PM

2
CONTENTS
Quality In Transportation ..................................................... 2
CTA
ISO 9001 and the CTA’s Capital Improvement Program ........... 7
The Illinois Tollway Case Study
An Examination of the Implementation of a Program
Management Office to Administer the $6.3 Billion
Congestion-Relief Program ........................................................... 12
Program Life-Cycle Solutions
‘Success Management’ Model Manages Uncertainty,
Provides Value and Delivers Results’ ........................................... 21
Appendix ....................................................................................... 25
ӹӹ Keys to Success in Web
ӹӹ Chicago Tribune
Illinois ‘ 5-year Tollway Project Under Budget and Ahead
of Schedule
ӹӹ Computer Aided Collaboration in Managing Construction

3
QUALITY IN TRANSPORTATION
CIPM and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) achieve an ISO9001/2000 registered
quality program, leveraging web-based project management systems, designed to
improve the efficiency of the transportation Agency’s capital construction program
consistent with Total Quality Management (TQM) principles.
Sharif Abou-Sabh , P.E.
Senior Vice President Transportation, HNTB
PROBLEM
Faced with a formidable
infrastructure improvement
need, the CTA hired a man-
agement consultant firm to
help with the pre-design,
design and construction
of its multi-billion dollar
transportation capital
improvement program.
The CTA and consultant capital project staff merged to form a public/
private sector partnership identifying itself as Capital Improvement
Program Management (CIPM). The new team’s first challenge was to
develop a process-based quality management system to meet aggres-
sive schedules and ensure cost controls.
SOLUTION
The team (CIPM) deemed that an ISO-compliant quality system
would provide confidence that the Agency’s capital program would
meet or exceed requirements and expectations, focus on customer
satisfaction and enable continuous quality improvement.
ISO implementation had two elements: 1) critical business processes
were streamlined and 2) a comprehensive web-based project man-
agement system – ProjectNet - was introduced to consolidate and
enhance workflow efficiency gains.
An implementation schedule was developed which included proce-
dure evaluation and writing, training, gap analysis, internal auditing,
preliminary registrar audit, correcting shortcomings and finally the
assessment audit. The original 15-month schedule was shortened to
12 months when management started viewing positive improvements
while preparing for the assessment audit.
Schedule of Implementation

4
ӹӹ Self-Assessment: Assessed our management sys-
tem against the requirements of ISO9001:2000 and
feedback information to senior management. This
supported a two-way customer focused approach in
that any deficiencies highlighted could be attended to
before proceeding further.
ӹӹ Registrar Selection: Management selected Underwrit-
ers Laboratories (UL) as the most suitable firm for the
registration/certification process.
ӹӹ Preliminary Visit: UL auditors performed a fact-find-
ing visit to establish personal contact and to gain
information as to the general layout and facilities of
our organization. The team leader gathered informa-
tion to support the planning and timescale for the
on-site implementation audit and, undertook a tour
of the facility to identify
operational processes and
any deficiencies.
ӹӹ Assessment: UL auditors in-
vestigated evidence for con-
formance to ISO9001:2000.
Auditors carried out an
extensive examination of
the system in use, by review
of the range of processes
adopted and by interview-
ing personnel.
ӹӹ Certification and Surveil-
lance: With successful
assessment completed,
see below, certification is
maintained by an agreed
program of surveillance
visits, undertaken at six-monthly intervals.
With “customer satisfaction” as a cornerstone of the
ISO9000 system, key design, construction and man-
agement procedures were re-engineered. The team also
developed procedures to monitor performance, anticipate
needs and apply “lessons learned” from individual proj-
ects to projects throughout the system.
ISO9000/2000
ISO9000 is not a product standard but a quality man-
agement system. ISO emphasizes principles, goals and
objectives, which focus on meeting or exceeding custom-
er expectations and requirements, and on continuous
improvement.
The CTA received its registration on March 20, 2003. With
the successful implementation of the ISO quality manage-
ment system, CTA & CIPM provide indisputable evidence
to CTA’s customers and funding partners that the CTA is a
modern, world-class organization that emphasizes quality
with a focus on customer satisfaction and continuous
improvement.
Our implementation of ISO9000 has addressed:
ӹӹ Introduction of a unified management system
ӹӹ Improvement of all processes in the capital project life
cycle
ӹӹ Focus on customer satisfaction
ӹӹ Employees’ awareness of quality
ӹӹ Resource utilization
ӹӹ Rework and lost time costs
ISO9000 bolsters confidence that the output of the capital
improvement program will
meet or exceed requirements
and expectations. In the past,
the project development phase
was excessively long, and capital
project cost estimates used for
budgeting were unreliable. To
address this problem, we intro-
duced the standardized “Master
Project Plan” process. Project
requirements are now thor-
oughly identified and reliable
cost estimates are available early
enough in the funding cycle to
properly prioritize capital needs.
We have dramatically reduced
the average pre-design duration.
Internal (CTA operating depart-
ments) and external customers
(passengers and communi-
ties) review and comment on projects and their input is
incorporated during planning, thus avoiding costly repair
or rework. Our value management procedures embody a
commitment to efficiency in project durations and costs.
PROJECTNET
A web-based project management system was simultane-
ously introduced for use during all stages of the project
life cycle – planning, design, construction and operations.
A system was selected that enabled access for users inside
and outside the CTA. All reference documents are main-
tained in the system and available to any participant with
a web-browser and connection to the Internet. ProjectNet
enables participants to address questions interactively,
and generates a permanent record of all shared data. As a
result, resolution “cycle time” and project schedules have
been dramatically reduced.
CTA President, Frank Kruesi (left) and
Senior Vice President/Program Manager,
Sharif Abou-Sabh receiving the ISO9001
registration.

5
Once trained, design consultants, construction managers
and contractors are given access to the system. Every proj-
ect in the capital program – nearly 88 at this time – has a
website. Project Managers are responsible for arranging
access “rights” in accordance with ISO9000 document
control requirements.
No other transportation system has adopted web-based
project management on a programmatic basis to man-
age capital programs in a coordinated manner and yield
systematic performance improvements. This process and
technology innovation demonstrates a commitment to
sound stewardship of public trust.
ProjectNet enhances workflow efficiencies, providing
common collaborative workspace, improving accessibil-
ity and transparency, and centralizing document control
functions in keeping with ISO9000 record retention
requirements. Our professionals can resolve design and
construction problems much quicker, and with a perma-
nent record of solutions. Stakeholders throughout the
project life cycle have up-to-the-minute information. Less
time is spent during construction resolving issues related
to unclear contract documents. The new system enables
users with access to a web browser to review documenta-
tion and respond to any questions.
BENEFITS
Time and cost savings are the best evidence of this inno-
vation’s improved collaboration systems. ISO9000-web-
based project management gives our staff, consultants,
contractors, outside agency personnel and customers
immediate access to information as it is being posted,
enabling rapid incorporation of feedback from multi-
ple stakeholders, preventing mistakes from taking root,
improving the rate and retention of good ideas and
compressing review and approval time. Records retained
for long-term use prevent inefficient re-invention of the
wheel.
On the Loop Signalization project (a complex project to
improve service reliability by replacing the signal system)
the project scope of work was developed in the Master
Planning stage using the website. This approach saved
several weeks and is credited with eliminating “scope
creep” often observed on projects, which reflects incom-
plete collaboration. Our web-based application of “value
engineering” also yielded dramatic improvements when
project participants incorporated savings recommenda-
tions into a revised scope of work within one day, a task
normally requiring much more time. Another value
engineering study on the $50.6 million Howard Street Rail
Station project resulted in $1.7 million savings.
Comparing performance on the capital program’s largest
program - the Douglas Branch Rehabilitation – to perfor-
mance prior to ISO9000 and the web-based system reveals
a 260% increase in the number of problems resolved in
18% less time. The ISO9000 focus on continuous im-
provement drove schedule re-phasing. As a result of these
innovations, this 3.5-year project may be complete 255
days ahead of schedule. Translation: minimized inconve-
nience to the traveling public and potential reduction in
project costs.
Who are the current and potential beneficiaries of the
program and what are the direct or indirect benefits to
citizens? The Federal Transportation Administration
(FTA), the Regional Transportation Administration (RTA)
and the City of Chicago are potential beneficiaries by way
of efficient use of grants. These savings may in turn be
passed on to federal, state and local taxpayers. Current
beneficiaries are the user departments and customers of
the Chicago Transit Authority. With coordination of ser-
vice outages and quick resolution of problems, the capital
improvement program management team uses the system
to reduce project costs and durations. In the long run, the
greatest beneficiary will be the people of the City of Chi-
cago as the CTA gradually reduces service interruptions
with an improved railway system that is more efficient
and esthetically appealing. We know it is working because
each year the ridership increases.
ISO9000 is a well-documented quality management stan-
dard that can be replicated at any organization to achieve
high performance results. An organization must define
basic leadership principles and goals and specify strate-
gic and tactical processes to achieve goals and measure
improvements.
In pursuing ISO registration by combining a compre-
hensive technological innovation – web-based project
management - with careful re-engineering of key business
processes, the Agency effectively used a culture of change
to consolidate and institutionalize important productivity
gains. To replicate an efficiency initiative of this magni-
tude at a mature organization, it is imperative that top
management is its first and most enthusiastic supporter.
Implementation is time-consuming. Procedures must be
written, analyses conducted to determine the path from
existing to ISO-consistent systems, internal and external
preliminary audits performed and a registration audit
conducted by a 3rd party registrar. It took us 12 intensive
months to arrive at the registration audit.
Web-based project management can be adapted to any
company or agency. ProjectNet itself is exceptionally
accurate, offers infinite data storage and easy data access.
However, it requires comprehensive training and must be
installed by IT professionals familiar with the product. A
manual must be produced that reflects the organization’s
specific processes.

6
CONCLUSIONS
ISO9000 is a top down approach. Great benefits can be
derived in any government institution by implementing
an ISO9000 quality system and a web-based management
system as long as top management is committed.
ProjectNet is an excellent tool to keep in constant commu-
nication and shorten decision time for greatly improved
cycle time of projects, both internal and external. Using
it on a program wide initiative will tremendously impact
(shorten) the schedule completion of any project or task.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sharif Abou-Sabh is a Professional Engineer. He has a
master’s degree in civil engineering from Columbia Uni-
versity in New York.

CTA - ISO 9001 and the CTA’s
Capital Improvement Program

8
CTA
ISO 9001 AND THE CTA’S CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
This article describes the process and steps that led to the successful implementation of an ISO 9001:2000 certified
quality management system for our client, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).
Authors:
Sharif Abou-Sabh, P.E., Program Manager
Christer Bohman , Deputy Program Manager
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Chicago Transit System is a vital component of the Northeast-
ern Illinois economy. The nation’s second largest rapid transit system
serving approximately 1.5 million riders everyday The Chicago Transit
Authority (CTA) is an independent government agency created in
1945 by state legislation to provide bus and rapid transit rail services to
the City of Chicago and 38 neighboring suburbs.
Recent federal funding legislation dramatically increased funding pro-
grams available for the CTA. The CTA implemented a five-year Capital
Improvement Program with an approximate value of $2.1 billion to
address the public transportation system’s aging infrastructure and
accommodate increasing demand. A contract was awarded to a man-
agement company in September 2000 for Program Management of
the CTA Capital Improvement Program, with Sharif Abou-Sabh, P.E.
designated as Program Manager. The scope of the assignment included
planning, design management, construction management, master pro-
gram budget and schedule, and development of the management sys-
tems required to produce tangible results on a very aggressive sched-
ule. The Program Manager’s designated Capital Improvement Program
Management (CIPM) team was to be a hybrid of private sector and
Agency engineering, construction and management professionals.
ISO 9001/2000
ISO 9001/2000 is a standard for quality assurance that was created by
the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), based in Ge-
neva, Switzerland. The organization is a consortium of virtually all the
world’s national standards bodies. American National Standards Insti-
tute (ANSI) represents the United States as a correspondent member.
ISO 9001 is not a product standard but a quality system management
standard - it applies not to products or services but to the processes
that create and manage them. Rather than mandating specific meth-
ods, practices and techniques, ISO emphasizes principles, goals and
objectives, all of which focus on meeting or exceeding customer
expectations and requirements, and on continuous
improvement.
For a capital improvement program, an ISO-compliant quality man-
agement system provides confidence that the output of the program
will meet or exceed requirements and expectations, and evidences an
entity’s focus on customer satisfaction and commitment to continuous
improvement. In CTA’s case, the quality management system provides
confidence to three audiences:
ӹӹ CTA management and staff
ӹӹ CTA internal and external customers (user and maintenance
groups and the public, respectively)
ӹӹ Funding partners
WHY IMPLEMENT ISO 9001:2000 IN CTA’S
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM?
Leveraging the processes of production, a well-formulated and aggres-
sively implemented quality management system is an extraordinarily
effective tool for aligning any business entity’s strategic goals with its
products and services.
CTA’s Board of Directors had established the following strategic goals
for the Capital Improvement Program:
ӹӹ 80% of funds to be committed within five years
ӹӹ Majority of the benefits to be realized within five years
ӹӹ Progress toward bringing CTA system being in a state of good
repair
ӹӹ Equitable distribution of benefits through out the service area
The Program Manager understood that an aggressive approach would
be required to align strategic goals with the means of their achieve-
ment.
CTA has had a quality system in place since 1991. The system is based
on the requirements from the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) for
quality systems. The existing quality system would not be adequate to
ensure that strategic goals could be met as it lacked specific perfor-
mance criteria and mechanisms to assure customer satisfaction and
process improvement.
The Program Manager advocated a three-pronged tactic: 1) re-engi-
neer key business processes; 2) institute a web-based project man-
agement system to capitalize on re-engineered processes and yield
a quantum leap in productivity, and 3) attain ISO certification for a
revitalized quality management system built on the re-engineered
and automated design and construction processes. The ISO registra-
tion would consolidate and rectify gains and establish a management
framework based on performance criteria, customer service objectives,
and continuous improvement goals.
LAYING THE GROUNDWORK
In preparation for the process innovation, the Program Manager
identified the following attributes of a management system that could
deliver the Agency’s goals: management accountability, process trans-
parency and credibility in reporting. The objective of the Program
Manager’s approach was to endow the Agency’s design and construc-

9
tion management system with these attributes.
The Program Manager’s first organizational initiative was
designed to instill an ethos of accountability in the project
management ranks. Project Managers were charged with
“cradle-to-grave” responsibility for the cost, schedule
and quality performance of their projects, from planning
through construction completion. The Agency’s matrix
organization was enhanced to ensure responsive engi-
neering/design, estimating, scheduling and management
support. Upper management fostered an environment
of open communications. Driving it all was the CIPM’s
explicit agreement to achieve the Agency’s four strategic
goals.
Next, the Program Manager developed a short list of pro-
cesses to be re-engineered based on their mission-critical
relationship to meeting program implementation goals.
Project cost estimates at the budgeting stage were found
consistently unreliable, and the very process of developing
early project estimates was found to be a source of per-
ceived cost growth during design and construction. The
Program Manager introduced the “Master Project Plan”
procedure in order to yield the following improvements:
ӹӹ A rigorous standardized project definition process
to improve project scopes of work early in design
and improve the reliability of “order of magnitude”
estimates.
ӹӹ Solicit the input - and require the approval – of the
operating “user” and maintenance departments
during design development.
The latter effort - empowering “user/sponsor” groups with
a collaborative role in project development and imple-
mentation – effected a cultural shift that had the immedi-
ate affect of aligning deliverables objectives with mission.
The CTA Board of Directors recognized the dramatic
potential for productivity improvement available via Web-
based project management technologies. Web-based sys-
tems have the capacity to accommodate all key functions
of project management, facilitating light-speed collab-
oration throughout planning, design and construction.
During construction, web-based systems can be used to
review documentation and enable resolution of a variety
of issues. The system is the repository for project records
and reference documents used by consultants and con-
tractors. Finally, the system enables senior management to
monitor key functions and performance indicators.
In order to migrate the CTA Capital Program to an
on-line management environment, several design and
construction processes had to be adapted for use in a
web-based project management system. CIPM personnel
mapped the CTA’s de facto project management processes,
revising some as needed to meet accountability and pro-
ductivity objectives. These included design review/revi-
sion, submittals processing, review/resolution of requests
for information (RFIs) and project issues, and others. The
exercise was valuable in a number of ways: it promoted
team-building between public and private-sector staff
members; it provided a constructive platform for in situ
evaluation of CTA design and construction practices; and
it helped refine the roles and responsibilities of all project
participants.
IMPLEMENTING ISO 9001 IN THE
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
With the groundwork laid, at the end of 2001, the
Program Manager considered implementing the ISO
9001:2000 quality management system for the CTA Con-
struction and Engineering department, which was merged
with the -led CIPM team. An action plan to implement
ISO 9001 in 15 months was presented to the Capital
Program Executive Committee (CPEC). In February 2002
CTA management approved the initiative.
An Executive Committee was appointed comprised of
senior management from CTA and the Program Manag-
er’s staff to ensure management commitment and support.
Christer Bohman , the CIPM Quality Assurance Manager,
was appointed Project Leader. Jack Hartman, CTA Exec-
utive Vice President of Construction, was the Executive
Sponsor.
Senior management decided early on that preparation
for the certification should be done with internal (CIPM)
resources to achieve maximum benefit from the process.
No outside services would be used. Close cooperation
between the CTA and CIPM quality staff characterized
the entire preparation and certification process.
A schedule with milestones was established and contin-
uously monitored. The status of the ISO implementation
project was reported to the Executive Committee on
regular basis.
The Program Manager compared existing CTA quality
system documentation with ISO 9001:2000 requirements
and FTA guidelines for quality systems. Existing gaps were
documented.
The existing CTA Quality Policy and Quality Manual
were further reviewed and revised by CTA’s quality group.
Quality objectives were reviewed and aligned with the
established goals for the Capital Improvement Program.

10
Existing quality procedures, prepared in accordance with
the FTA requirements, were revised to satisfy require-
ments from the ISO 9001:2000 standard. Several new
procedures were developed.
ӹӹ MANAGEMENT REVIEW – This procedure ensures
consistent engagement of top management with the
quality system. Key executives have the ability to
influence processes that cut across multiple operating
or service groups. This procedure provides for on-go-
ing alignment of goals with deliverables.
ӹӹ MEASUREMENT ANALYSIS AND IMPROVEMENT –
This procedure identifies key performance criteria,
including cost and schedule performance objectives
as well as construction quality requirements, and
identifies the tools to adjust the system as needed to
achieve quality goals.
ӹӹ NONCONFORMANCE – A truly process-based inno-
vation, this procedure places responsibility for quality
on all project participants in every organization that
is party to a capital construction project. Responsible
participants include Agency personnel, contractors
and consultants alike.
ӹӹ CORRECTIVE/PREVENTATIVE ACTION – In combi-
nation with the other key procedures, this procedure
provides a mechanism to plow observations of fin-
ished product back into the system in a manner that
enables remedy.
ӹӹ CUSTOMER SATISFACTION – The “Customers” of
the CTA Capital Program are of two varieties: the
internal customer (user/sponsor departments) and
external customers (public users of the transportation
system.) This procedure ensures that customer needs
are identified and met, closing the loop between stra-
tegic goals and performance.
A program was introduced to audit the functions identi-
fied in the quality management documentation. Check-
lists ensured that audits were conducted in a structured
way. Non-conformances were documented and corrective
actions identified. Follow-ups to ensure effective imple-
mentation of corrective actions were executed. The status
of internal audits was reported to senior management.
An extensive training program for all staff was instituted.
Staff was familiarized with the quality policy and objec-
tives, the quality manual and other quality documents.
Specialized training was carried out that focusing on
management commitment and responsibilities.
The revised ISO-consistent Quality Policy and Quali-
ty Manual were sent for review and approval to senior
management of CTA, including the CTA President. (An
important characteristic of the new quality management
system is that its application is not intended to be punitive
in nature. This feature fosters a constructive and produc-
tive environment throughout project implementation.)
ISO REGISTRATION
Based on these guidelines, several registrars were consid-
ered. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) was determined
to be the most suitable candidate and a contractual
agreement was established. The agreement contained the
following three services:
ӹӹ GAP Analysis (conducted on June 17, 2002): A re-
view of existing documentation and requirements of
the ISO 9001 standard to identify gaps between ISO
requirements and CTA’s existing Quality Manage-
ment system.
ӹӹ Preliminary Assessment (November 19-21, 2002):
An evaluation of the quality management system to
determine compliance with the ISO 9001 standard.)
ӹӹ Certification Assessment (conducted on February
18-20, 2003): Complete review of the quality manage-
ment system to verify total compliance with the ISO
9001:2000 standard.
Comments from the GAP analysis and the Preliminary
Assessment were reviewed and necessary adjustments
to documentation were carried out. Additional internal
audits were performed to ensure that the entire contents
of the ISO 9000 standard was covered by the internal audit
program. Management Reviews by the senior manage-
ment from CTA and the Program Manager took place to
verify the status of the quality management system before
the certification assessment.
The certification assessment took place in February 2002,
three months ahead of the established schedule, and
resulted in four minor Action Requests and ten observa-
tions (recommendations from the registrar.)
On March 20, 2003 Underwriters Laboratory issued an
ISO Certificate of Registration to the CTA Construc-
tion, Engineering and Facilities Division, which is an
integrated CTA organization of 200 public/private
sector design and construction professionals.
CONCLUSIONS
The successful implementation of an ISO quality man-
agement system provides indisputable evidence to CTA’s
customers and funding partners that CTA is a modern,
world-class organization that emphasizes quality with a
focus on customer satisfaction and continuous improve-
ment. ISO registration is recognized in the investment
community as positive evidence of an effective value-add-
ed management tool. Indeed, within days of the news of
CTA’s ISO registration, the rating of CTA bonds for the
Douglas-Blue Line project improved.

11
The following factors contributed to success in obtaining
the ISO registration:
ӹӹ A strong commitment and involvement from senior
management.
ӹӹ Close cooperation between the quality groups
from CTA and the Program Manager’s team.
ӹӹ Early identification of required quality system attri-
butes and the innovations needed to endow them.
ӹӹ The introduction of a web-based project management
system.
ӹӹ Application of quality expectations across the entire
spectrum of capital project participants.
ӹӹ Non-punitive approach to application of the quality
system.
ӹӹ Continuous alignment of process with strategic goals
through well designed processes, extensive training,
internal audits and committed upper management
involvement.
ӹӹ Dedicated and experienced CTA and CIPM profes-
sionals that are truly quality conscious.

The Illinois Tollway
Case Study

13
THE ILLINOIS TOLLWAY CASE STUDY:
An Examination of the Implementation of a Program Management Office to Administer
the $6.3 Billion Congestion-Relief Program
BACKGROUND
The Illinois Tollway (Tollway) operates a 286-mile toll system in the greater
Chicago metropolitan area, including the Tri-State (I-94, I-294, I-80/I-294), Jane
Addams Memorial (I-90), Reagan Memorial (I-88), and Veterans Memorial (I-355)
Tollways. By the early 2000s, the Tollway was largely in an operations and main-
tenance mode.
In late-2004, the Tollway embarked on an ambitious $6.3 billion Congestion-Relief
Program (CRP) Open Roads for a Faster Future. The Program would rebuild and
widen the Tollways roads, 65% of which have not been reconstructed since they
were built in the 1950s. The CRP would:
ӹӹ Provide congestion relief
ӹӹ Enhance local economies
ӹӹ Implement critical system fixes
ӹӹ Rebuild or restore 90% of the existing system
ӹӹ Convert mainline toll plazas to 116 lanes of
barrier-free Open-Road Tolling (ORT)
ӹӹ Widen 117 miles of the existing system
ӹӹ Extend I-355 south to better serve regional growth
This capital program would improve mobility in 12 counties, reduce
daily commute times by 20 minutes a day per patron, provide a posi-
tive economic benefit to local communities, help create 252,000 jobs,
and have a $20.0 billion net positive economic impact.
The CRP program was funded through a toll rate increase and bonds;
the Tollway operates as a user-fee system. No state or federal gas tax
dollars are used to fund Tollway maintenance and operations. The
Tollway leveraged their strong rating (example AA- Fitch) to make
the program a reality. Essentially, political leadership was willing to
champion an unpopular toll rate hike to make these improvements,
however, in return demanded assurances that the CRP program would
serve as a vehicle to help modernize and reform the Tollway and to
instill program delivery accountability at all levels.
The CRP included five major goals: correct the system problems (i.e.,
fix it), congestion relief, meet needs of growing communities, enhance
local economies, and include cutting-edge initiatives.
ӹӹ The Tollway Engineering Department was re-organized to ensure
that the best qualified people were in the right jobs - either Toll-
way staff or consultants.
ӹӹ Corridor Managers were brought in to coordinate the multiple
projects within the corridors.
To successfully deliver the CRP, the Tollway knew they needed to
transform the organization. To do so, they embraced the Program
Management Office (PMO) structure.
WHY A PROGRAM MANAGEMENT OFFICE (PMO)?
Prior to commencing work on this significant and complex pro-
gram, the Tollway understood they needed to adopt a more modern,
proactive and programmatic approach to delivery and accountability.
Under the CRP, major widening, interchange, system extension, Open
Road Tolling (ORT) and other projects would need to be delivered ac-
cording to the anticipated bond issuances in addition to the increased
toll revenues. Credibility and accountability were paramount. The
Tollway Engineering Department was ISO certified – providing them
with a disciplined approach which was critical to the new emphasis on
performance and accountability.
This meant coordination, cost controls, estimating and scheduling
were foundational elements for the success of the program and a man-
agement approach was necessary that was far more sophisticated than
previous levels.

14
The Tollway had the foresight to realize that the organi-
zational structure needed to change. Hence, the Tollway
procured the services of a Program Management consul-
tant because:
1. The CRP was an ambitious program that needed to
be executed in a short period of time. A management
structure was necessary to accommodate the higher
volume, intensity and complexity of assignments.
2. The existing Tollway staff had inadequate experience
to execute such an ambitious program. The existing
Tollway staff would not be affected by the PMO - they
needed to remain focused on O&M and the baseline
CIP program.
3. A high-profile program of this size and complexity
required a professional Program Manager who knows
the business and has proven track record of success.
A brief summary of the Tollway program value and support personnel, pre-CRP and post-CRP is provided below:
More detailed summaries of the CRP, the PMO and changes (actual and forecast) over the duration of the CRP (2004-
2018) are provided on page 13.

16
KEY ELEMENTS OF THE PMO
Now in its 5th year of operation (2009), the Tollway PMO
has proven to be a highly effective management structure
and has met all CRP performance metrics to-date. Since
the inception of the PMO program in late-2004, over $5.0
billion of construction-related contracts have been award-
ed and over $4.3 billion of construction improvements
have been completed; all were completed on-time and
$400million under budget.
Other key PMO accomplishments to-date includes:
ӹӹ To-date, nearly $4.3 billion in construction work has
been completed, which represents approximately 70%
of the CRP program budget.
ӹӹ $700 million in consultant services have been com-
mitted to-date, which represents approximately 11%
of the CRP program budget.
ӹӹ $163 million in other costs, including utilities, right-
of-way and miscellaneous items have been committed
to-date, approximately 2.5% of the CRP program
budget.
ӹӹ $4.8 billion, approximately 73% of the CRP program
budget has been committed.
ӹӹ $57.8 million in reimbursement agreements have
been approved to-date, reducing the overall program
cost by 0.9%.
ӹӹ Establishing the ISO-9001 “culture” within the Toll-
way.
Underpinning the success of the PMO are several founda-
tional elements:
1. The PMO develops and oversees implementation of a
“road map” for the performance of the CRP program
based upon an agreed master program schedule.
2. The PMO adopted a leadership approach based on:
customer focus, budget performance, schedule per-
formance, community outreach, intergovernmental
agreements, industry partnering, design manage-
ment, construction management, claims management
and claims resolution management, capital program
contracting strategy and implementation, accelera-
tion efforts to mitigate delays, utility construction and
implementation plan, materials, emergency com-
munications plan, document control, diversity and
technical excellence.
3. The PMO Program Manager has a single direct report
at the Tollway — the Chief Engineer.
4. A stated goal of the PMO implementation was that
the PMO was to complement existing Tollway staff
and in some ways to integrate Tollway staff into
the PMO structure. Existing Tollway staff was not
replaced by the PMO nor was the existing internal
Tollway organizational struc-
ture altered, including the
organization and line report
of the existing GEC. Rather,
the PMO created synergies
with existing PMO staff
and represented a seamless
extension of staff and the
Tollway line organization to
deliver the CRP. An exhibit
depicting the Illinois Tollway
PMO organizational chart is
provided to the left.

17
5. The PMO would leverage the Tollway’s in-house
knowledge and experience to establish parameters
and guidelines for design and maintenance.
6. The primary driver of the Tollway’s transformation
was ISO certification. ISO-9001:2008 certification
was pursued and achieved to ensure quality man-
agement throughout the process. Management
accountability, process transparency and credibility
in reporting were all critical aspects of the ISO 9001
certification. ISO registration allowed the Tollway
to establish a management framework based on
performance criteria, customer service objectives,
and continuous improvement goals. Benefits of this
registration include:
• Improved consistency of service and product
performance with clear objectives
• Higher customer satisfaction levels / Improved
customer perception
• Improved productivity and efficiency
• Cost reductions
• Effective communications
7. Internal audits are performed throughout the year to
determine compliance with the ISO-9001 standards.
The Illinois Tollway was the first tollway to achieve
ISO-9001 certification. A PMO Quality group
reviews all consultant and contractor quality plans.
Other quality management tools were created, includ-
ing a contractor’s manual, the Proliance Warrantee
process, specifications (standard and performance
based), and a Quality Program.
8. 8The Tollway PMO developed a comprehensive
quality management system for the Engineering De-
partment which resulted in the current processes and
procedures. These allow the Tollway to manage the
significant increase in projects/ contracts managed
under the CRP. To meet quality objectives, proce-
dures continue to be updated.
9. The web-based management system Proliance is the
basis for communications, accessibility, accountabil-
ity, accuracy, audits, weekly reports, and RFI’s revi-
sions – thus greatly improving on-time performance.
10. Communication is an important part of Tollway
PMO program. The more structured, standardized,
transparent and accessible the communication system
is, the greater the likelihood that the project will be
completed on time and within budget. Improved
communication:
• Encourages timely responses
Provides secure, real-time 24/7 immediate access
to current project information over the Internet
from any computer
• Improves productivity
• Avoids duplication
• Early identification of potential problems
• Faster execution leads to fewer schedule delays
• Increases quality of information
• A more informed team
• Enforces standards and procedures
• Provides accountability via ball-in-court and
action item/issue logs; keeps audit trail of
information
• All project participants have access to and make
decisions based on the same information
• Efficient project closeout and archiving
• Complete project archive is available for easy
document retrieval
11. The PMO controls have both a project and program-
matic focus. High-priority management initiatives
included:
• Reduce the present average project delivery
duration
• Implement the “design within budget” concept
• Attract a greater number of responsive, responsi-
ble bidders
• Complete projects within budget
• Project quality improvement
• Sustain public and political support for the CRP
• Integrate the Tollway CRP Management Team
(CRPMT) within the Tollway
• Provide continued support for critical Program
Management efforts
• Vigorously and tirelessly pursue the master pro-
gram schedule
• Cultivate a “no surprises” approach to manage-
ment
12. Deputy Program Managers were assigned to lead
individual major projects (I-90, I-294, I-355, I-88 and
ORT), Project Development, Design Management,
Program Controls and Program Support Services.
13. Individual projects were assigned individual Project
Managers and Deputy Project Managers. To enhance
accountability, Project Managers were assigned to
projects in a “cradle to grave” fashion – meaning they
were responsible for delivery through planning, engi-
neering/design and construction.

18
14. The project-by-project accountability structure bred
high spirits and a healthy productivity among the
Project Managers and project teams.
15. Project Managers had special technical resources
at their disposal but were themselves expected to
be technically competent with all work proceeding
under their direction.
16. A rigorous and thoughtful project prioritization
process was adopted which included getting feedback
from various disciplines, cost/benefit analyses, asset
inventories and conditions assessments.
17. Project “master planning” was implemented early in
the process to identify the requirements of all agency
sponsor and user departments, heighten the reliabili-
ty of early cost estimates and increase credibility with
funding agencies.
18. A risk assessment and risk mitigation program was
adopted which included: peer reviews, constructa-
bility reviews, work phase plans, Tollway indepen-
dent engineer reviews, site visits, construction cost
estimating, including Allowances for Indeterminates
(AFI), and subsurface utility engineering (SUE) work.
19. Rigorous program controls were enacted as part of
the PMO overseeing design schedules, construction
schedules, budgets, estimating, and change order
controls.
20. Progress against program and project performance
measures was tracked and reported in weekly, month-
ly and annual reports.
21. The Tollway continued the procurement and usage
of additional consultants. Prior to the CRP program,
the consultant utilization work program hovered
in the $25 million/year range. At the apex of the
CRP program (2008-2009), consultant utilization
approached $200 million/year. Once procured, the
PMO would direct 3rd party consultants during
monthly meetings. At these meetings, presided
over by the Program Manager, the PMO meets with
construction managers, project managers, deputy
program managers, designers, schedulers for each
project. Meetings for each project typically last for
30 minutes during which budget and schedule are
discussed. These project meetings are crucial for the
success of the program. One distinctive caveat to the
role of the PMO and 3rd party consultants - the PMO
was not involved in the procurement of the 3rd party
consultants – that responsibility rested solely with the
Tollway.
22. The PMO has advanced the Tollways technology ini-
tiatives including: Engineering Project Management
using the web-based management system Intelligent
Transportation Systems (ITS), Toll Revenue Manage-
ment and Maintenance Program (TRMMP), Manage-
ment of ETCC contract and GIS implementation.
23. A major focus of the Tollway PMO was customer
service. Customer feedback was regularly requested,
received and analyzed. The PMO has enhanced the
Tollway focus on customer service, communications
and outreach, including: monthly PMO reports,
newsletters, construction communications, graphic
design, Hispanic outreach and awards pursuit.
24. Creation and implementation of rigorous step-by-
step design management and program management
procedures to implement the CRP program. Wher-
ever necessary, individuals were trained and cross-
trained. Ongoing training continues to be provided
to the Engineering staff.
25. The PMO formed a Capital Program Executive Com-
mittee (CPEC). A full-time employee was assigned to
meeting with executive management, resolving issues,
bringing to decisions to leadership in memorandum
format on a “Staff Summary Sheet”: What is the
issue? What are the potential options and solutions?
What are the PMO recommendations?
26. Oversight of innovative design solutions and value
engineering initiatives.
27. The focus of the PMO is design oversight and quality
control. The vast majority of the design is left to 3rd
party consultants.
28. Cost estimating was performed by multiple and in-
dependent parties to determine costs and is reviewed
by the PMO. The PMO reports its finding to Tollway
management.
29. Implemented a Contract Cost Change Controls Com-
mittee (C5) that reviews change order requests from
the contractors and issues NTPs. The C5 committee
implemented a tiered signatory process to expedite
delivery.
30. A focus on implementation was critical. The Tollway
PMO understood the importance of the construction
phase:
• Project Manager – Up to $30,000
• Chief Engineer – Up to $100,000
• Executive Director – Up to $150,000
• Chairman – Up to $200,000
• Board – Over $200,00

19
31. A focus on implementation was critical. The Tollway
PMO understood the importance of the construction
phase:
• Contractors’ support
• Maximize competition
• Create level playing field
• Allow contractors to take advantage of their
strengths
• Manage market condition – reduce risks
32. With regard to bidding and advertising, the Tollway
PMO listened to the contractors. The PMO first
started with a bid letting schedule that incorporated
the bid letting schedule of other major agencies in the
area. The PMO later provided the contractors more
information about future projects- namely, estimated
quantities of major material types, schedules, so that
the contractors would be aware of upcoming work
and plan their work loads. The PMO monitors trends
and bids to improve future procurements.
33. Construction efforts of the PMO staff centered
around anticipating problems and providing a timely
resolution of those problems.
• Traffic during construction; focus on peak hour
traffic; improve traffic flow
• The customer was important
• The Traffic and Incident Management System
(TIMS) center played a major role
• Communication Department: press releases and
fact sheets
• Weekly field progress meetings
• Monthly project meetings with consultants, con-
tractors and designers
• Problems were solved immediately or respon-
sibility was assigned to individuals to get them
resolved
• Monitored schedules. The PMO’s approach
was that they would recover schedules if it was
believed to benefit the Tollway.
• Timely decisions to keep projects moving
34. A web-based process was put into place for the
effective management and timely enforcement/
notification of Warrantees and Guarantees. Reports
are generated each month by Proliance, one each for
Maintenance, Toll Services and IT, listing the warran-
tees for each Tollway department that have not yet
expired.
35. After the 4th year of the CRP, PMO fees have reached
approximately $42 million, while approximately $4.2
billion of the overall program has been committed.
Hence, PMO fees reside in the vicinity of 1.0% of the
total program value. Presently, approximately 58-60
full-time employees are active at the Tollway PMO,
including DBE subconsultants.
LESSONS LEARNED
With an ambitious $6.3 billion Congestion-Relief Pro-
gram to deliver, the Illinois Tollway turned to a Program
Management Office (PMO) approach. Four plus years
into a multi-year program, the PMO approach has proven
to be an unqualified success. With any large and complex
programs, the Tollway PMO story has lessons learned
— both success stories and instances where challenges
needed to be overcome:
Success Stories
1. The PMO model was the correct choice for the Illi-
nois Tollway to execute the CRP
2. ISO-9001 quality management principles were in-
valuable to the delivery of the CRP
3. Utilization of web-based Program Management was
essential
4. Tollway staff and GEC staff served together and were
complemented by the PMO
5. The PMO leveraged in-house Tollway knowledge and
the Tollway support structure
6. Utilization of the Program Manager structure was
effective
7. The “cradle to grave” management technique was key
to instilling accountability
8. Creation of detailed policies and procedures effective-
ly established PMO protocols – these were updated
routinely as Program Management Plan
9. The PMO involved issue escalation procedures to
decision makers through regular CPEC meetings.
10. At the Tollway, the PMO operates efficiently at ap-
proximately 1% of the program volume
11. A culture of communication, coordination & cooper-
ation was the foundation of the PMO
12. The PMO breeds success and recognition. The Toll-
way continues to receive national recognition for its
results as depicted by the latest awards which it has
received:
• The Reagan Memorial Tollway’s Rebuild &
Widen project from York Road to IL Route 83
was honored by Roads & Bridges magazine. The
project was ranked #8 in the magazines Top 10
Road Projects for 2008.

20
• American Road Transportation Builders Asso-
ciation (ARTBA) has recognized the Tollway’s
environmental efforts on the I-355 South Exten-
sion and awarded the Tollway team with a Globe
Award for the Blanding’s Turtle Conservation
Efforts.
• The International Bridge, Tunnel & Turnpike
Association (IBTTA) announced its 2008 Toll
Excellence Award for Technology to the Illinois
Tollway.
Challenges Met
1. Procedures were new and rigorous and in some in-
stances individuals had to be cross trained in disci-
plines outside their subject matter comfort range. A
PMO must have a mentality for continuous improve-
ment and a training plan in place.
2. In a program with dozens of projects, the PMO
should observe technical challenges and document
the cause and solutions. A plan to impart technical
lessons learned (i.e. curved steel bridges) on subse-
quent projects should be enacted.
3. The PMO must be vigilant of project schedules and
nimble, flexible and innovative to keep challenging
projects on schedule.
• The implementation of web-based Management
was challenging to integrate and customize at
first – but ultimately it was an investment that
paid off with measurable results. The software
was continuously updated and customized to
make it as effective and efficient as possible.

22
PROGRAM LIFE-CYCLE SOLUTIONS
‘Success management’ model manages uncertainty, provides value and delivers results’
PROGRAM LIFE-CYCLE SOLUTIONS
No individual or organization begins a significant venture such as
a large scale infrastructure development or improvement program
thinking that it will not get out of the starting blocks or it will end
in disappointment, public criticism or even worse, failure. On the
contrary, every major infrastructure initiative begins with a degree of
optimism and the belief that the program will be successful. However,
what is often overlooked or not well understood is the importance of
supporting a program development and delivery process on the foun-
dation of a strategic, well-executed success management plan.
Success can be defined in many ways and has different meanings
depending upon whom you ask. To a state department CEO, success
may mean developing financing for a project that improves customer
service and increases organizational credibility. To a project manag-
er, success is often defined as on time, on budget delivery. And to an
elected official, success may mean the creation of jobs and improved
economic conditions and a high approval rating. How can one be as-
sured that a complex infrastructure project will ultimately meet these
diverse goals without a plan?
HNTB success management model
The HNTB Success Management model puts in motion a plan that de-
fines success, manages uncertainty, provides value and delivers results.
Defining success
Success management starts with developing a shared vision of success;
a list of strategic program goals and objectives that clearly commu-
nicate the desired outcome, so that when achieved, the majority of
internal and external stakeholders will celebrate the accomplishment.
HNTB encourages that this step occur as early as possible in the
program development process — often times before a program is well
understood.
Program goals are developed and prioritized during a facilitated
goal-setting workshop where high levels of internal management and
external stakeholders may be present. Every program is unique, but it
is common that political leaders, federal partners, affected local juris-
dictions and key business interests are represented. If desired, HNTB
will confirm program goals with broader public interests by perform-
ing public opinion surveys and focus groups.
Managing uncertainty
Risk can be defined as the uncertainty or probability of an event oc-
curring in the future that could impact success. Risk is most common-
ly viewed as having a potential negative impact to program goals. But
it also should include positive opportunities to improve the likelihood
of success.
No individual or organization begins a significant
venture such as a large scale infrastructure
development or improvement program thinking that it
will not get out of the starting blocks or it will end in
disappointment, public criticism or even worse, failure.
On the contrary, every major infrastructure initiative
begins with a degree of optimism and the belief that
the program will be successful. However, what is often
overlooked or not well understood is the importance
of supporting a program development and delivery
process on the foundation of a strategic, well-executed
success management plan.
Success can be defined in many ways and has different
meanings depending upon whom you ask. To a state
department CEO, success may mean developing
financing for a project that improves customer service
and increases organizational credibility. To a project
manager, success is often defined as on time, on budget
delivery. And to an elected official, success may mean
the creation of jobs and improved economic conditions
and a high approval rating. How can one be assured that
a complex infrastructure project will ultimately meet
these diverse goals without a plan?
HNTB success management model
The HNTB Success Management model puts in motion
a plan that defines success, manages uncertainty,
provides value and delivers results.
and objectives that clearly communicate the desired
outcome, so that when achieved, the majority of
internal and external stakeholders will celebrate the
accomplishment. HNTB encourages that this step occur
as early as possible in the program development process
— often times before a program is well understood.
Program goals are developed and prioritized during a
facilitated goal-setting workshop where high levels of
internal management and external stakeholders may
be present. Every program is unique, but it is common
that political leaders, federal partners, affected local
jurisdictions and key business interests are represented.
If desired, HNTB will confirm program goals with broader
public interests by performing public opinion surveys and
focus groups.
Managing uncertainty
Risk can be defined as the uncertainty or probability
of an event occurring in the future that could impact
success. Risk is most commonly viewed as having a
potential negative impact to program goals. But it also
should include positive opportunities to improve the
likelihood of success.
Risk management begins by identifying all potential
risks that may affect successful program completion.
As risks are identified, they are analyzed to determine
the probability of occurrence and the severity of
page 2

23
Risk management begins by identifying all potential
risks that may affect successful program completion. As
risks are identified, they are analyzed to determine the
probability of occurrence and the severity of impact to
the program goals resulting in a risk rating. The rating is
used to prioritize risk planning efforts and facilitate the
efficient use of risk management resources. This analysis is
documented using a risk register.
A risk register is also used to capture risk mitigation plans
that are developed in response to the risk threat or oppor-
tunity identified. Mitigation measures will aim to avoid,
eliminate or reduce risks that may have a negative impact
to a program and look to capitalize on opportunities that
could improve the likelihood of successful program com-
pletion. For example, the threat of a program’s approval
being revoked because of inadequate funding is mitigated
by developing a public-private-partnership (P3) financing
option and developing legislation that authorizes the use
of P3. Risk areas considered include policy, public/govern-
ment relations, funding/financial, environmental/approv-
als, technical, right of way/utilities and third parties risks.
In addition to risk mitigation efforts, risk allocation strat-
egies are analyzed to assign risk to the party that is best
able to manage the risk. This approach is used in con-
junction with developing program and project delivery
strategies ranging from design-bid-build, CM at risk, de-
sign-build and design-build-finance through a concession
P3 model. Risk allocation decisions will form the basis
for determining the right contract document provisions
and procurement solutions that best align and support the
program goals.
Once again, the risk mitigation and allocation strategies
are developed during facilitated workshops. Robust work-
shop discussions are enhanced by including a broad range
of subject matter experts who have experience in the areas
of risk identified above.
Providing value
We have never done this before, why go through all the ef-
fort? This is a question that is sometimes asked when first
being exposed to the HNTB Success Management model.
Another way to ask this question is “What is the value of
this management approach?” The answer to this question
can be identified using a common technique called the
“Monday morning quarterback” method. After a risk
event has impacted the success of a program it is easy to
look back and determine the cause, the degree of impact
and what should have been done to avoid the problem.
Fortunately, there is a much more proactive and analytical
approach to answering this question while steering clear
of the undesired outcome. We call this quantitative risk
analysis using probabilistic modeling, often using a Monte
Carlo simulation.
Quantitative risk analysis is a way of numerically esti-
mating the probability that a program will meet its cost
and time objectives. Quantitative analysis is based on a
simultaneous evaluation of the impact of all identified and
quantified risks. The probability distribution is usually
specified by determining the optimistic, the most like-
ly and the pessimistic values for each schedule activity
and cost element. The result is a probability distribution
of the program’s cost and completion date based on the
identified program risks. This method replaces the more
traditional, generalized approach to assigning cost and
schedule contingencies.
The initial simulation is run prior to having implemented
any risk mitigation strategies. This process provides the
most conservative or worst case range of program cost
and schedule estimates. It is important to note that this
would be the final cost and schedule estimate if success
management is not used.
As mitigation strategies are implemented, the cost and
schedule variables are reassessed and updated cost and
schedule information is put into the Monte Carlo model
and rerun providing updated estimates. Success man-
agement’s performance can begin to be measured by
comparing “pre-mitigated” to “post-mitigated” results by
calculating the cost and schedule savings, thus identifying
quantifiable value.
This effort also provides qualitative value by increasing the
confidence level in the program cost and schedule fore-
casts. Success Management’s greatest value is achieved by
incorporating it into core program management processes
by using it throughout the program development and
delivery life-cycle.
Delivering results
What are the benefits of Success Management?
The list includes:
ӹӹ Defines what success looks like for a program, a
vision of success.
ӹӹ Aligns program goals and objectives with key stake-
holders and establishes and communicates expecta-
tions.
• A better image and reputation
• A better bond rating
• More efficient internal business practices
• Staff experts who are more connected to the
community/industry
• Less media attention/scrutiny
• More support from elected officials and other
stakeholders

24
• More improvements for less money
• Faster public benefits
• More awards and recognition
• Identifies risks that could impact program
success
• A collaborative process that establishes buy-in
and support
• A proactive process that develops risk mitigation
strategies
• Identifies program and project delivery strategies
that are best suited to accomplish the program
goals
• Thoughtfully assigns risk to parties best equipped
to manage risk
• Delivers and measures cost and time savings
• Increases the confidence in program schedule
and cost forecasts
The primary benefit is significantly increasing the likeli-
hood of delivering on promises made on any project or
program with all affected stakeholders.
Additional Resources
For more information about program life-cycle solutions,
consult the following:
David Downs, vice president, HNTB
Corporation
(XXX) XXX-XXXX; ddowns@hntb.com
For other HNTB-issued papers and viewpoints,
visit HNTB.com

Keys to Success in Web-based Project Management:
Lessons Learned from the
Chicago Transit Authority Capital Improvement Program
A Cyon Research White Paper
August 15, 2002
Prepared by Dr. Joel Orr
Cyon Research Corporation
8220 Stone Trail Drive
Bethesda, MD 20817-4556 USA
Telephone: 301-365-9085
FAX: 301-365-4586
Web: www.cyonresearch.com

Keys to Success in Web-based Project Management:
Lessons Learned from the
Chicago Transit Authority Capital Improvement Program
A Cyon Research White Paper
Executive Summary
Cyon Research has noted with perplexity that the evident benefits of Web-based project
management technology have not brought about universal adoption of such systems in
the construction industry—and in particular, not in large projects.
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has successfully implemented such a system, and
is benefiting from it on several large projects that are part of its five-year $2.1 billion
Capital Improvement Program.
In the opinion of Cyon Research, CTA succeeded where so many others have failed, for
several reasons:
• The CTA and the Program Management team have an accurate grasp of the
complexities of their projects.
• The technology is being implemented by the owner, who can make use of the
system a requirement for project participation.
• Training is compulsory, and of high quality.
• The principles of “accountability, accessibility, and auditability” have been
applied throughout.
• A supportive vendor with good technology was chosen.
The project team makes the following recommendations for successful Web-based
project management implementation:
1. The choice of Web-based project management tool vendor is “crucial in the short
term, but not in the long term,” said Sharif Abou-Sabh, P.E., Program Manager
for the CTA’s Capital Improvement Program. “Any system will require
customization and ongoing support—from the vendor or a consultant.”
2. When possible, introduce the system to the participants before construction
planning begins. It is much harder to switch to a new system than to begin with
one.
3. Do everything possible to focus training on how to perform the attendees’ job
functions using the tool. Nobody wants to take time away from work to learn
something that is not relevant to his or her job.
4. ASPs (Application Service Providers) are the preferred form of product/service
delivery in the construction industry. But they must be very thoroughly qualified.

Introduction
As construction automation applications go, Web-based project management seems like a
“no-brainer”; the benefits it promises are great, and the risks of failure low.
So why is it not universally used in construction?
And why can’t any of the technology vendors point to use of their products and services
on large projects?
This “white paper” explores possible answers to these questions through the examination
of a counterexample—an organization that is successfully using Web-based project
management on several of the largest projects in the world. It is a highly professional
enterprise, with hundreds of people who were technologically unsophisticated before the
technology was introduced to them: The Chicago Transit Authority.
While some of its infrastructure is over 100 years old, the current CTA was established in
1947. The CTA provides bus and rapid-transit rail service to the city of Chicago and 40
neighboring suburbs. It is the nation’s second-largest transportation system, and it serves
more than 1.5 million riders each day.
In 2000, federal and state funds for capital projects became available. CTA President
Frank Kruesi and Executive Vice President of Construction, Engineering and Facilities
Jack Hartman faced a gargantuan task. With an initial capital budget of $2.1 billion for
the next five years, the CTA would have to manage a staggering amount of design and
construction. It wasn’t clear that traditional project planning and management approaches
were up to the volume.
In-house professional construction and management services were already overloaded, so
the organization sought outside help. Working through a careful selection process, the
CTA sifted through proposals and presentations to find the best-qualified firms.
The URS Construction Services team was selected as the most qualified, and was
awarded the contract for program management of the five-year Capital Improvement
Program (CIP). This included implementation of a Web-based project management
system for the CTA’s capital projects.
Under Hartman’s direction, the CTA decided to explore new uses of information
technology to take hold of the anticipated complexity as early as possible.
However, CTA executive management understood that the role of technology is
subordinate to the larger issues of workflow. Hartman made a commitment to do
“whatever it would take” to institute the management controls and systems that would
ensure the continued success of all the capital improvement projects and firmly establish
its credibility with its funding partners and the contracting community.

The Chicago Transit Authority Board established four goals for the public/private-sector
Capital Improvement Program Management (CIPM) team:
• 80% of the funds committed within five years
• Majority of benefits realized within five years
• Progress toward bringing the system to a state of good repair
• Equitable distribution of benefits throughout the service area.
Setting an example of accountability, the private-sector Program Manager has put his fee
at risk contingent upon achieving predetermined performance marks. For its part, CTA—
“the Agency”—agreed to institute the controls, metrics, and systems required to meet the
goals set by CTA leadership.
As Program Manager, URS translated the program goals into a series of rigorous methods
and metrics. In keeping with ISO 9001, a certification the CTA is currently pursuing, the
Program Manager established the following processes and policies:
• CIPM developed a “20-year needs assessment,” which standardizes condition
ratings of all assets’ conditions and proposes investment paces for all asset
categories.
• Project “master planning” early in design, to heighten the reliability of early cost
estimates and increase credibility with funding agencies.
• Shifting the Agency’s philosophy of project “users” to include the rail and bus
operating departments as intermediate “clients” of the engineering and
construction departments, thereby aligning the mission of the engineering and
construction department with the ultimate end user – the CTA customer.
• Adoption of the “design-to-budget” concept—the cornerstone of cost control.
• Establishment of a dedicated estimating and schedule-analysis department.
• Setting up a performance-driven quality assurance program.
• Establishing an Exception Reporting system for early warning of potential major
management issues.
Among the greatest challenges were the cultural shifts required to implement these
innovations. With the wholehearted commitment of CTA and its management, and a
well-planned education and deployment effort, the Program Manager has succeeded in
creating the necessary conditions for the new processes and policies to take root, and
become part of the standard way of doing business.
This program has entailed numerous innovations and changes for CTA and its
contractors. It is setting new standards for the successful management of multiple
projects in public-/private-sector cooperative environments.

This “white paper” focuses on one technology that has played a small but important role
in the program: Web-based project management. As an integral component of a
comprehensive package of program management services, Web-based project
management has been applied here at a unprecedented scale—with impressive results.
This is the story of the CTA’s successful pioneering effort in implementing Web-based
project management to support the CTA Capital Improvement Program’s goals. We also
speculate on why the technology has succeeded here, while it has not done so on other
large projects.
The CTA and its Five-Year Program
“Money had been tight. CTA worked hard for federal and state capital funds. When
theyreceived the funding in 2000, CTA knew they would need help to plan and manage
their enormous five-year Capital Improvement Program,” said Kristine K. Fallon, FAIA,
president of Kristine Fallon Associates, Inc. (KFA), a sub-consultant to URS with
responsibility for Web-technology selection, implementation, training and support.
Among the many projects planned as part of the CIP, the rehabilitation of the Douglas
Branch of the Blue Line stands out because of its size and complexity. It requires the
rebuilding of elevated track structures and transit stations without disrupting service. As
Pamela Dittmer McKuen reports in Midwest Construction:
Long besieged by a crumbling infrastructure and slow-moving trains, the 100-year-
old Douglas Branch of the Chicago Transit Authority’s Blue Line - much of it
elevated - is undergoing a major transformation. With a price tag of nearly $500
million and a four-year construction schedule, it is the largest capital project ever
undertaken by the authority.
“If we didn’t do this, within a year or two we’d have to shut the whole line down,”
said Jack Hartman, the CTA’s executive vice president of construction, engineering
and facilities maintenance. “As it is, trains start running so slowly that instead of 20
minutes to get downtown, it takes 35 or 40 minutes, and eventually we would have to
stop running.”
The trains may be creeping along but at least they are running, and will continue to
do so during the construction. The CTA is not repeating a past misstep when it closed
down the Green Line for renovation in the 1990s. Customers found other modes of
transportation and it took three years to get the traffic back.
“We could do it in half the time if we shut it down--but the tradeoffs aren’t worth it,”
said Hartman.
The Douglas Branch, also known as the Cermak Branch, travels east and west on the
city’s West Side. About 5 mi. of track are elevated, up to 30 ft. above ground. The
project entails all-new footwork, rails and ties; eight new station houses; replacement

of 350 structural spans, 175 column foundations and 720 caissons; two new electrical
substations and three rehabbed ones for improved power supply; and an upgraded
signal system.
While the Blue Line Cermak (Douglas) Branch is the largest construction project started
to date, there are more than 50 other projects in the CIP. Their overall goal is to provide
CTA customers with new facilities and extend the life of the transit system by four
decades. Bus stations, passenger facilities, bus garages, train stations, communications
systems, train tracks and supporting structures are part of the far-reaching rehabilitation
and extension project.
Another large rail project involves increasing the Brown Line’s capacity by 33%, through
the reconstruction of platforms and infrastructure. Order of magnitude: about $476
million.
Why Web-based Project Management?
What benefits are promised by Web-based project management? Here are just a few:
• Simplification of communications. Having a centralized “store-and-forward”
messaging system—the most basic feature of any Web-based project management
system—greatly reduces the number of possible communication paths among the
participants on a project, and thus reduces the likelihood of miscommunication.
All communications are archived and searchable.
• Comprehensive tracking of time-sensitive items, such as Requests for Information
(RFIs) and Submittals. This makes team members accountable for content and
timely response. Automated tracking and reporting of this type, available in the
higher-end solutions, are indispensable tools for managing large capital programs
with dozens of projects and thousands of participants.
• Common document storage and reference. Everyone knows they are working
from the appropriate version of any given document.
• Document management. All documents are in a single logical repository (which
may be physically centralized or distributed), and are thus accessible in an orderly
fashion.
• Audit trail. It is possible to verify that a communication was sent or received, by
whom and when.
• Document delivery. Much faster than overnight courier, and more secure.
• Knowledge management. Controlled documents can be stored, distributed, and
updated quickly, with no reprinting. Workflows and procedures can be enforced
by the software.
• Access. Being Web-based, such systems can be accessed from any Web browser,
anywhere.

• Faster cycle time. Eliminating lag time as information moves from one
organization to another can dramatically shorten project schedules.
• Standardization. Standard appearance of documents, forms, logs, and reports
makes for easy comprehension and comparison.
Consultant Selection
Jack Hartman, CTA’s Executive Vice President of Construction, Engineering and
Facilities, had an ambitious and strategic view of how to manage the CIP: “I wanted
everything under a single umbrella. I knew we’d have to see the entire array of projects if
we were to manage them properly.”
The CTA required each team proposing to provide program management services to
discuss its approach to Web-based project management. “Kristine presented on
Webbased project management on behalf of the URS team,” Hartman recalled. “Her
presentation showed that she really understood the issues; it was crisper, clearer than any
of the others.”
“I was very impressed with the CTA’s enlightened approach to the consultant selection
process,” said Fallon. “It was clear from the beginning that the CTA knew that it needed
professional help to implement the Capital Improvement Program, and was determined to
find the right kind of help. The selection process focused on qualifications and
experience, before any pricing was discussed.”
KFA teamed with URS Construction Services—one of the world’s leading engineering
design firms for the transportation industry. The URS program manager for the CTA
Capital Improvement Program is Sharif Abou-Sabh, P.E.
“Sharif was experienced on large transportation projects, in New York City and
elsewhere,” said Fallon. “He knows mass transit, he knows how to manage large capital
programs, he’s a great leader, and he recognized the potential for Web-based project
management tools right away.”
“We saw Kristine give a presentation at a professional trade show, and we were very
impressed,” said Abou-Sabh. We could see that she understood both the technology and
the work processes.”
Selecting a Vendor
“Once we were selected as consultants, we quickly set about defining the requirements
for a vendor,” says Fallon. “One of our first decisions was to pursue an application
service provider (ASP) implementation, in the interest of both time and cost. (ASPs
specialize in providing access to software that runs on their own computers. Users thus
have no installation or update burdens; they pay only for the use of the software.)

“Beyond that, we needed to determine what features would best support the Capital
Improvement Program. Jack Hartman’s expectations were demanding but clear. In
addition to the usual set of project-management features it had to support, the technology
had to be commercially available, and the vendor had to be established.”
“What I was looking for were the ‘three A’s’: accountability, accessibility, and
auditability. I need to be able to find out who is responsible for any particular project or
detail; to access any information about the project, at any time; and to have a record of
what happened, when, and with whom,” said Hartman.
Part of the vendor-selection challenge was that the system had to meet the needs of
design, as well as those of construction. Some Web-based project-management tools are
capable in one area, but not both.
When KFA researched the rapidly changing and shrinking field of providers, they found
to their surprise that few vendors actually had customers with very large projects. “Even
the vendors whose products are used by the largest engineering firms turned out to be
managing only relatively small projects for them,” said Fallon.
The field was thus rapidly narrowed; Citadon, of San Francisco, emerged as the clear
choice. “They were the only ones who could demonstrate strong support for both design
and construction activities, plus experience with large projects,” said Fallon.
Citadon is an ASP—an application services provider. Rather than acquire software for
use on their own computers, Citadon customers put their data on Citadon servers. “Since
Citadon uses Exodus, the same ISP (Internet service provider) as MasterCard, Sun
Microsystems, MSN, and American Airlines, it wasn’t hard for me to convince our staff
about the reliability and security of such a service. And our IT people loved the idea,”
said Hartman.
Web-based project management is an application that is well-suited to delivery through
an ASP. Its data management, security, reliability, and performance demands are such
that the IT management aspect of the service is specialized and complex, and thus best
handled by a company that concentrates on this area. With an ASP, all software updating
is done on the server; there is no need to deal with the users at all.
Moreover, Web-based applications provide a measure of platform independence that is a
welcome change to IT managers. In the past, each application required users to use a
certain computer type, with a certain operating system; Web-based systems work with
any computer that has a standard Web browser.
Putting It All Together
“One of our challenges was that the CIP was already under way when we came on
board,” said Fallon. “Nonetheless, once the vendor was selected, the KFA staff was able
to get the site up and running in four months.”

“With the ASP model, the customer has little control over the application environment,”
said Fallon. “A relationship of trust with the vendor is especially important. Citadon
vindicated our selection of them. They included the CTA CIP in their Customer Council
– a group of large customers that works very closely with Citadon to ensure that the
software works well for their business processes. Citadon has been very responsive to our
needs.”
As part of a commitment to achieve ISO 9001 quality certification for CTA’s engineering
processes, the Program Management team had developed diagrams of the major project
anagement processes. The KFA Web Support group adapted these diagrams to indicate
how ProjectNet—the name of Citadon’s software—should be used to support these
processes. They solicited comments from CTA and construction managers already under
contract. The Web Support group then wrote detailed work instructions on exactly how to
use ProjectNet to perform work tasks. These materials became part of a manual, used to
train new users.
“We require each new user to take two training classes. Nobody can access the system
unless they have undergone training,” said Fallon.
“In terms of propagation of system use, having the owner in control is very helpful. We
can and do require everyone—construction managers, general contractors and
designers—to use the system. Without access, you are off the project,” said Fallon. “At
the same time, we implemented in such a way that each of the participants gained
immediate benefits from using the system.”
ProjectNet is also being used on the Brown Line project, which is currently in the design
phase. Eight separate design teams are using ProjectNet to coordinate all of the elements
of the project’s complex design. Jack Hartman comments, “We believe strongly that
Web-based communications are indispensable to speeding the design and construction
processes while at the same time improving quality. ProjectNet provides a collaborative
medium for the design and construction teams that has proven efficacious in dealing with
project challenges in a fraction of the time that it used to take with conventional methods.
In addition, it provides the auditability, accountability, and accessibility that we need.”
The CTA program management staff consists of more than 50 people. They and the
hundreds of users from consultants, construction managers, general contractors and
subcontractors are trained and supported by a Web Support staff of four. KFA’s Mike
Poynton is in charge of the Web support operation.
Poynton, with Greg Bush and Peter Urban, other KFA consultants assigned to the CTA
CIP, developed a curriculum to provide a half-day general training course to all users,
and additional training classes focused on each user’s role in the project.
In the first year of implementation, KFA trained 560 team members from 57
organizations to use ProjectNet on CIP projects.

Hartman elected not to run the new system in parallel with the old for a time. His faith in
the new system was borne out.
Results
“We are meeting or exceeding our own expectations,” says Hartman. “For example, we
are processing more than 2.5 times as many RFI’s (requests for information) on the Blue
Line project as we did on the Green Line project. I’m expecting to do much better—
perhaps six times as many. And since RFI’s are the key to getting the job done quicker,
that means we can expect to save a great deal of money.” The RFIs are also being closed
18% faster than on a baseline manual project recommended by CTA for comparison.
Lessons Learned
“The key success factor in this project is leadership,” said Fallon. “Jack Hartman
understood the problem from the beginning, and selected top-notch people to come in and
help. Sharif Abou-Sabh’s extensive experience and attention to detail made him the ideal
choice for URS program manager. KFA is extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to
work with such talented and competent management.”
“The system shines a light on what everyone is doing,” says Hartman. “That’s one reason
some people resist it initially—especially older people in the field. But they learn to like
it, once they realize it’s a requirement.”
When asked what he might have done differently, Jack Hartman replied, “Nothing—
although I didn’t realize how much training would be involved. And the truth is that I
didn’t realize we were as pioneering; I thought others were doing more. I’m glad things
worked out the way they did.”
“Hiring a consultant to help us implement was a very important decision – someone who
understands the business as well as the technology” says Hartman.
Plans for the Future
“Citadon has a major software upgrade coming, which we are considering using in pilot
form on a couple of projects,” says Hartman. “It’s more flexible and customizable than
ProjectNet. Now that we have established confidence in the vendor, in the consultants,
and in our own ability to take advantage of the technology, we are looking forward to the
additional benefits we expect the new features to bring us.”

Recommendations
To summarize the advice of the team:
1. The choice of Web-based project management tool vendor is “crucial in the short
term, but not in the long term,” said Abou-Sabh. “Any system will require
customization and ongoing support—from the vendor or a consultant.”
2. When possible, introduce the system to the participants before construction
planning begins. It is much harder to switch to a new system than to begin with
one.
3. Do everything possible to focus training on how to perform the attendees’ job
functions using the tool. Nobody wants to take time away from work to learn
something that is not relevant to his or her job.
4. ASPs are the preferred form of product/service delivery in the construction
industry. But they must be very thoroughly qualified.
Why has CTA succeeded?
Stephen Hagan, FAIA, who is responsible for collaborative systems at the “largest owner
in the world”—the GSA (federal General Services Administration)—has commented:
In the preparation of our Strategic Plan and Framework for Project Information
for the Public Buildings Service, we searched the marketplace of over 350
vendors to find a suitable, off-the-shelf solution for enterprise needs. Whether it
was enterprise reporting of executive information on capital construction
programs, or enterprise-wide deployment of extranets for collaboration and
increased project-level productivity, there were very few success stories.
Moreover, Cyon Research has searched extensively for documentation of actual
productivity gains resulting from the implementation of Web-based project management
systems, and has been unsuccessful in locating any.
Some vendors—notably, Constructware—have published user surveys, in which the
vendor’s users tell their (invariably favorable) experiences. But to date, no research firm
has undertaken a study that explores the thorny issues of productivity improvement.
We believe there are several reasons for this:
• To speak of “productivity increases” requires careful measurement of productivity
prior to implementation of the new technology. This is difficult to do in the
project-oriented world of construction, and companies do not seem motivated to
do it.
• Some issues are self-evident, and construction professionals do not want to invest
time in proving them—for example, the fact that electronic transmission of
documents, especially engineering drawings, is much faster and cheaper, and

more auditable, than using courier services. In fact, it is common for customers
implementing Web-based project-management systems to justify them on the
basis of savings in courier costs alone.
• For many of the parties to a construction project, productivity is not a clearly
defined concept. To put it bluntly, if one is being paid by the hour, reducing the
number of hours required to get the job done is not an attractive proposition—
unless there are balancing considerations, such as competitive pressures. Only the
owner is clearly motivated to do more with less. And only a fraction of Webbased
project-management systems are bought by owners.
• Most Web-based project-management vendors underestimate the extent of
computer-illiteracy in the construction community, and thus underestimate the
amount of training required for successful project implementation.
• Construction projects are not highly disciplined affairs. Unless the use of a new
tool can be tied to payment, subcontractors will tend to do things “the old familiar
way,” despite any benefits they might gain from the new tool.
We speculate that the success of the CTA in the implementation of Web-based project
management is due to the following factors:
• The CTA and the Program Management team have an accurate grasp of the
complexities of their projects.
• The technology is being implemented by the owner, who can make use of the
system a requirement for project participation.
• Training is compulsory, and of high quality.
• The principles of “accountability, accessibility, and auditability” have been
applied throughout.
• A supportive vendor with good technology was chosen.
In sum: Success in the application of Web-based project management is achievable,
as the CTA has demonstrated. But it requires excellent management and good
technology—and project discipline that is most easily driven by an owner.

About URS
URS Corporation is a publicly owned company listed on the New York Stock Exchange
(NYSE:URS). URS offers a broad range of planning, design, and program and
construction management services for transportation, hazardous waste, industrial
processing and petrochemical, general building, and water/wastewater projects.
Headquartered in San Francisco, the company operates in 38 countries with
approximately 16,000 employees providing services for federal, state and local
governmental agencies as well as private clients in the chemical, manufacturing,
pharmaceutical, forest products, mining, oil and gas, and utilities industries.
About KFA
Kristine Fallon Associates, Inc. (KFA) provides computer consulting services to design
firms, businesses that use computers for design, construction, facility management or
manufacturing and software vendors who serve these markets. KFA combines
incomparable credentials in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Internet technologies
with information technology vision to help clients position their products, services and
work processes for competitive advantage. KFA also assists clients in planning,
budgeting and implementing IT projects. For more information on KFA, go to www.kfa-
inc.com, or call 312-641-9339.

About Cyon Research…
Cyon Research Corporation was formed by CAD industry consultants Brad Holtz, Joel
Orr, and Evan Yares to foster clarity and provide vision to users and vendors of CAD and
PLM tools. Current products include: CADwire.net, a leading provider of online news
and analysis; COFES: The Congress on the Future of Engineering Software; Engineering
Automation Report, and The CAD Rating Guide™. More information can be found at:
www.cyonresearch.com, 301-365-9085.
Cyon Research Corporation
8220 Stone Trail Drive
Bethesda, MD 20817-4556 USA
phone: 301-365-9085
fax: 301-365-4586
Web: www.cyonresearch.com

75¢ CITY & SUBURBS n $1.00 ELSEWHERE
Illinois’5-yeartollwayprojectunder
budgetandaheadofschedule
By RichardWronski
Tribune reporter
After years of weaving around
concrete barriers, navigating
tricky lane changes and slow-
ing for 45mph work zones on
Illinois toll roads, construction-
weary motorists finally have
clear sailing in sight.
Just in time for winter, the
Illinois tollway authority said
that this month it will wrap up
most of a five-year program to
rebuild roads and interchanges
and widen toll roads.
“We’re driving toward the
finish line,” chief engineer Paul
Kovacs recently told Illinois
State Toll Highway Authority
board members.
At a cost of $6.1 billion, the
massive Congestion-Relief
Program is running about $200
million under budget, tollway
officials say. Raising skeptics’
eyebrows even further, officials
say the work is ahead of sched-
ule. Some portions that weren’t
expected to be done until spring
are complete.
“Is it better? Oh yes, without
a doubt,” said Bob Puerling,
70, who uses the tollway almost
daily, driving vehicles for a deal-
ership in West Bend, Wis. “It’s
four lanes. ... It’s nice.”
Officials still face the challenge
of making sure enough toll-
paying motorists use the 286-
mile system to pay off a debt
load that will soon hit $4 billion
and isn’t scheduled to disappear
until at least 2034.
That’s almost ten times the
cost of building the original
187-mile, four-lane system,
parts of which opened in 1958
and which many believe should
have become freeways years
ago.
Tollway directors approved the
sweeping effort to rebuild and
widen the system in September
2004. The plan was to replace
nearly 50-year-old concrete, re-
duce congestion by adding lanes
and convert manned toll plazas
into nonstop open-road tolling
with I-PASS.
A key component was extend-
ing I-355, now the Veterans
Memorial Tollway, more than 12
miles south from I-55 in Boling-
brook to I-80 in New Lenox.
That toll road opened in 2007.
The tollway has awarded
more than $4.5 billion worth
of contracts for construction,
design and inspection work.
The program will open four
lanes each way on most of the
Tri-State (I-294), the Reagan
(I-88) and Jane Addams (I-90)
tollways.
What’s left for 2010 are the
resurfacing and rehabbing of
the Edens Expressway spur;
resurfacing on the Veterans
from the Reagan to Army Trail
Road; and resurfacing the Ad-
dams from the Tri-State to the
Elgin Toll Plaza.
The extra lanes, the new Vet-
erans and open-road tolling are
expected to result in more toll-
paying drivers, officials say. Toll
revenues pay for about half the
$6.1 billion program cost, with
the other $3.5 billion financed
from the sale of bonds.
Seth Lehman, an analyst with
Fitch Ratings, which keeps a
close eye on tollway finances,
confirmed the rebuilding and
widening program is under
budget.
Fitch gives the tollway an AA-
rating, but characterizes the
outlook as “negative” because
of concern over whether toll
revenues will match rising debt
levels.
“We’re cautious about (the
tollway) until we start seeing
some growth,” Lehman said.
Fitch is expected to issue an
update this week.
Revenues from tolls and fines
are expected to hit $680mil-
lion in 2010, compared with
estimates of $629 million in
2009, according to the tollway’s
2010 budget.
The tollway rehab program is
designed to relieve congestion,
not simply raise revenue, acting
Executive Director Michael
King said.
“Our goal is to get people
where they’re going,” King said.
“We’re not a money-making
venture in that there would be
a surplus. ... (By law) we can’t
make a profit.”
The program is coming in
under budget and on time
because of “extremely aggres-
sive project management” and
because the sagging economy
has sharpened competition in
the construction industry, King
said.
“The reality is while the
economy is suffering, it’s a great
time to be putting out bids for
services,” King said. “We’ve
benefited from hungry con-
struction workers looking for
work. Everyone from architects
to electricians.”
State Sen. Jeffrey Schoenberg
(D-Evanston), a longtime toll-
way critic, said the authority’s
claim of being $200 million un-
der budget needs more thorough
independent scrutiny.
“If, in fact, that is the case,
it would be a sharp departure
from what we’ve often seen with
past tollway projects,” Schoen-
berg said. “For many tollway
contracts, cost overruns and
change orders are the rule.”
The tollway’s budget sum-
mary lists nearly $177 million
worth of change orders or
extra work associated with the
program.
The tollway was on the verge
of adding a $1.8 billion second
phase to the program last year.
Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich
announced that the tollway
would add carpool “green
lanes” to much of the system,
build a new interchange at the
Tri-State and I-57, and improve
the I-290/I-90 connection.
Tollway directors put the plan
on hold after Blagojevich’s ar-
rest and ouster. Gov. Pat Quinn
vowed to reform the agency and
has named Paula Wolff as toll-
way chairman, as well as adding
two new board members.
Tollway critic Terry Pastika,
head of the Elmhurst-based
Citizen Advocacy Center,
believes the tollway needs to
be more accountable and do
a better job of administering
I-PASS.
“I think people are pleased
that construction is coming to
an end. But the cornerstone of
the program was I-PASS, and
there are serious concerns about
how effective I-PASS has been
due to the well-documented
problems the public has had,”
Pastika said, referring to the
tollway’s now-cleared backlog
of uncollected fines.
But for Patty French of
Kildeer, the news that most of
the construction was over was
reason for celebration.
“Now I can drive downtown
again,” she said. “It seems like
every single road around here
has been under construction.”
- - -
$6.1 billion: Cost of the
entire tollway project
$200 million:Amount
project is under budget
rwronski@tribune.com
162NDYEAR © CHICAGOTRIBUNE
Monday, November 16, 2009 | Midwest Final Breaking news and more at chicagotribune.com
Endinsight
formassive
construction
plan

COMPUTER AIDED COLLABORATION IN MANAGING CONSTRUCTION
Burçin BECERIK
Spiro N. POLLALIS
HARVARD DESIGN SCHOOL
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY REPORT SERIES 2006-2

Becerik, Pollalis: “Computer Aided Collaboration in Managing Construction”
Cambridge: Harvard University Graduate School of Design. 2006
ISBN 0-935617-95-7
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2006 President and Fellows of Harvard College
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission. The work herein is that of individual
authors; it does not necessarily represent the views of the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, or any of its programs
or faculty.
Book layout and cover designed by David Jason Gerber

This report summarizes the findings of the research study undertaken at the Harvard Design
School by Professor Spiro N. Pollalis and doctoral student Burçin Becerik in the period
2005-2006. The research focused on the benefits of online collaboration and project
management (OCPM) technology to the design and construction industry, and identified
direct benefits and indirect benefits in providing better service and entering new frontiers,
in an effort to justify the investment. The research was based on nine case studies of
implementing OCPM in actual projects and on analyzing aggregate data of thousands
of projects, provided by the sponsors of the research. The research was supported by a
consortium of sponsors consisting of (in alphabetical order):
Business Collaborator
Constructware
eBuild.ca
Meridian Project Systems, and
Primavera.
We wish to thank our sponsors for their generous support, all of the case study interview-
ees and the numerous individuals who participated in various ways in this research study.
Especially, we would like to thank Tim Blower of Business Collaborator, Natalie Cheney of
Constructware, Steve Carter of eBuild.ca, Sue Watkins of Meridian Project Systems, Chris-
topher Bell of Primavera, Debra Kunce of Schmidt Associates, Steve Young of Indianapolis
Public Schools, Todd Wilson and Harold L. Helland of Abbott Laboratories, Ed Costanza of
Kitchell Corporation, Marek Suchocki of Atkins Management Consultants, David Page and
Charlie Anderson of Los Angeles Unified School District, Brian Killion and Mike Parkinson
of Manhattan Construction Company, Steve Head of Nationwide Building Society, Brett
Pitcairn and Dennis DiPalma of P.J. Dick Incorporated.
This research report constitutes part of Burcin Becerik’s doctoral dissertation entitled
“Implementation, Operation, Adoption and Value of Online Collaboration and Project Man-
agement Technology in the AEC Industry”, to be completed by June 2006.
Spiro N. Pollalis
Burçin Becerik
PREFACE

1 1. Introduction
3 2. Study Overview
2.1 The Need
2.2 The Challenges
2.3 The Goal
5 3. Methodology
3.1 Evaluation Methodology
3.1.1 Benefit Analysis
3.1.2 Cost Analysis
3.2 Data Collection
3.2.1 Case Studies
3.2.2 Surveys
3.2.3 Interviews
3.2.4 Aggregated Data
11 4. Industry Practices
4.1 Buyers and Users of OCPM Technology
4.2 Need for OCPM Technology
4.3 Selection Process
4.4 Cost Structure
4.5 Implementation Practice
4.6 The Usage of OCPM Technology
4.7 Suitability of OCPM Technology
4.8 In the Absence of OCPM Technology
4.9 Success Factors
4.10 Plans for the Future
TABLE OF CONTENTS

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