Design and Construction Industry

Kristine Fallon Associates, Inc. works as a subcontractor on the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) FTA-funded Capital Improvement Program. The role of KFA., on this and a previous contract, has been to select, configure, rollout, document, train and support a Web-based project management solution. KFA performed a needs analysis, participated in work process redefinition, conducted product research, developed a Request for Proposals, recommended an application service provider (ASP) and developed data organization and workflow templates for both design and construction projects. KFA also developed a comprehensive training manual, training CD, on-line instructional materials, an extensive role-based training program and a support operation for over 1000 team members from 113 organizations collaborating on over 50-plus projects via the Web-based project management system. Time from initial engagement to implementation of the first project Web site was 9 months.

 In 2003 the Department of Architecture at The Art Institute of Chicago asked Kristine Fallon Associates, Inc. to undertake a major study titled "Collecting, Archiving and Exhibiting Digital Design Data". The study makes an original contribution to the understanding of the collection, archiving and exhibition of digital design data produced by architects and industrial designers. In the first phase of the study, KFA conducted case studies of nine design projects ranging through product design, building design and urban design. KFA developed and conducted a survey to determine how design firms are currently using and plan to use digital design tools.

The curatorial Department of Architecture of The Art Institute of Chicago is currently implementing the recommendations of KFA’s 18-month research project. KFA produced a technical definition of what is to be archived, defined methods for cataloging and storing the data, described tools and methods for accessing and preserving the data and provided a comprehensive review of techniques for digitizing the existing paper-based collection. KFA recently completed the software specification and user interface design for the system.

KFA has now begun writing the software for the Digital Archive for Architecture System in conjunction with an Art Institute programmer. Once the software has passed a rigorous acceptance test, The Art Institute of Chicago will conduct a pilot to validate the new work processes and archiving techniques.

  In 2003 the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) asked Kristine Fallon Associates, Inc. to evaluate the applicability of a capital facilities handover guide to the transportation industry and provide recommendations and budgetary resource requirements for extending the guide for transportation facilities projects. In 2006, NIST, FIATECH and Uitgebreid Samenwerkingsverband Procesindustrie (USPI-NL) jointly published the Capital Facilities Information Handover Guide (CFIHG), Part 1. This document provides guidelines for establishing the requirements and mechanisms for the exchange of facilities information among owners, designers and builders, from project inception through operations and maintenance to facility disposal. The document spells out a methodology for defining information requirements and sources for the full life-cycle of a building and it also addresses the topic of appropriate formats for long-term archiving and reuse. Kristine K. Fallon, FAIA was co-project leader.

In 2006 Kristine, in conjunction with Mark Palmer of NIST, will be facilitating the development of a Part 2 for commercial and institutional facilities. Development methodology includes both an industry workshop and industry review of the draft publication. If you would like to participate in either of these activities, please send a statement of interest and qualifications to Mark Palmer [mark.palmer@nist.gov], the project manager.

  A rapidly growing design firm commissioned KFA to conduct a study: Benchmarking IT Best Practices Among Design Firms. Goals were to rank the effectiveness of the firm’s computer use in relation to its competition, and to identify IT practices that led to superior performance by other firms. KFA conducted a literature search and identified and solicited the participation of benchmarking partners. We designed surveys to determine the quantities and types of technology in place and to rate its business effects. We also conducted extensive interviews with project teams from each firm to document and evaluate the application of information technology in practice. The Report documented the data gathered, provided an assessment of the firm’s competitive standing and identified best industry practices for adoption.

 When a small design firm's system manager resigned, the principals asked KFA to fill the gap. The firm was already planning to upgrade their hardware, network and software. KFA assisted them in selecting hardware and network components that would reduce support costs, then planned and executed hardware acquisition, operating system upgrades, network conversion, CAD software upgrades and data conversion to new standards. This was accomplished without disruption of the firm's ongoing production efforts.

 The multi-billion dollar Los Angeles Metro Rail design and construction project was migrating from paper-based to computer-based design and communications. The USDOT's Project Management Oversight Contractor subcontracted KFA to evaluate the effectiveness of the design team's use of computer-aided design and electronic communication. Over the course of two years of on-site assessments, a number of KFA's recommendations were successfully adopted by the design team.

Corporate Facilities Groups

 A major cultural institution discovered that its vendor was discontinuing support of its CAD/CAFM system. After a nationwide search, the institution selected KFA to assist in evaluating and selecting new CAD/CAFM hardware and software. KFA then converted the institution’s 3D facility and urban models and database-linked drawings to a new operating system, CAD format and relational database system, preserving all graphics and database linkages.

 KFA assisted the Planning and Construction group of a Fortune 10 company in conceptualizing, specifying and implementing an Electronic Data Management (EDM) system to manage both as-built and in-progress drawings for over 700 facilities. Technology components included: AIX, OS/2 and Windows operating systems, a multi-protocol network, an optical jukebox, Informix database development, large-format scanning, two CAD systems, multi-format file viewers, plotter interfaces and work flow management. The EDM system reduced the time required to retrieve as-built drawings from several days to seconds.

 A major teaching hospital selected Kristine Fallon Associates, Inc. to provide consulting services related to the upgrade of their Computer-Aided Facility Management (CAFM) system. KFA recommended the use of a GIS product to facilitate drawing management and project coordination across the hospital’s campus. Phase One of the project involved the specification and pricing of hardware and software for an upgraded and expanded system, as well as a training plan. It also included the rewriting of the hospital’s CAD Standards to be compatible with the National CADD Standard.  Phase Two involved software installation, extensive AutoCAD customization, the conversion of existing data to the new CAD Standards, the creation of intelligent symbol libraries, and training. KFA developed Visual Basic applications that interact with AutoCAD and streamline repetitive tasks.

 For a medical facility, KFA developed a Visual Basic/ VBA application that united the functionality of AutoCAD, MS Access and MS Excel to link room inventory information to floor plans and provided both graphic and text reports.  The facility surveyor used the Room Usage and Room Detail modules to enter a comprehensive, room-by-room facility inventory into the database. The Room Area Assignment module calculated room areas from the AutoCAD floor plans and associated them with specific rooms in the database. The Reporting module created two standard reports: the Room Use Audit Report extracted data from the database and loaded it into a spreadsheet, where it could be sorted or subtotaled as desired; the Room Detail Report extracted the correct portion of the floor plan from the CAD file, and the related inventory data from the database, producing a combined graphic/ text report for user-specified rooms.

 KFA successfully converted a major equipment manufacturer’s site drawings and detailed plant layouts from Auto-trol Series 5000 to AutoCAD Map. When KFA was called in, the company was experiencing data loss and fatal errors when they attempted to perform DXF translations of their Auto-trol data. The situation was complicated by the fact that a large and important set of drawings had been created using a third party application that was not well understood or documented. KFA worked on-site to analyze the Auto-trol data and resolve myriad translation problems. We developed custom code to pre-process the Auto-trol files, to edit the DXF files and to clean up the translated data within AutoCAD. We also wrote Aegis shell scripts and DOS batch routines to automate the translation process.

Manufacturers

 A manufacturer had invested 15 years of customization in a CAD product that was no longer supported. KFA reverse-engineered that customization and programmed similar but enhanced functionality using current technology products. Because the approach KFA recommended was flexible and open, we have been able to integrate this design automation code with front-end sales quotation systems and back-end manufacturing systems, using XML and ODBC.

Software Companies

 KFA harnesses experience and contacts in the design and construction industry to help software developers serve this vertical market effectively.  For a start-up software company, we convened a representative group of design firm principles to participate in an in-depth study of CAD use in their businesses, and to produce a requirements statement for CAD software.

 A major CAD vendor wanted to increase vertical market focus quickly and cost-effectively. KFA's in-depth industry knowledge permitted us to produce reseller training programs within the client's schedule and budget for the AEC, facility management and plant design markets. We also participated in the reseller training classes throughout the U.S. and received positive feedback about the classes' relevance and quality.

 A vertical application vendor wanted to initiate a U.S. university program. KFA advised the company on the best prospects and approaches, represented the company at academic conferences, managed outreach, marketing and communications with university professors and administrators, authored a White Paper explaining the underlying technologies, arranged on-campus product demonstrations and built upon existing marketing materials to produce instruction aids for professors.

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