Information Communication Technology
Web-Based Project Collaboration
"Assisting urban regeneration through the use of Internet-based resources and cooperation"
This project was a pilot study examining the benefits and effectiveness of web-based project collaboration as a mechanism for managing and coordinating Leicester Regeneration Company's key intervention projects.
Organisation: Leicester Regeneration Company
Completion Date: 29/04/2004
Location
Web-based through Leicester Regeneration Company
Project Description
Quotation from Leicester City Council development Plans Group
I consider
that the Build Online service has become an essential business tool
over the last 12 months. It is now in use across all Council teams
working directly on the LRC project.
The product allows much swifter distribution of information than
would otherwise be the case (the file sizes we are dealing with day- to-day on the project are frequently much larger than can be handled
by our email systems). The time savings involved are significant -
perhaps a number of days for each piece of correspondence
compared with the alternative routes for disseminating project
details.
The ability to maintain a reference archive of material whilst ensuring
each Member of the team is working from the most recent revision
of any document is also very useful.
Build OnLine also provides convienient up-to-date source of contact
details for members of the project across all of the agencies involved
- the number of people involved and potential for details to change
frequently means that ensuring all members have the correct contact
list would be very difficult to manage without this resource.
David Beale
Background
Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) is one of a number of Urban Regeneration Companies set up through Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to lead strategic regeneration of some major urban areas throughout the country where there is under-performance of the local economy, market failure and urban deprivation.
LRC is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee with three main funding partners - Leicester City Council, East Midlands Development Agency and English Partnerships.
The Master Plan for Leicester was completed on behalf of LRC by Roger Tym and Partners in July 2003. This identified five key interventions in the city's economy that would provide a 'step change' in the economic performance of the city.
Key interventions
The next stage was production of an Area Development Framework for each key intervention and LRC went through a procurement process to select a consultant team for each framework. The key interventions are large and complex projects involving:
- Identification of the Development Framework Area and key sites/buildings within that area.
- Provision of an outline development 'masterplan' for the area.
- Indentification of highways and access requirements.
- Identification of key elements of public realm.
- Establishment of the main development uses and densities.
- Provision of design guidance to inform the approach to individual building design and block design.
- Development of a strategy for securing sustainable development, including community cohesion, affordability and an energy-efficient built environment.
- Engaging with the local community and key community, public sector and private sector stakeholders to ensure 'buy-in' to the preferred approach to project delivery.
- Securing an agreed and robust planning basis for the proposals with the Local Planning Authority.
- Production of a project delivery strategy that will build and attract interest from the private development industry at the earliest possible stage to ensure that public funding is leveraged to the greatest possible extent.
Web use
LRC identified web-based project collaboration as a potential means of maximising the effectiveness of its project management, project coordination and project delivery processes. This is particularly in relation to ensuring that all key stakeholders had access to development framework proposals as they were being developed.
The target beneficiaries were SME's in the project design, project engineering, urban planners and similarly LRC and key partners and stakeholders set out above. A central objective was to improve ICT skills and proejct collaboration experience of the target organisations.
Some initial research was undertaken as this is a relatively immature market sector and there are a limited number of providers.
Two pre-project meetings were held with the proposed supplier for this pilot study, Build-Online, who are the market leaders for this type of service. A service agreement was signed with Build Online for provision of the software, training, setting up the web site and project folders and managing same. The pilot study was then be project managed internally as part of LRC's overall management of the 4 major interventions.
LRC selected Build Online as the service provision partner for this pilot study. Their Online Project Collaboration system provided the following features: -
i) a document management component providing a central repository to host documents and drawings;
ii) A process management component providing workflow and communication features;
iii) A knowledge management component providing synthesis of information and sharing across project team and potentially different projects.
In providing these features the solution has the following attributes: -
a) A full training service in respect of use of the software and systems it provides;
b) A "quick view" of new information;
c) A communication facility that provides instant message notification through e-mail, SMS or Fax.
d) Integrated viewer for viewing all the file formats typically used in project design.
e) A mark up facility for commenting on file formats that are viewed with the viewer, with comments stored with the original file;
f) Audit trail creating a permanent chronological journal of each project;
g) Version control ensuring only the latest version of a document or drawing is stored in the viewable folder structure, with previous versions safely archived;
h) Workflow Management incorporating task management requests for information, notices document for approval, change control and action items and meeting minutes;
i) All due dates for tasks automatically feature in the user project calendar and automatically interface with personal e-mail / organiser;
j) Security features including file locking and folder level security;
k) Full, secure, hosting facilities with data back-up and technical support.
The provider Build Online is a well established business able to provide national coverage. The provider has already provided similar services on comparable projects and was able to give specific examples of the required beneficial outcomes from these comparable projects.
At the next stage, construction and engineering contractors and sub-contractors will be target beneficiaries with an online project collaboration system being used for implementation stage.
This will also enable these types of organisations to engage in other projects by using online project collaboration.
Outcomes
The target for this project was for 16 businesses to increase the use of IT in the project period.
In all 17 organisations have used the online project collaboration software, some of these have have transferred very large quantities of information through the website.
The breakdown of orgnaistions using the software / website is as follows:-
11 SMEs
5 Public sector organisations
1 Voluntary sector organisation.
In total approximately 500 mb of data has been loaded onto the project collaboration site.
50 employees of the organisations have used the website and software and viewed/downloaded the material stored on the Build Online servers. This will have contributed to a reduction in printing and postage activity as these users would either have needed hard copies of the material sent out out to them or CD's of the material sent out.
In addition following the adoption of the collaboration tool by LRC at least one other Urban Regeneration Company (Sunderland Arc) has commenced usage of the tool following a presentation from LRC.
Additional outputs will be achieved with continued use of the online project collaboration software. LRC is now moving into implementation stage of its key interventions and this will involve outline planning applications, design development and selection and working with private sector development partners. This will lead to a large increase in the number of design and engineering consultancies using the tool most of whom will be SMEs.
Property developers will also use the tool together with their property advisors.
Project Contacts
Project manager:
Peter Conboy
Tel: 0116 248 8120
E-mail: pc@leicesterregeneration.co.uk
Website: www.leicesterregeneration.co.uk
Address: Leicester Regeneration Company, 1st Floor Halford House, Charles Street, Leicester LE1 1HA
LSEP contact:
Michael Thompson
Tel: 0116 257 5684
Email: michaelt@lsep.co.uk
Website: www.lsep.co.uk
