webinars for your agency.
Participate in Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs)
and Technical Review Teams (TRTs): There are
TAGs for each functional area in Trns•port. The
Proposal through Award TAG is already meeting
via teleconference on a regular basis to review
progress on NGT. A TRT was recently appointed
for Preconstruction, and plans are underway to
appoint TRTs for Construction Management and
Civil Rights.
This opportunity to provide ongoing feedback is new
to Trns•port. In the past, user input was actively
sought during the phase of development that produced
the System Requirements and Design Specifications
(SRDS) documents. Once the SRDS documents were
approved, the user community was pretty much on the
sidelines until the software was presented for testing.
As such there was the potential for the contractor’s
interpretation of the design to be quite different from
the intent of the users.
List Services: Info Tech and the Task Force monitor
the List Services for discussion activity regarding
NGT.
The Agile development method works to avoid this
pitfall by allowing for frequent input from users on the
direction of the software development. In fact, this input
is crucial to keep the focus on the user community’s
vision for the design. The feedback is considered, and
the development process is improved by incrementally
refining the design based on reviews and input from the
user community.
Direct contact: If you are comfortable doing so,
contact members of the Task Force or Info Tech
directly, by phone or e-mail.
What type of feedback is valuable?
Any and all feedback is valuable and will be considered.
After exercising the system on the NGT Preview
site you might submit your answers to the following
questions:
How do users remain involved and provide feedback?
NGT Preview Site: Users can visit the NGT preview
site (http://ngtpreview.infotechfl.com) and run the
system through its paces, or review system artifacts
such as acceptance tests or user stories.
• How well does the system fit your needs?
• How easy or difficult do you find the system
to use?
• What ideas for improvement would you suggest?
NGT Forums: Users can participate in discussions on
the NGT Forums maintained on the Cloverleaf™web
site (https://www.cloverleaf.net). Several forum
areas are available for user collaboration on functional
areas of NGT and for frequently asked questions.
There are, of course, many other ways to respond with
feedback, and these are welcomed and encouraged. So
if you haven’t already been to the NGT Preview site or if
it’s been a while, give it a try and let us know what you
think. Your efforts to stay abreast of development and to
provide input based on your experience and perspective
will help to make NGT a better product. •
NGT Webinars: After completion of several overview
webinars in the spring, look for future webinars to
cover more detailed topics within NGT such as
Spring 2007
Implementation Status
by Pamela Keith, Info Tech, Inc.
During this winter’s construction season slowdown,
Trns•port analysis and implementation projects were in
full swing. The following is a small sampling of agencies
and current projects.
custom RTF Change Order reports, and an interface
with their Financial Management System. Additionally,
spec book data is being analyzed and populated into
SiteManager, and existing Microsoft® Access™ reports
are being converted to web-based using Active Reports.
INDOT plans to go into production with SiteManager
Construction in the summer of 2007; training will begin
this spring.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT)
is conducting pilot projects of the SiteManager™
Construction module, running parallel pilots in each of
its four Regions. However, contractor payments are not
being initiated in SiteManager during the pilots. TDOT
developed a custom plug-in to calculate price and pay
adjustments. Until the implementation of SiteManager
Materials is performed, a plug-in will support tracking
material test quantities. Statewide production release
and training of SiteManager Construction will roll out
starting in the summer of 2007.
An analysis is underway for Maine Department of
Transportation (MDOT) to evaluate their construction
business processes from award through completion,
looking especially at contract payments, change orders,
and item management. MDOT currently uses Trns•port
CAS®, FieldManager®, FieldBook®, and FieldPad™. The
goal with this analysis is to determine whether it can
better utilize these Trns•port products, and to identify
specific ways to enhance their business processes to
create a more efficient work flow.
Following fifteen months of focused effort, the Mississippi
Department of Transportation (MDOT) is officially in
production with several additional Trns•port modules!
The DOT had been using SiteManager for several years
as its Construction and Materials Management System,
but now it has added the Proposal and Estimates System
(PES®), Letting and Awards System (LAS®), Expedite™, the
Decision Support System (BAMS/DSS®) and Estimator.
MDOT’s January letting marked the first time all modules
were used together and it was a tremendous success.
Over 60 percent of all bids submitted for the letting
were loaded electronically using Expedite. Not bad
for the first letting!
Implementation at the Philippines Department of
Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is coming to
a close. Final reviews, updates and acceptance of
deliverables are being performed. End User training
has been completed, with classes presented to over
300 participants on PES/LAS, Expedite, and CES®.
Contract negotiations have begun for a BAMS/DSS
Implementation. Also being negotiated are two onsite
positions - Coach/Trainer and Cost Engineer.
There are many other ongoing Trns•port projects within
the user community. For more information on agencies
and their projects, please refer to the Agency Status
Report on Cloverleaf™ at www.cloverleaf.net. •
Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has
been busy with ongoing SiteManager Construction
implementation efforts. The implementation team
has been designing and developing DWR Templates,
Spring 2007
MSE Status Report
by Margaret Andraka, Info Tech, Inc.
We have completed a substantial amount of work and
are now nearing the end of the 2006-2007 Maintenance,
Support and Enhancement (MSE) work plan. We have
kept our focus on moving ahead with development of
Next Generation Trns•port (NGT), while still handling
all urgent/critical Trns•port Modification Requests
(TMRs) and approved high priority TMRs. Our
maintenance and support efforts have been directed
at helping agencies implement the latest versions of
our client/server modules and stand-alone applications.
At the same time, we are maintaining and supporting
communication hubs such as Cloverleaf™, the NGT
preview site, and the NGT forum.
Since the New Development and Enhancement portion
of this fiscal year’s MSE work plan is strategically
focused on NGT, no AASHTO-funded enhancements
are planned for AASHTO-owned Trns•port modules.
The TTF can approve agency-funded enhancements at
any time during the year.
NGT Preconstruction is progressing with the help of
oversight and input from the user community. This
includes high level involvement by the Technical Review
Team (TRT) and the Subcommittee on Joint Development
(SCOJD). We are also working closely with the Kansas
Department of Transportation (KDOT) in testing a prerelease version of NGT. In addition to proposal and
letting and award functions, the first release of NGT
will contain initial Materials Management functions
funded by the Michigan Department of Transportation
(MDOT).
The next NGT development initiatives will include
Construction Management, Civil Rights Labor
Management (CRLMS), and remaining Materials
Management functions. We will continue to post
monthly progress updates on the NGT preview site, and
encourage the user community to provide feedback
through the NGT forum.
SiteManager ™ update
3.7b-1 and SitePad ™
1.1e have been
released, improving the
functionality of SitePad.
There will also be a June
2007 production release
of SiteManager (3.8a).
For Trns•port shared
products, FieldNet ™
update 2.1a was
released in March 2007,
improving usability and adding extra security features.
Meanwhile a production release of FieldManager® is
scheduled for June 2007 (4.3a).
Trns•port products are currently being tested for
compatibility with Windows Vista ™ and Internet
Explorer® 7, while work on .NET 2005 continues. All
June product releases will include the Microsoft Visual
Studio® .NET 2005 technology upgrade.
With major efforts being centered on urgent, critical and
TTF-selected high priority TMRs, there was no annual
TMR review session this year. However, users are asked
to continue testing their previously reported TMRs in
new releases and report for TTF review any changes in
TMR status or priority to customer.support@cloverleaf.
net. We encourage agencies to continue this review
and feedback process throughout the fiscal year, as this
will benefit both Trns•port production software and
NGT development.
All MSE initiatives referenced above are coordinated
with additional agency-funded direct contract work.
Information on the status of all enhancement,
maintenance and warranty TMRs is available on www.
cloverleaf.net. The Cloverleaf website continues as
a key source of Trns•port information. You may also
refer to www.cloverleaf.net/ngt for more information
on the NGT initiative. •
Spring 2007
SiteManager Enhancements
®
by John Carpenter and Yolanda Roberson, Info Tech, Inc.
Trns•port SiteManager® release 3.8a will be available
to licensees in June 19, 2007. The release will include
a number of maintenance and warranty fixes as well
as some important functional enhancements. These
enhancements were made possible through the
conversion of AASHTO service units to the Trns•port
Maintenance Support and Enhancement (MSE) budget
by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and
Development (LADOTD), the Virginia Department of
Transportation (VDOT), the Oklahoma Department
of Transportation (ODOT), the New York State
Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), and the
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC). These
enhancements will be constructed so as to not affect
workflow for agencies that choose not to use the added
functionality.
TMR 9054 will eliminate the error messages and
Datawindow Accept Error if the user has defined an
alphanumeric field with more than 61 characters on a
custom template.
TMR 9055 will display the full field length as defined in
the Template Filed Name and values in the template of
Custom List Record Usage type.
TMR 9060 will resolve multiple window issues
including:
From LADOTD
Enhancement TMR 9512 adds the capability of creating
Custom SUPERPAVE Mix Design Record Templates
and associating those templates to a SUPERPAVE Mix
Design.
a) Search in List Field of Custom List Usage should
not be available until a template ID has been
selected.
b) The Field value of the template content converts
all text to uppercase.
c) If data has been entered on the fields of the
template content without a value assigned to the
List field, an error message displays. When you
assign the value to the List field, the value of the
fields on the template content disappears.
Enhancement TMR 9513 provides for an option to
make the Representative Quantity field required on the
Basic Sample Data tab. In addition, upon saving a nonauthorized sample, the total Representative Quantity for
all contract items on the Contract tab will be compared
to the Representative Quantity on the Basic Sample
Data tab. The amounts will not be converted if the
unit of measurement differs between the sample and
the contract items.
Enhancement TMR 9690 will add the Custom Record
Template functionality to the Portland Cement Concrete
(PCC) Mix Design window. SiteManager will be
modified such that Custom Record Templates can be
linked to PCC Mix Design records, so users can enter
additional data on the templates for selected Mix
Designs. The inclusion of this enhancement will not
affect workflow for agencies that choose not to use the
added functionality.
As an added benefit, a series of related maintenance
TMRs will be addressed in order to maximize the value
of the LADOTD enhancements. These include the
following:
From VDOT
Enhancement TMR 8507 will extend the SiteManager
attachment functionality to the DWR, Diary and
Construction conference windows.
TMR 5274 will eliminate the SMapp/unknown error
when a user selects “New” to create a new template.
It will also eliminate repeated error messages when
deleting a template and templates will have to be
generated in order to be saved.
Enhancement TMR 7247 will introduce the functionality
of spell checking to the remarks for the DWR Info
tab, DWR record work items, and Diaries. There will
be a System Operational Parameter setting added
continued on page 15
Spring 2007
TRACER™ Evaluation Version Announcement
by Jim Johnson, Florida Department of Transportation, TTF Chair
Earth Tech and AASHTO are pleased to announce the
Evaluation release of the TRAnsportation Cost EstimatoR
(TRACER™) system. This version has been created to
assist the AASHTO member community in evaluating
TRACER as a tool of choice for creating planning-level
estimates (and processes) related to transportation
construction projects.
• All parametric cost models are active (23 total).
• Reporting available at all levels (e.g. Program,
Facility, and/or Project Level).
• Limited data exporting (e.g. no data exporting at
the Program, Facility, or Project Level). [1]
• Easily converted to full-use version once software
license is purchased.
Highlights of the TRACER Evaluation version include:
The full-use version of TRACER provides exporting
on all levels to Microsoft® Word, Microsoft Excel, and
PDF formats.
[1]
• 120-day expiration function.
• No license fee and limited telephone helpline
support.
• Full access to TRACER help file to further
understand software capabilities and functions.
To obtain your evaluation copy of TRACER please
submit a formal request through your Trns•port End
User Designee (EUD) to AASHTO. •
CRLMS Update
by Todd Bergland, Minnesota Department of Transportation and Leslie Wootan-Hartung, Montana Department of Transportation
In January 2007, representatives from eleven AASHTO
member agencies met in Gainesville, Florida for a twoday training session on the potential development of
the NGT Civil Rights and Labor Management System
(CRLMS). The sessions included training in the Agile
Development Process and writing user stories, as well
as an overview of the product backlog. The training
also gave the member agencies one last time to ask
questions as it related to the CRLMS proposal before
planning for the start of development of the software.
The overall consensus of the group was that the
training was extremely beneficial for preparing them
for the interaction that the Agile Development process
demands.
application will develop and
mature over time, the
initial release will
address top priority
requirements as
directed by the
CRLMS Technical Review Team (TRT) and project
stakeholders. Implementation of the CRLMS will allow
more effective management of an agency’s external civil
rights and labor compliance activities and functions.
These activities will include employment, prevailing
wages, Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs),
Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs), Women-owned
Business Enterprises (WBEs), on-the-job training (OJT),
federal/state reporting, and payments. Within the
context of these goals, the CRLMS is intended to
ultimately address the following business areas:
The CRLMS is planned to be a comprehensive software
system that receives and processes the data required
to meet federal and state requirements for external
civil rights and labor compliance activities. While the
continued on page 15
Spring 2007
Trns·port Calendar
Trns·port Task Force Meetings
Release Schedule
June 2007
September 2007 (cont.)
FieldManager 4.3a
Estimator 2.5a
SiteManager 3.8a
Expedite 5.6c
SiteXchange 1.0b-1
PES 5.9c
BAMS/DSS 6.6b-1
LAS 5.9c
June 18 - 23, 2007
August 20-25, 2007
AASHTO Meetings & Events
TEA - October 2-4, 2007
TUG - October 5-10, 2007
St. Louis, Missouri
SAPW 5.9c
September 2007
BAMS/DSS 6.6c
CAS 5.5c
BAMS/DSS Standard 6.6c
CES 5.7b
Key Trns·port Contacts
Trns•port TASK FORCE
Jim Johnson, P.E., Florida DOT, Chair
Phone: 850-414-4144
E-mail: [email protected]
Todd Bergland, Minnesota DOT
Phone: 651-296-2923
E-mail: [email protected]
Denis Glascock, P.E., Missouri DOT
Phone: 573-751-6735
E-mail: [email protected]
Don Grayson, Mississippi DOT
Phone: 601-359-7424
E-mail: [email protected].
Loren Lemmen, Michigan DOT
Phone: 517-241-3851
E-mail: [email protected]
Tim Lindberg, P.E., South Carolina DOT
Phone: 803-737-1656
E-mail: [email protected]
John Riedl, Oregon DOT
Phone: 503-986-3886
E-mail: [email protected]
Barbara Scruggs, Virginia DOT
Phone: 804-786-3354
E-mail: [email protected]
Liz Wunderlich, Nebraska DOR
Phone: 402-479-4528
E-mail: [email protected]
AASHTO
Jim Ramsey
Phone: 502-410-1283
E-mail: [email protected]
Roger Bierbaum, P.E, SCOJD Liaison
Iowa DOT
Phone: 515-239-1414
E-mail: [email protected]
John Morden, T&AA Liaison,
Florida DOT
Phone: 850-414-4208
E-mail: [email protected]
10
Trns•port USERS GROUP
Brian Parnell, Chair
South Carolina DOT
Phone: 803-737-1147
E-mail: [email protected]
Jennifer McAllister, TEA/TUG Webmaster
Ohio DOT
Phone: 614-644-6394
E-mail: [email protected]
INFO TECH, INC.
Tom Rothrock, Trns•port Contract Manager
Phone: 352-381-4400
E-mail: [email protected]
Joe Phelan, Trns•port Marketing & Sales
Manager
Phone: 352-381-4400
E-mail: [email protected]
Spring 2007
PT 4
AL
AR
AZ
CA
CO
CT
DC
DE
FL
GA
IA
ID
IN
KS
KY
LA
MD
ME
MI
MN
MO
MS
MT
NC
ND
NE
NJ
NM
NY
OH
OK
OR
PA
SC
TN
TX
VA
VT
WI
WV
WY
FHWA1
NB 2
NS 3
Trns·port Licensing Status
BAMS/DSS
CES
PES
LAS
CAS
EXPEDITE
ESTIMATOR
SITEMANAGER
SITEPAD
SITEXCHANGE
FIELDMANAGER
FIELDNET
INTRANET
TRACER
1 - FHWA Federal Lands Division
2 - New Brunswick
11
3 - Nova Scotia
4 - Pennsylvania Turnpike
Spring 2007
2007-2008 MSE and LRWP
by Margaret Andraka, Info Tech, Inc.
Both the 2007-2008 Maintenance, Support and
Enhancement (MSE) Work Plan and the 2007-2012
Long Range Work Plan (LRWP) are currently being
updated and will soon be reviewed and approved by
the Trns•port Task Force (TTF). Once finalized, these
documents will be posted to the Cloverleaf™ website
(www.cloverleaf.net) for the user community to view.
TMR Title
7813 Support estimate report option to hide
prices
9508 Exclude item from reference price
calculations that are a percent of the
estimate
9543 Enhance Estimator printing functionality
9548 Show unit when selecting an item
NGT
9562 Allow Estimator to read and write specific
Excel files
This current fiscal year, just as in 2006-2007, New
Development and Enhancement funds are focused
mainly on Next Generation Trns•port (NGT). NGT
Preconstruction is progressing at a steady pace with new
initiatives such as Materials Management, Construction,
and Civil Rights on the horizon. Users may refer to
www.cloverleaf.net/ngt for more information on the
NGT initiative.
FieldManager
Info Tech has scheduled for development this fiscal
year the enhancements shown in the following table.
The larger of the two enhancements scheduled for
FieldManager, TMR 9473, will allow the user to select the
backup location and medium during database backup
in order to do away with copying the FieldManager
database to diskettes.
Within the AASHTO MSE, the shared products Estimator™,
FieldManager® and FieldNet™ are maintained, supported
and enhanced using a separate pool of funding for each
product. To address the ongoing functional needs of the
shared product user community, several enhancements
were approved by the TTF. These are scheduled for
delivery in the end-of-fiscal-year releases.
TMR Title
9487 Track and display the user that creates
estimates
9473 During database backup, allow user to
select backup location and medium
Estimator
The user community can use the Cloverleaf TMR browse
tool to get more detail on all of the TMRs referenced
above. Agencies are encouraged to review and update
the descriptions of pending enhancement TMRs listed
on Cloverleaf and to log new TMRs as needed. This
information is key to the annual Trns•port User Group
(TUG) ballot process and is reviewed by the TTF and
Info Tech throughout the year as product and agency
needs arise. •
Five Estimator enhancements are planned for 20072008 and are shown in the following table. The largest
of the enhancements is TMR 9562 which will enable
Estimator to read and write Microsoft® Excel files
that have the following basic columns: Group, Item,
Quantity, and Unit Price. Excel files with this format
will import directly into an Estimator estimate file. An
Estimator estimate file will export an Excel file with these
four basic columns as well.
12
Spring 2007
TUG Preview
by Brian Parnell, South Carolina Department of Transportation
Get ready to come out this fall to the 2007 Trns•port
User Group (TUG) conference in St. Louis, Missouri.
The conference will be held from Saturday, October
6 until Wednesday, October 10 and everyone is
welcome.
this year. There will be a number of changes to the
agenda such as simultaneous sessions and some mixing
up of the previous formats. Other changes include
breakout sessions, roundtable discussions, and more
opportunities for agencies to get together on topics that
mean the most to them. There will also be presentations
on MoDOT’s $530 million design-build job called “The
New I-64” and a glimpse into MoDOT’s electronic
letting procedures.
Each year, the annual TUG Conference is filled with
useful information and is a valuable asset to all states
involved with the Trns•port line of products. This year’s
event will not disappoint. Planning is underway, and the
folks over at the Missouri Department of Transportation
(MoDOT) have been hard at work and have some
wonderful ideas that will
be a bit different from the
standard TUG Conference
format.
As usual, we must make sure that each Technical Advisory
Group (TAG) has had an opportunity to review, update,
and propose any Trns•port
Maintenance Requests
(TMRs) that will become
ballot items. This year,
Field Management and
Construction Management
TAGs will be combining for
a portion of their meetings,
as their products will be
eventually merging with the
release of NGT. Technical
Advisory Group meetings
will take place on Monday
with an opportunity for
attendees to break off into
PHOTO: BEV SYKES
roundtable discussions
regarding specific topics later in the week. As usual,
on Wednesday, we will wrap up the 2007 conference
with our annual business meeting.
The conference will kick
off on Saturday afternoon
with a Warm-up Session
that will include more of a
laid- back atmosphere than
previous TUG Primers and
will have open forum that
will be of interest to both
“old school” attendees and
“newbies.” It will include a
basic understanding of the
inner workings of the TUG, as well as an introduction
to Next Generation Trns•port (NGT). Those interested
in learning about what’s going on will get a great base
of knowledge, and those veterans who are familiar
with TUG will be given an opportunity to help. After
this warm-up, we should all be able to hit the ground
running on Sunday morning.
MoDOT and I have read last year’s conference
evaluations and are taking many things into account
to make the 2007 TUG Conference as informative and
pleasant as you could ever imagine. However, this is
your conference so if you have any recommendations
or questions, please let me know. Also, check out the
conference web site at www.modot.org/teatug/ for
information on the hotel, the agenda, and registration.
I look forward to seeing everyone there! •
Throughout the conference, there will be a number of
presentations on our current Trns•port applications,
as well as more in-depth looks into NGT status and
development. For those of you who have attended
previous conferences, be prepared for a shakeup
13
Spring 2007
NGT Portal on Cloverleaf™
by Teresa Franklin and Valerie Riley, Info Tech, Inc.
Cloverleaf, you will see two major headings: Product
Development, Communication and Contact Us (with
more sections to be added later). Below each heading
are links to pertinent information. Some are e-mail links,
some are links to documents and others link to pages
elsewhere on the site. All information that was on the
previous NGT page is still available, and a great deal of
new information has been added.
Finding information about NGT just got a little easier.
The NGT page on Cloverleaf™ has been turned into
an “information portal” with major topics and links for
easier browsing.
Previously, the NGT page on Cloverleaf contained a
great deal of text about the initiative, some e-mail links
and some links off to the side. However, as NGT was
growing and developing, it became apparent that there
was a lot more information that the user community
needed, and that the existing structure could not
support it.
This portal is a vast improvement that will help you
get quicker, easier access to the information you
are seeking. Check it out today at www.cloverleaf.
net/ngt. If you have any questions, or would like to
see information added or removed, please e-mail the
Cloverleaf webmaster. •
Given this situation, the portal concept was applied
to the page. Now, when you visit the NGT page on
Next Generation Trns•port Release Planning, continued
align with releases. As long as the overall size to release
remains unchanged, the ability to adjust what makes
up that scope ensures that the highest priority business
value can be delivered to the user community. •
several smaller backlog items, there maybe a net change
to the overall scope.
This requires ongoing review of the backlog to manage
the backlog items and adjust the priority as needed to
Message from the Chair, continued
Loren Lemmen, Michigan, TTF Member, TRT Chair
Liz Wunderlich, Nebraska, TTF Member Rep
Andy Crenshaw, Alabama
Bill Kodani, California
Paul Herring, Florida
Sheldon Kardell, Iowa
Jennifer McAllister, Ohio
Theresa Wilson, Virginia
Kristen McDaniel, Wisconsin
If you have additional questions or concerns in reference
to the work of the TTF, or particular to any one of the
current development efforts or potential development
efforts, please contact me or one of the other TTF
members.
Remember, without your communications with us we
may be warming ourselves in the sun not knowing that
there’s a blizzard blowing about. •
The TRT is currently meeting every Tuesday morning
to discuss issues related to the ongoing development
of Preconstruction.
14
Spring 2007
SiteManager Enhancements, continued
to SiteManager that will allow an agency to enable
or disable the use of the spell checker. Spell check
will occur automatically when either the Save icon is
clicked or after clicking on the Remarks icon to save a
remark. The spell checker functionality will use the same
‘Custom.dic’ that is utilized by Microsoft® applications
installed on the PCs or laptops. The spell checker
function would allow for the addition of new words
that are not in the current ‘Custom.dic.’
modified to allow setting the new parameters including
a modified CO approval users selection window to
set Federal approval order according to new system
settings.
From ODOT
Enhancement TMR 9417 will allow agencies to set the
FHWA approval for change orders by adding two new
system settings. These settings will alter the change
order approval process to accommodate changes in the
Federal approval level relative to departmental approval
levels. The System Operational settings window will be
From KYTC
Enhancement TMR 9600 will add additional remark
Types of Approved Materials and Producer/Suppler
windows. SiteManager will be modified to allow
the Agency to define user remark type and maintain
different remarks. •
From NYSDOT
Enhancement TMR 9539 will add the attachment
function to the Superpave and Portland Cement
Concrete Mix Design windows.
CRLMS Update, continued
•Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative
Action monitoring
•Wage and labor monitoring
•DBE/MBE/WBE program monitoring
•Civil rights, labor, on-the-job training, and DBE/
MBE/WBE reporting
•Integration with, yet capability to operate
independently of Trns•port
•Access to and use of the system by external
parties (for example, contractors, subcontractors,
FHWA, cities, and counties)
•Data migration from existing relevant Trns•port
client/server modules
•Provide the base data for DBE/MBE/WBE data
analysis
meeting in Gainesville, Florida on May 22-24, 2007. The
Trns•port Task Force (TTF) thanks all who have been
involved in the CRLMS effort and looks forward to this
exciting new AASHTO Trns•port offering.
If you have any
questions about the
proposed CRLMS
project or if your
agency would still
like to participate,
you
should
contact either
Todd Bergland,
TTF member from
Minnesota, (Todd.
Bergland@dot.
state.mn.us, 651-366-4608) or Tony Bianchi, AASHTO
Project Manager ([email protected], 202-624-5821).
Additional information about the CRLMS project can
be found on the NGT web site at www.cloverleaf.
net/ngt. •
I am pleased to announce in this newsletter that with
the hard work of a number of individuals the last of the
funding is being committed at this time in order to obtain
Subcommittee on Joint Development (SCOJD) approval
to initiate the project. As such, we are planning to
conduct a CRLMS Technical Review Team (TRT) kickoff
15
Spring 2007
Trns·port News
...is a semiannual newsletter designed to bring you current information about Trns•port, AASHTO’s Transportation
Software Management Solution. Trns•port News provides current information about Trns•port, the status of development
activities, information on proposed enhancements, reports from the users, implementation and support issues, usage
suggestions and Trns•port Task Force news.
Trns•port News is sent to the AASHTO Trns•port Users Representatives, the Trns•port Users Group mailing list and others
whose names are on the Trns•port newsletter mailing list. To place a name on the Trns•port News mailing list, please send
or fax the name and mailing address to AASHTO - Trns•port News, 444 N. Capitol Street, NW, Suite 249, Washington D.C.
20001, fax (202) 624-5469.
AASHTO Trns•port, the AASHTO Trns•port logo, BAMS/DSS, the Trns•port BAMS/DSS logo, CAS, the Trns•port CAS logo,
CES, the Trns•port CES logo, Trns•port Estimator, the Trns•port Estimator logo, Trns•port Expedite, the Trns•port Expedite
logo, Trns•port FieldBook, the Trns•port FieldBook logo, Trns•port FieldBuilder, the Trns•port FieldBuilder logo, Trns•port
FieldManager, the Trns•port FieldManager logo, Trns•port FieldPad, the Trns•port FieldPad logo, LAS, the Trns•port LAS
logo, PES, the Trns•port PES logo, Trns•port SiteManager, the Trns•port SiteManager logo, Trns•port SitePad, the Trns•port
SitePad logo, Trns•port SiteXchange, and the Trns•port SiteXchange logo are registered trademarks of AASHTO. Trns•port
BAMS/DSS, Trns•port CAS, Trns•port CES, Trns•port LAS, Trns•port PES, are trademarks of AASHTO. AASHTO Trns•port,
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PES, and Trns•port SiteManager represent one or more proprietary products of AASHTO. AASHTOWare is a registered
servicemark and trademark of AASHTO.
Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or service marks of their respective owners.
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