AASHTOWare Project™ Strategic Priorities and Product Improvements

February 22, 2023

In order to keep the evolution of AASHTOWare Project focused and beneficial to the user community, the AASHTOWare Project Task Force (PTF) embraces a strategic plan that supports industry best practices and agency needs. These strategic goals are in line with the Special Committee on AASHTOWare (SCOA) priorities as well as the Technical and Application Architecture Task Force (T&AA) and are as follows:

  • Engage talent to deliver results
  • Optimize the development process and address product implementation and support issues
  • Deliver relevant and innovative products and services
  • Communicate the value of our products and services

Recent Strategic Initiatives

In FY22, the following strategic initiatives were completed:

  • Print Agency View Data – included in AASHTOWare Project 4.7 release
  • AASHTOWare Project Bids to SaaS Initial Release – released February 2022
  • Dashboard Enhancements – included in AASHTOWare Project 4.7 release
  • ForneyVault Proof-of-Concept – complete and proposal submitted
  • e-Ticketing Research – findings and recommendations submitted
  • Product Performance and Modernization Enhancements – included in
    AASHTOWare Project 4.7 release

Additionally, these initiatives that began in FY22 were ongoing or completed in FY23:

  • Agency View TMR Development Functionality
  • Estimating Summit (completed in FY23)
  • Asset Management Research
  • Data Integration Framework Proof-of-Concept
  • Product Improvement Research and Development
  • Roadmap to .NET 6+ framework upgrades

Focusing on Product Improvement

Of these initiatives, let’s take a minute to hone in on the Product Improvement Research and Development efforts. Behind this effort is a simple goal – update the codebase of AASHTOWare Project so we can more easily maintain and enhance the software while adapting to modern user experience expectations. Because web-based AASHTOWare Project is 15 years old, this effort requires a comprehensive product improvement plan with multiple phases.

While other initiatives in the strategic plan fall under a certain time period, the Product Improvement efforts will span the entire effort from FY20-FY25. Research began a little over a year and a half ago to determine the best path forward to a full software-as-aservice platform. Usability improvements to eliminate cumbersome workflows and capture timely feedback were also explored.

The goals of the Product Improvement initiatives are as follows:

  • Reducing technical debt and complexity
  • Identifying a mobile strategy
  • Improving the user experience
  • Reducing the number of platforms
  • Targeting appropriate future platforms
  • Creating looser coupling to increase flexibility

In October 2022, the first two product improvements were delivered in the AASHTOWare Project 4.8 release, including:

  • Adding the infrastructure for ongoing performance testing
  • Improving system responsiveness on payroll import/pay estimate day

The first large-scale release in this effort will be the release of Product Improvement Bundle 1.

About Product Improvement Bundle 1

As many efforts do, Product Improvement Bundle 1 began with research. Namely, research into what it would take to replace the AASHTOWare Project .NET framework with .NET 6. This upgrade would ensure AASHTOWare Project software meets modern standards, providing improvements such as:

  • Eliminating security concerns from an outdated codebase
  • Ensuring compatibility and potential cross-platform support
  • Improving speed and efficiency across the board

As end-of-life draws nearer for older .NET frameworks, this improvement effort becomes increasingly essential. However, AASHTOWare Project has a large codebase, not to mention a variety of custom third-party integrations for different agencies. The Product Improvement team is actively exploring the best way to perform this upgrade without a disruption to agency service. Phase 1 of development work is expected to run through FY24, with a potential release in Q1 of FY25.

If you have questions about the AASHTOWare Project Strategic Plan or Product Improvement efforts, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Infotech Account Manager or contact the Project Task Force. Also, the AASHTOWare Project Strategic Plan is available for review at aashtowareproject.org.

By

Jamey Wilhite, PE, Engineering Systems Administrator, Arkansas Department of Transportation

Liz Rodgers, Sr. Strategy Analyst, Infotech

Sarah Farmerie, Director of AASHTOWare Product Management, Infotech

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PUG Chairs Corner

Change in PTF Membership

Marketing Update

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