WHPacific is a professional services firm with 9 offices located in 3 states.  One way the WHP management team conducts enterprise resource planning is to try to predict expected earnings over 4 fiscal quarters into the future. These projections are called "Fees Earned Forecasts"(FEF), and are based on input from each individual Project Manager. FEF data was collected by passing out excel spreadsheets to 60+ Project Managers in three states on an annual basis. Once all spreadsheets were completed by all PMs, the data was manually compiled into one giant spreadsheet which attempted to summarize the data. This incredibly labor intensive process was essential to resource planning, but it was clear that there must be a better way!

Fees Earned Forecasting is an ASP.NET / SQL Server 2005 web application that added functionality to WHPacific's well established Intranet. The application enables all Project Managers to input fees earned forecasting numbers into a secured web application. When a Project Manager visits the FEF tracking page, that PM will only see their projects based on who is logged into the requesting PC. This eliminates the need for yet another password. Since PMs input their data directly into the underlying SQL database, detailed reports are instantly available. Administration of the system is also managed via an Administrator web page. The process of collecting Fees Earned Forecasting data is so streamlined that it is now possible to collect data on a quarterly basis. This and exceptional reporting capabilities make Fees Earned Forecasting a powerful little app!

SDOT had the innovative idea of building a "Best Practices Database" where City staff and contracted consultants could store information about "best practice" lessons learned for various project types. From legal and billing issues to technical design comments, the database would need to record a wide range of relevant information. But perhaps most importantly, it was essential that the system be very user friendly so that adding a new Best Practice record was not a time consuming activity.

Because SDOT needed the application to be available to both internal City staff as well as external consultants, ESI recommended a web based solution. SDOT did not have the internal IT capacity to host the BPDB web application, so ESI utilized www.webhost4life.com to host the ASP.NET / SQL Server 2000 web final solution. The online database is password protected, but otherwise the website is accessible to both external consultants and internal City staff. The website allows users to enter and search for "Best Practices" information.

The input page was structured to make it as easy as possible to input relevant database in an expedient manner. Multiple selection lists, drop-downs, yes or no, with adequate comment fields were all utilized to make input quick and easy. In order to avoid the age old problem of "garbage in, garbage out", a workflow was put in place that enables City Administrators to review and approve all new best practice entries. Each step in this workflow is facilitated by automatic email alerts which allow the Administrator to efficiently communicate with City staff and outside consultants.

Transportation Grants are funded on a biennial basis from both Federal and State resources. Once biennial grants are funded, grant dollars are then allocated to over 100 transportation related public entities. It is the Grants department's responsibility to track the funding, allocation, and payment of both Federal and State grant funds.

For many years the Grants department has been tracking grants with enormous, extremely labor intensive spreadsheets. An internal effort was planned to construct a MS Access database solution to take over Grant Tracking, but department staff was already overworked with day to day operations. With the next Biennium rapidly approaching, WSDOT contacted ESI to provide dedicated "fast-track" assistance and complete a robust Grants Tracking system in 2 short months.

ESI has worked with the WSDOT Grants department on various projects since 2002. Although the 2 month deadline to complete the application before the new biennium was extremely aggressive, ESI put in extended hours to complete GrantsDB on time and on budget.

Before designing the MS Access 2003 / SQL Server 2000 solution, ESI conducted an in depth business analysis of the WSDOT Grant department's operations workflow, and the data they track. A process workflow chart, data dictionary, and preliminary database schema were completed so that the end users were clear on the proposed functionality before the final product was completed. The business analysis phase also revealed many new ideas and opportunities for smart innovation.

ESI collected all existing spreadsheets and Access databases currently being used by the Grants department. The data was combined, analyzed, normalized and scrubbed for upload into the new SQL Server database structure. ESI developed the SQL database schema that was approved by WSDOT IT representatives and the MS Access 2003 front-end interface. After a brief pilot testing period, the Grants DB application was launched into production on time and on budget.

• Grantee Contact Tracking
• Grantee Site Visit Tracking
• Grantee Federal Certifications & Assurances
• Grantee Annual Audit
• Grant Agreement Contract Tracking
• Grant Agreement Quarterly Grantee Submittals
• Grant Agreement County Allocation
• Grant Funding Source Tracking
• Grant Project Tracking
• Project Invoice Tracking
• Project Contacts
  

PCE is a rapidly growing engineering company based in Kirkland, WA. PCE asked ESI to build a comprehensive Marketing and Project Experience Database to track information used in marketing efforts. Once ESI completed the web application design, the database needed to be loaded with project experience from Quickbooks accounting system. The information will be primarily used to support marketing efforts.

PCE's IT infrastructure is completely setup and administered by an external service provider. ESI worked closely with this provider to determine PCE's technology capabilities and current licensing. As with most standard installations of MS Small Business Server, PCE had all the tools they needed to support a robust ASP.NET 2.0 / SQL Server 2000 web application.

BNI is a residential and commercial land development company based in Everett, WA. They found themselves at the crest of the residential building wave that occurred in Snohomish County between 2003 and 2006. In order to manage exponential growth, BNI needed a comprehensive system that would create a consistent language and identify for the company.

ESI completed a comprehensive Enterprise Management Intranet that tracks and controls all aspects of BNI's operations. This is ESI's largest, most comprehensive system and took about 2 years to complete. The lengthy project was phased so that on a regular basis new components came online. As each component comes online ESI provided training sessions for the appropriate staff so that the system gradually solidified. The BNIweb system encompasses every aspect of the BNI work product. It created a central database that maximized data integrity and connected all departments:

Simat, Helliesen & Eichner, Inc.(SHE) is a Boston, MA based consultant firm that was hired by WSDOT Aviation to conduct a "Long Term Area Transportation System Study". This study involved updating and modifying an existing SQL 2000 database which contains detailed information about all 196 public use airports in the Washington State. SH&E contracted ESI to engineer and document modifications to the original database and to build a secure web interface that would allow Airport Managers to log in and update records in the current LATS database. In addition the LATS Online system included a project management feature that enabled the SH&E team to review and confirm each airport manager’s input.  The system also tracked overall project progress.

For more info on LATS click here

This project began several months behind schedule due to funding delays and thereby ESI was challenged with an extremely aggressive schedule. A further challenge was that the project team was made up of airport consultant specialists located in Los Angeles-CA, Boston-MA, Portland-OR, Bothell-WA and Arlington-WA. This, coupled with the tight timeline, made effective conference calls and meetings crucial. ESI took the lead on conducting all database-related calls. In a couple of weeks the team had agreed upon the addition of over 200 new data columns and several new tables to the existing LATS database.

Once the database was established, the next ESI task was to facilitate the updating of the data and provide a method to manage the data update process ESI developed an .ASP / SQL 2000 web application to meet all of these needs. Airport managers from all 198 public use airports in the State of WA were each able to log into a custom home page for their Airport. In this Airport website, the manager was then able to review current information, make any revisions, and add any additional information.

Once airport manager information is submitted, the SHE project team is able to review all information submitted by the airport manager online, and verify if the data collection effort is complete for that specific airport.

Dirt Dogs, Inc. is a land acquisitions company specializing in finding developable land and brokering a deal between the landowner and an interested developer.  DDinc had the innovative idea of extending services to developer clients over the internet.  DDinc contracted ESI to create a system that would offer their clients exceptional, efficient online services.

ESI's first task was to find and analyze all data available to the public relevant to land. Each City and County have different data sources varying from .txt, .mdb, .dbf, .xls, and various GIS related files. ESI focused on Snohomish and King counties.

Next ESI developed a MS Access application to serve as a data processing engine that would allow Dirt Dogs, Inc. to quickly identify potential parcels, select and build these parcels into an Assemblage, and finally track the status and progress of an Assemblage.

When a developer client is interested in a particular assemblage of land, the information can be transferred to a secure internet website for review. This website gives the developer a real time understanding of Assemblage Status. In addition, all documents related to the Assemblage are available for immediate download.

ODOT needed to take a current inventory of the condition of about 450 bridges in the State of Oregon.  The purpose of the project was to compile data and information into a comprehensive database that would help the State prioritize much needed repairs.  This massive data collection effort needed to happen as quickly as possible, because many bridges were in dangerous disrepair.  To complete the project Ellwood Systems, Inc. worked with two transportation engineering companies, W&H Pacific & David Evans & Associates, to complete the data collection effort.  EIS developed a data collection website to facilitate the effort.  ESI provided assistance with data collection and created the final database structure.

This web-based database system was developed to facilitate and manage the data collection effort for 450 bridges in the State of Oregon. The system also helped to manage the overall bridge assessment process.  This innovative use of web technology enabled W&H Pacific to easily manage the statewide project that involved three different teams and subconsultants spread across five northwest offices.  Teams were able to visit each bridge and input collected notes and information into the master database from any location with an internet connection.  The web system furthermore helped our engineers complete the Baseline Assessment Reports by summarizing all of the data collected according to the standard Baseline Report layout, whether they were at home or in the office.  The website offers the same data, but significant advantages over the MS Access database that was delivered to ODOT by another consultant by including:

• A complete summary of all data collected in the final Bridge Assessment database by Bridge.
• 29,332 documents linked to the website under user-friendly headings (see example above)
• Site Photos and Videos with descriptive captions allow bridge sites to be reviewed in the office thus avoiding unnecessary costs and time for site visits.