1. Process Development and Integration for the Six-Year Program and the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program Capstone Students: Eric L. Issadore, Rory T. Smith, Ryan P. Tiffany Graduate Student: Priya Sarda Faculty Advisor: James H. Lambert, Associate Director and Research Associate Professor Center for Risk Management of Engineering Systems Department of Systems and Information Engineering School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia Sponsor: Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC) IDEF0 Description - Description of IDEF0 Format of Mapping Highway Maintenance and Operating Fund Revenues Process Model - Process Model for a Sub Process in the Development of the Federal Program. IDEF Format The particular component within the BPWin model used in this project for input and display purposes is called IDEF0 (Integrated Definition for Function Modeling). IDEF0 is the technique that breaks down the activities or functions of the organization or system into its component parts. It is a graphical language that assists in identifying the functions that are performed, the various elements needed to perform those functions, and what is efficient and inefficient about the system under study. For each activity, IDEF0 data needs are the objectives, responsible departments, inputs, outputs, controls, mechanisms, key decisions, estimated duration, and impacted activities. “Controls” consist of legislation, regulations, and policies related to the system. “Mechanisms” refer to the elements that accomplish the actions of the process, such as people, manual or automated tools, established procedures for holding hearings, etc. The figure below displays the IDEF0 format: Data Collection for IDEF In order to create process models, the team created an Excel workbook that contained all of the information about each activity completed in order to create the Six Year and Statewide Improvement Programs. These workbooks enabled the team to organize the data, and include all of the IDEF information about each process. These workbooks were used to gather the information from the members of VDOT. They allowed the team to ask specific questions during interviews, and fill in the data correctly. They also provided the team with an ability to know exactly what information was still needed in order to completed the process models. Each activity was given its own row in the workbook, and the columns contained the IDEF standards as well as supplementary material. VDOT appreciated the added fields, so that they could check up on the team’s research. The workbook also included links to the Process Models that were created, and links to any recommendations the team had developed. The workbook was monumental to the creation of process model and narratives of the SYIP and STIP processes. Above is a sample of the developed workbook. Public Involvement Sub-Process IDEF3 Process Models of SYIP/STIP STIP Amendment Sub-Process The sub-process for tracking STIP amendments and maintaining fiscal constraint were documented in BPWin. In order to achieve this, the recent MOA addressing the amendment process was reviewed and the IDEF0 and IDEF3 activities that constitute the amendment were characterized. The process methods to track changes and document continued financial constraint as changes are made was identified and narrative documentation of the amendment process provided. Opportunities to improve or support the amendment process were examined in addition. The BPWin result was used to describe evolution of the current process to a process that utilizes the SYIP/STIP database to generate understandable documentation of what is being changed. IDEF – Capturing IDEF information in Automated Workbook Activities of the STIP Development Process, using Microsoft Visio, and to the right is the Revenue Forecasting process, created using the BPWin and the IDEF3 standard. These models enabled us to create narratives of the processes and assist VDOT in moving the STIP Development Process entirely to the Programming Division. Problem Statement In past years the STIP, a three-year programming document required by federal regulations, was prepared as an abridgment of the SYIP, which is required by Virginia law. The SYIP articulates an overall funding strategy for the Commonwealth. The SYIP does not obligate federal funding. In contrast, the STIP articulates the intentions of VDOT and VDRPT to obligate federal funds to highways and transit by federal fiscal year. Virginia's approach to the STIP of past years has been inadequate to satisfy federal regulations, which require that VDOT/VDRPT declare to FHWA and the FTA the federal dollars to be obligated in each federal fiscal year by project. In recent years, significant projects appearing in the SYIP, and consequently in the STIP, could not be undertaken because the financial constraint used in SYIP/STIP development was not meaningful. In programming, objective and technical evidence were increasingly dominated by short-term fiscal and other expediencies. BPWin is a comprehensive process model software program that allows an organization to analyze its operational processes in a systematic way and determine how these processes interact with the data flowing through the organization. A process model presents a system as a collection of activities in which each activity transforms some object or collection of objects. Activities are represented in graphic form as boxes and arrows, with the boxes labeled with a verbal description to explain what the activity accomplishes. The arrows are used to represent the interface between an activity and its environment. The mapping of interactions eliminates extraneous detail and highlights important detail. BPWin Software The business processes of the SYIP and STIP using the IDEF standards and BPWin software were documented. SYIP and STIP relationships to other databases and activities to include FMS II, PPMS, and a cost estimation system were examined. A calendar-based process model for SYIP and STIP development using BPWin Software was developed. Current iSYP functions and help menus were reviewed. The STIP/SYIP business processes using BPWin (IDEF0 and IDEF3) were mapped and built on the process descriptions of FHWA/VDOT/VDRPT report 'Development and Financial Constraint of Virginia's STIP and the latest version of the STIP calendar. Additional detail of activities was examined, which may be required for the BPWin process model. It was demonstrated that the BPWin process model supports IT development of the electronic STIP environment (e-STIP). The public involvement activities associated with the development of SYIP and STIP were evaluated. To accomplish this task, the 2003 pre-allocation hearings and CTB meetings were attended and observed. The recent VTRC public involvement report and other literature as well as the progress of other states was reviewed for practical solutions. The relevant public involvement activities in the SYIP/STIP process model were identified and characterized according to the IDEF format. A critical evaluation of the new public involvement process was performed in addition. Recommendations for evolution of the public involvement process for the SYIP were developed. Support was provided to the STIP/SYIP committee currently working on a public involvement plan. The outcome of the recent process review on public involvement by the FHWA was reviewed. Finally, recommendations for the evolving public involvement policy of VDOT were completed.