AASHTOWare Project Data Analytics™ Uses Iterative Feedback for Faster Results

February 26, 2020

The AASHTOWare Project Task Force (PTF) and its official contractor, Infotech, are always seeking new methods to improve AASHTOWare Project™ modules. Many of our users have participated in a Technical Review Team (TRT) as a way to provide direct feedback on the software they use day-to-day. With AASHTOWare Project Data Analytics, we’re trying something new to give users a greater sense of ownership and control over product improvements through an iterative feedback process.

The Iterative Feedback Process

Rather than annual or bi-annual updates, the AASHTOWare Project Data Analytics™ module is always being updated to accommodate new user feedback. While in the software, users can provide everything from likes and dislikes to bug reports and new ideas. The development team tracks their usage so it’s easy to make improvements in areas where feedback is concentrated. Working with a timeline of themes (areas of development), devs at Infotech are able to work according to plan while simultaneous adjusting that plan to meet user needs.

Themes Being Addressed

Several areas within the AASHTOWare Project Data Analytics module will be addressed through 2023 as the team continues to add new functionality to the software. The current schedule for themes being released is as follows:

2020:
Bid/Estimate – History
Item Price – By Area
Bid/Estimate – Comparison
Compare Prices
Item Statistics Map

2021:
Market Area
Market Shares
Vendor Competition
Vendor Location Map
Incorporate Construction Data

 2022:
Unbalanced Bidding
Cost Variance
Quantity Variance
Vendor Map – Facility
Award Map
Historical Statistics

2023:
Compare Contracts
Trends of Unbalancing

 Agencies in Production

The following agencies are currently in production with AASHTOWare Project Data Analytics: Ohio, West Virginia, Idaho, Nebraska, Montana, South Carolina, Michigan, Minnesota, Kansas, Louisiana, and Iowa.

Agencies have the opportunity to participate in usability studies twice a year. During usability studies, the Infotech development team travels to your agency to run through exercises in the module and work closely with the users to gather feedback for improvements.

A couple of weeks ago, the Louisiana DOT went through its usability study. PTF member Charles Nickel shared some of his thoughts on the module:

“Our Project Managers rely on various software applications to help them meet many of their often-complex needs. Some of these software applications are used on a daily basis. Over time, they can be learned and used very proficiently.  However, some of our Project Managers work with projects that can take years before those projects go to letting and so they may rarely perform bid reviews.  One of the good things about Data Analytics is that if you haven’t used it in a long time, you can still get right back on it and start using it again intuitively.”

By
Charles Nickels, Cost Estimate & Value Engineering Director, Louisiana DOT
Ian Baldwin, Senior Lead, Analysis & Support, Infotech
Randy Lawton, Assistant Director of Strategy & Innovation, Infotech