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Microsoft Project Case Study: Central Kitsap School District

Industry: Public school district

Business Solution: Capital project management system

Architecture: Client-server application running over a wide-area network, integrating project manage-ment, spreadsheet, and database applications.

Products Used: Microsoftr Project, Microsoft Accessr, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft LAN Manager Remote Access Service, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Visual Basicr, Microsoft WindowsT for Workgroups, Microsoft Windows NTT operating system, Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server

Development Resources: Microsoft Consulting Services, One in-house project manager

Development Time: Eight months

Benefit: Saves an estimated $800,000 on project management costs for current slate of 100 projects; gives school district instant access to critical project data; eliminates two-week wait for expenditure reports.

The Central Kitsap School District is one of the fastest-growing school districts in Washington state. Enrollment in the district, located out-side of Seattle, has grown by 66 per-cent in the past decade, to 12,000 stu-dents. To keep pace with growth in student enrollment, the district has had to embark on an ambitious capital proj-ects program that so far has included a new junior high school, four new ele-mentary schools, and numerous building additions. New construction activ-ity will pick up even more in the next several years: the district recently passed a bond issue that will finance 100 projects totaling $80 million, ranging from new schools to additional classrooms.

Keeping track of all facets of these projects, from construction schedules to cash flow, posed a huge challenge for school administrators. Before the current growth spurt, the district kept project information in paper files and on a big whiteboard in a hallway out-side the administrative offices. That method quickly became outdated.

"We changed from such a small number of projects to such a large number, it just became more and more difficult to keep track of everything," explains Dick Moore, the school dis-trict's director of capital projects. "We'd end up with times when the board wouldn't be updated for weeks. We just couldn't catch up."

The result: Vital information was sometimes unavailable, which pre-vented the school district from making quick decisions on project issues-which in turn delayed projects and added costs.

The school district had two options to manage the growing list of projects: It could hire an outside management company, which would add to the total project costs; or it could install a system that used the district's new wide-area network computer system, which is built around the Microsoft Windows NT operating system and Microsoft Windows for Workgroups, to manage the projects in house. To manage the projects in house and save money, the district contacted Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) for help in developing a new project management system.

"Nine years ago it was very easy because you just had one project, and you could micro manage it. But when you go from one to 10 to 100 projects, it becomes very problematic," sums up Moore. "It's hard to create all those paper files and maintain them. If you're talking about that kind of a problem, automation through computers is a natural solution."

Microsoft Project Provides Integrated Solution

Moore, his construction managers, and other school officials started the proc-ess by drafting a "wish list" for their new system. It had to have a database available to users throughout the dis-trict. It had to be powerful enough to handle the magnitude of information related to each project. And it had to have the sophistication to produce re-ports and other helpful information. "We have a lot of data, but data isn't information," Moore says. "We wanted to use the strength of the application to provide us with information."

"We feel that we can save at least 1 percent on our project management costs by staying in house. And if it's 1 percent of $80 million, which is the program we have right now, that's $800,000. You can do a lot of things in schools for $800,000." Dick Moore, Director of Capital Projects, Central Kitsap School District.

The Windows-based application created by MCS, called the Project Tracking Database (PTD), does just that. In the application, Microsoft Project provides the tools needed to man-age the district's projects and several other Microsoft products play supporting roles that help the district manage finances and create reports.

PTD is divided into two integrated modules: One for construction manag-ers to track projects, and the other for school district officials to review financial information. At the core of the program is a Microsoft SQL Server database that contains all project information. Basic project data is entered through screens created with the Microsoft Visual Basic programming system. Microsoft Visual Basic, in turn, is integrated with Microsoft Project templates that provide progress reports, cash flow updates, schedules, and other critical project management information-as well as access to the project management tools in Microsoft Project.

On the financial side, the information provided via Microsoft Visual Basic is integrated with Microsoft Excel. District officials can then use Microsoft Excel worksheets and other tools to review and manipulate the projects' financial data.

MCS used the Microsoft Access database management system to create several standard reports the school district needs on its projects, such as an end-of-the-year report. Project managers will use Microsoft Access to customize these reports, or add new ones as the need arises. After the initial project information is entered, accessing important information is as easy as opening Microsoft Project or Microsoft Excel, either from a district workstation or from the construction site. For example, a school principal can get a quick status report on an addition to her building so that she can plan staffing requirements. Or a construction manager can check material costs on site by accessing PTD via a portable computer and modem.

For the network, the school district is using the Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server operating system to run Microsoft SQL Server. TCP/IP serves as the communications back-bone of the network.

The system provides more than just project data. Using formulas that Moore and his team provided, PTD calculates schedules, fees, cash flow projections, and other information. For example, it generates a "punch list" of chores that the contractor must finish for the project to be complete. These features free up project managers from hours of calculations and projections, giving them the information they need to plan and oversee construction.

Saving Money for Schools

For a public agency, a critical issue is responsible fiscal management practices. Moore says PTD meets that need. Outside management firms can charge as much as 3.5 percent of the total project cost for their services. On the other hand, managing the projects internally can substantially cut back on those management costs.

"You can go to a project management firm and rely on them, or you can stay in house. We feel that we can save at least 1 percent on our project management costs by staying in house. And if it's 1 percent of $80 million, which is the program we have right now, that's $800,000. You can do a lot of things in schools for $800,000."

Having project information in-stantly available is also a key benefit for the school district in many ways. Failure to provide necessary information about a project can complicate public funding.

Also, it's critical that project managers have immediate access to project information so that they can respond to changes that inevitably occur during construction-and keep the project rolling. Under the district's old system, expenditure reports would come two weeks after the end of the month.

"But a lot of the decisions we make have to be made on a real-time basis," Moore says. "So when we began to define what our dream system would be, we said, 'Hey, we'd like to be able to log onto our system and say what if we did this, and what if we added this project, how does this change our cash flow or our ending reserve funds.' We wanted immediately to see what the consequences were of changing a project, either to its budget or to its schedule or to any aspect of the project. This system with Microsoft Project enables us to do that."

Future Expansion

With a database, a full suite of applications, and a wide-area network that will eventually link more than 20 buildings, Central Kitsap School District has all the tools in place to use its new project tracking system in areas beyond capital construction. With "small tweaks," Moore says, PTD could be used in other departments throughout the district.

One key area will be financial management. Just as PTD handles construction project information based on account codes or project numbers, it could handle any budget transactions using the same format. That opens up the system to everything from purchase orders to departmental budgets. And it will allow administrators to use the powerful tools in Microsoft Excel to create reports and analyze financial data. The district believes so strongly in PTD that it's making plans to market it to other organizations. "Because of its effectiveness, it's not restricted to schools," Moore comments. "Any public entity with capital programs could benefit from this, too."

This case study is for informational purposes only. Microsoft, Microsoft Access and Visual Basic are registered trademarks and Windows, and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

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