WEB-BASED PROJECT MANAGEMENT ACTION RESEARCH FOR
HIGHWAY PROJECTS UNDER $10 MILLION
Authors: Perez Reboredo, Jose A1.; Jahren, Charles T2.
This paper reports on action research conducted to find a web-based project management
system (WPMS) for the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT). WPMSs are often used in
planning and control of building projects, but can also be used to manage highway and heavy
construction projects. In 2008, the Iowa DOT initiated a five-year construction period that
includes several complex bridge projects (> $10 million) and sought a WPMS that would
facilitate the transmittal of requests for information (RFIs) and shop drawings for these projects.
Now, the Iowa DOT is considering implementing a different WPMS on smaller highway projects
($10 million) with capabilities of expanding its usage to all DOT projects.
Action research, an iterative process of continuous improvement, was used to identify a
WPMS that met the Iowa DOT’s needs. Through this process the research team with the help of
a technical advisory committee (TAC) evaluated the effectiveness of WPMS solutions. The
research team and the TAC also developed solutions that addressed immediate project needs and
established ideas for subsequent implementation.
This paper describes the process of identifying a WPMS for smaller highway projects.
This process involved the development of the workflow for the Iowa DOT’s document
management. The first workflow that was created corresponded to sign truss projects; this
helped the researchers understand the document management of smaller DOT highway projects.
Subsequently, several WPMSs were studied and compared to the workflow. From these,
Microsoft SharePoint Server was selected as a possible solution for implementation.
Currently, additional workflows, further studies and tests are being performed to
Microsoft SharePoint before it is pilot tested.
Key Words: action research – WPMS – electronic collaboration – document management
- Web-based Project Management Systems
1
Graduate Student, Iowa State University, Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, 176 Town
Engineering, Ames, IA 50011, Tel. 515-294-4720
2
Associate Professor, Iowa State University, Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, 428 Town
Engineering, Ames, IA 50011, Tel. 515-294-3829