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Recent initiatives at the state and federal level have focused attention on possible ways of streamlining or expediting the project delivery process. While some of these efforts have focused on methods and practices to speed planning and pre-construction activities, the purpose of this investigation was to examine means of speeding the roadway and highway construction cycle. Highway construction time has very real costs to all parties involved in the process; highway departments, contractors, and most especially the public whose tax dollars and time is spent waiting for projects to be completed. Recognizing this, the Local Road Research Board's (LRRB) Research Implementation Committee (RIC) began this investigation to explore current activities, techniques and materials whose use reduces construction time, and to determine the extent of their use by city and county engineers in Minnesota.

In 1993, Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) contracted with the University of Minnesota Executive Development Center to develop a training program that would enhance the skill sets of Mn/DOT employees whose responsibilities include managing projects. Ten years later, researchers developed a process to determine whether the Mn/DOT Project Management Academy experience is producing the desired results. Their investigation, based on extensive literature search and interviews with former participants, uncovered several weaknesses of the program: (1) The academy lacked a central message that reflected the overall mission and focus of the Minnesota Department of Transportation; (2) The instructional format was not structured in a way that enabled participants to apply the skills to daily work experiences; and (3) The content and manner of presentation did not take into account the varied backgrounds and levels of experience of the participants. As a result, the authors conclude with a comprehensive list of suggestions for making improvements in each of the areas listed.

Project management software is designed to make the job of a project manager easier and more efficient, providing applications to aid in planning, to manage project costs, and to track activities and monitor schedules. As more and more public works departments face the realities of increasing workloads and shrinking resources, finding technology applications that allow productivity gains becomes ever more important. The use of project management software as a tool for managing and organizing work has grown and continues to grow at a rapid pace in all industries. This paper reviews the ways in which it is currently being used in the course of transportation project delivery in Minnesota, and provides a tool to assist in choosing the right application to meet a local city or countyʹs needs.

This project captured best practices for producing and delivering road construction plans and documentation from several Minnesota cities and counties, industry, and several other state departments of transportation (DOTs). The findings will assist Minnesota city and county engineers in getting a better understanding of how and which types of plans, models, and other bid documents are used and delivered electronically in the construction industry, and how best practices can be employed in Minnesota cities and counties. The project included an extensive literature review, phone interviews with experts, and a brainstorming session with super-users. The brainstorming session was held to help assess the recommendations reached through the study and determine how electronic plans, models, and other bid documents are viewed by the implementers in Minnesota cities and counties. Based on the results of this work, guidance was developed for the implementation of 3D modeling and electronic document management (EDM) systems for the MnDOT Local Road Research Board (LRRB).

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) photolog system gives its users a driver's view of Minnesota roads by providing sequential images of roadways. In the past, Mn/DOT employees could access the existing photolog system from only one dedicated computer in each district. This project looked at the potential of increasing access to the photo log system. With improved photo log system access, more employees can use the system in their work areas instead of more costly alternatives, such as driving to sites or making choices without visually checking the site. Pilot work showed that photolog data can be made available to users over a LAN without overloading the performance of the network. The project also tested the ability to provide training videos over the LAN directly to personal computers.

This report investigates the application of customer satisfaction concepts and measures to Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) operations. It defines the terms customer and customer satisfaction, estimates the cost of collecting customer satisfaction information, discusses related research and management activities, and makes recommendations. Specific research findings include the following: * The measurement of customer satisfaction primarily occurs in the private sector. * The straightforward definitions of customer and customer satisfaction can be translated to fit public sector needs. * Specifying customers and measuring their satisfaction are deceptively difficult and require input from top management. * Developing and implementing a customer satisfaction measurement system takes time and requires a significant financial investment. * Initial customer satisfaction projects suffer from a higher than average failure rate, often caused by lack of planning before execution. * Segments of the public may view design and implementation of customer satisfaction measures as wasteful, especially if the project is not successful.

This Technical Summary pertains to the LRRB-produced Report 2016-29, “Modernizing Road Construction Plans and Documentation,” published September 2016.