Proceedings of the 2003 Systems and Information Engineering Design Symposium Matthew H. Jones, Barbara E. Tawney, and K. Preston White, Jr., eds.
CIMSS – A CASE STUDY IN WEB-BASED DISTRIBUTED PROJECT MANAGEMENT Matilda Chiu Robert D. Etris Niral Upadhyaya John Weissenborn Garrick Louis Depaortment of Systems and Information Engineering University of Virginia
ABSTRACT An emerging problem for organizations today is not so much the collection of information and data as it is finding ways to distribute it effectively. The Consortium for Integrated Municipal Sanitation Systems (CIMSS) exists for the purpose of assuring the capacity for and access to safe, reliable municipal sanitation services to low income and atrisk communities worldwide. The success of this endeavor depends on the joint participation of many groups, requiring a central location through which the project can be facilitated. Unfortunately, the technological infrastructure to support advanced information sharing systems is not available to members in remote and third world locations. This project provides the group with a web-based solution that solves their information sharing and project facilitation needs while maintaining a focus on usability and scalability across international regions with vastly disparate financial and technological resources. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Project Overview Throughout the world, many people and communities are suffering from inadequate and under-funded sanitation services. The University of Virginia’s Department of Systems and Information Engineering has established an organization dedicated to improving these conditions. This group is called the Consortium for Integrated Municipal Sanitation Systems, also known as CIMSS. The consortium is a conglomerate of collaborators from academia, government, the sanitation service industry, non-government organizations, community-based organizations and private voluntary organizations. Its mission is to bring safe, reliable standards to all populations, regardless of the current state of their system.
CIMSS’s primary work involves finding new avenues for the development of sanitation systems where such a need exists. Additionally, the group studies the “best practices” such that a new system introduced to fill this need is properly managed and maintained by those whom it affects. CIMSS researchers examine new possibilities such as Integrated Municipal Sanitation Systems, de-centralized sanitation services in less industrialized countries, and Community Based Sanitation Services as possible solutions to those lacking these services. The joint efforts of individuals with varying backgrounds hope to eventually develop a systems-based approach to the lifecycle management of sustainable sanitation systems. 1.2 Rationale and Scope From a broader perspective this project sets a new example of applying DPM in a not for profit environment. Many of the existing examples of DPM applications referenced in modern literature point to its utility in big business and larger corporate projects. Even these examples seem to limit its use as a scheduling tool and the visualization thereof. This project breaks away from that mold by focusing on all aspects of project integration and combining them in an innovative manner. This paper further examines the many principles and advantages of DPM via the Internet, and then applies these principles in the design of the new site. This relatively new technique brings together people, ideas, data, documents, and communication tools in a centralized location on the web. Currently, all team communication takes place in the traditional sense through conference calls, phone/fax exchanges, e-mails, and occasional meetings that generally involve overseas travel. The existing site leaves much to be desired and a total re-design is necessary to meet the needs of the client.
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Chiu, Etris, Upadhyaya, Weissenborn,and Louis 1.3 Social Dimensions On an international level this project has clear social and ethical implications. Developing third world countries lack the industrial resources to erect the infrastructure around which a traditional sanitation utility can exist. Project participants have no aspirations to physically solve this problem. Their intentions lay in the distribution of the knowledge that can help the relevant authorities learn how to apply their understanding of traditional water and sewage utilities under much more extenuating circumstances. Studies have shown the success of such projects, systems that start small under the direction of few and grow with the understanding and increased participation of the indigenous group. Unclean water and poor waste management harbors bacteria, disease, and a generally poor quality of life. CIMSS aspires to research pragmatic solutions and offer this knowledge to those whom would benefit. It does not solve the problem in as much as it takes a necessary first step to address an international need affecting the lives of millions. Furthermore, the development of this site will provide a new model from which future research endeavors can model similar applications. The future sustained viability of CIMSS hinges on the development of a tool to collaborate ideas, exchange information, and coordinate productivity in a central location. A new web-based management tool has the ability to propagate information and ideas much more effectively than exist now. 1.4 Document Overview As with any other large-scale project, the design of the web-based CIMSS Project Management Center underwent a cycle of distinct planning, design, test, and implementation stages before completion. This paper examines this process as it grows through each of these levels, walking the reader through the design sequence from the early conceptual stages to the final materialized product. After laying the groundwork for understanding in more detail exactly how Distributed Project Management works, one will more clearly see how it directly applies in this particular instance. It will close with an explanation of any areas needing additional work and possibilities for continued expansion in the future. 2 DISTRIBUTED PROJECT MANAGEMENT Successful project management is both complex and easily misunderstood, often due to a number of factors listed below. Though web-based applications have not proved to be the saving grace many in the industry predicted, DPM via the Internet offers advantages not otherwise available in similar software packages. If combines a multiple
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communication and information exchange tools in a single, neatly wrapped package. The system of project management, as defined by Suhanic, involves five key aspects: 1. Project Definition Structure – systematically establishing scope and parameters 2. Project Work Breakdown Structure – identify activities and task to create deliverables 3. Organizational Breakdown Structure – define resources and delegate task completion 4. Project Budge & Cost Control – estimates derived from scope and quality of information 5. Project Schedule & Progress Control – complete activities within timeline (9-11). The exact origins of project management are obscure and sketchy at best. Experts point to network scheduling methodologies such as PERT and CPM, developed with the Fleet Ballistic Missile Program named “Polaris”, as such a possible origin (Suhanic 105). A common theme through all literature focuses on the importance of communication. Maggie Biggs writes about how the failure of a project can inevitably be attributed to a communication breakdown somewhere along the way. An easy way to avoid such an issue is through better organization of the project infrastructure, a benefit of DPM. It descends from such functions as office automation, database management, software process control, business modeling, and document management. These then serve to join people, data, and information in a “process-centric” mentality (Jablonski and Bussler 6). Previously most project frameworks centered on an existing corporate operational department that de-centralized a highly structured chain of information flow. Modern DPM delivers solution-oriented objectives, centralizing a highly un-structured chain of information flow to better serve the needs of the participants. Data is distributed on demand, thus reducing the down time between request and delivery. Pena discusses how applications oriented towards civil engineering applications have encountered similar problems: … current project management practices require project personnel to be geographically collocated and, thus, are unable to provide the infrastructure to support geographically distributed project management teams. In addition, current project management practices require access to personal computer (PC) based resources for project information, which is not always a feasible alternative for on-site project personnel, as it requires certain hardware and office configurations (Pena 23). Initially the Capstone team echoed such concerns during the planning stages of the project, however its implementa-
Chiu, Etris, Upadhyaya, Weissenborn,and Louis tion avoids such issues due to a number of organizational differences worth mentioning. To begin, the target user group for of the site does not include the “on-site” personnel Pena refers to. The site is intended to centralize and organize CIMSS coordinated efforts on a managerial level. They have no need to track individual projects on a micromanaged scale as would apply to a civil engineering. Moreover, the site combines (as discussed in more detail later) traditional stand-alone PC-based functions in a single package. Lack of access to a personal computer should not prove to be an issue in the sense that the functionality offered by this application only offers improved workflow to those individuals who already used a computer to begin with.
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3 DESIGN REQUIREMENTS With members both within and outside of the United States, the quality of CIMSS’s technological infrastructure covers a broad spectrum. Our advisor and head of CIMSS, Prof. Garrick Louis, maintained a very specific of requirements from the outset of this project. It became clear quite quickly that the group lacked the financial or technological resources to implement a more advanced “peer-to-peer” communications system. The existing site left much to be desired, containing a multitude of dead links, poor design structure, confusing redundancy, and a general weak appearance. The biggest challenges now lie in combining sound web-design principles while taking into consideration the need for a less traditional graphical user interface approach. In other words, parts of this project seemed to parallel a typical website used by any similar organization to explain its purpose, members, contact information, etc. In addition, however, the CIMSS members required very specific technologies solely for their own use. Due to this duality of content requirements, the design process became more complicated. After much work, it now demonstrates increased flexibility, thoughtful navigational approach, and a clearer conceptualization of how various sections of the site interact with one another. Specific design requirements include: • Photo Gallery – many visitors of CIMSS site come solely for the purpose of viewing photos of CIMSS members on-site. Due to its nature as a non-profit, international organization the galleries provide a desirable public relations outlet. • Information Exchange – the current method of document review includes the physical mailing of design documents among parties and e-mailed editing comments. Prof. Louis asked for a single location in which papers, maps, and other files could be securely uploaded to ensure only the necessary individuals could gain access to the information, but that they could do so quite easily.
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Geographic Information Systems – the use of GIS gives participating countries (thus far, only Tobago) the ability to see, for the first time, a top-down view of the organizational structure of their sanitation systems. It further offers applications in better maintaining information on those systems’ maintenance histories, coordinated repair efforts, etc. Real-Time Communication - a way for members to chat on-line at no cost to the client Published Research – integrate both .pdf and coded html documents, to flow seamlessly with the rest of the site Site Improvement – as discussed earlier, the existing site required a complete overhaul, including new organizational structure, a larger site containing more information, and a detailed user manual to ensure its continued use/maintenance in the future Usability – Prof. Louis placed heavy emphasis on extreme ease of use from the start. Many users were to be considered of a novice technological skill level at best.
3.1 Analysis of Server Type The System Department’s Bart server, described earlier in the requirements section, allocates a large portion of its space strictly for faculty sponsored research efforts. It stores the previous CIMSS site and we originally assumed there would be no need for a stand-alone server to support the new site as well. After some discussion however, it became clear that an independent server offered a number of advantages. To begin, should the existing University owned server ever crash, overheat, or malfunction in such a way that erases all data from its memory, all work would be lost. CIMSS members’ ability to communicate would be temporarily and unnecessarily inconvenienced. A back-up server can prevent this from becoming an issue. Furthermore, a back-up server offers portability the Bart server cannot. Should Professor Louis ever leave the University or other circumstances require the site be hosted from a remote location, the site would have a degree of mobility not otherwise available. In any case, after finding a free, used PC tower to serve as the back-up server, the choice became simple: certainly a contingency plan at zero cost makes more sense than no plan at all. 4 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE As previously mentioned, the organizational structure of the existing site presented one of the main design problems for the group. The new design uses a stable, constant top menu bar with six “category” buttons. With each button is associated a number of different subcategories or actions. For example, when choosing “CIMSS” from above, 325
Chiu, Etris, Upadhyaya, Weissenborn,and Louis the user then has the opportunity to select Details (explaining in additional detail the CIMSS mission), Partners, or Participants. Each of these subcategories appears as a button on the left side of the browser space. For each of the main categories at the top of the site, there exists a unique left frame with the according buttons to match the desired functionality. Under the “Contact Us” main heading, the buttons to the left serve instead as links to an automated email system. If a user left-clicks one of these, their PC will launch an electronic mail program and an empty message will appear with the appropriate address automatically appearing in the “To:” space. In this way these buttons serve multiple functions depending on what action the user wants to take. 4.1 Communication Tools New functionalities to communicate, share files, and post messages shape the backbone of the new CIMSS site. The design and implementation of these systems compose the DPM aspect of this site (in addition to the GIS and Photo gallery, discussed in more detail later). The tools discussed below allow team members exchange both ideas and information electronically in real-time without the need for costly phone conversations, shipping costs, or conference calls. Originally we labeled the main menu button to reach this portion of the site “Forum” to reflect its use as a discussion tool. After some consideration, the team chose “Communicate” instead of the other to avoid any possible confusion due to language barriers (particularly with international users). 4.2 Messenger Service ICQ2Go offers a simple medium to directly communicate with other users at no cost to the project. New users are immediately offered to a brief “how-to” guide that describes in detail the process of setting up an account, signing on, establishing a contact list of fellow CIMSS users, adjusting available settings, sending messages, and troubleshooting a variety of problems that may arise. It offers a number of advantages over other client-side communication tools such as ICQ or Instant Messenger, two comparable alternatives. Both ICQ and Instant Messenger require the user to download software, then install and run it on their personal computer. ICQ2Go runs off of the web server, communicating with it using a small Java application that remains active only while still in use. It terminates when the user exits and closes the browser window. As a result, the user’s PC is not suspect to any minimum hardware requirements or lost memory. Additionally, by placing the portal on the CIMSS site itself, the entire process remains centralized.
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Though the smaller 2Go version boasts fewer features, this is actually a desirable characteristic. The lack of technical experience within the CIMSS user group means the most simply designed applications will optimal serve their needs. One of the main goals in this project was to fulfill all the necessary requirements as efficiently as possible. This messaging service offers the best solution for the given set of circumstances. 4.3 Secure Document Transfer Early in the planning stages of this process, our team feared we lacked both the time and background to develop the functionality to securely transmit documents between CIMSS members. This requires the kind of html skills no one had learned and, due to time constraints, we were faced with a decision about how to appropriately handle the situation. An on-line document transfer system solves three main problems. First, it avoided the time and financial losses associated with traditional postal exchanges of maps, plans, etc. It further reinforced the desire to centralize all tasks within the CIMSS site. Finally, it did not suffer the memory restrictions experienced when sending files as an attachment with e-mail. The requirements called for two different types of documents to be transmitted. A description of each appears below: • Reports, financial records, papers, and most material will appear in electronic (some sort of word processing) format • Maps and other drawings will not originate in electronic format. They will need to be scanned using either a scanner and/or software conversion program, then stored digitally We discussed three viable options: 1. A secure upload/download capability within the site, utilizing SSL (Secure Socket Layering) technology to encrypt all information passing through the site 2. Given the likelihood of using either AIM or ICQ (instant messaging services) as possible communication tools, use their file transfer capabilities to share documents on-line. 3. Use file-compression software such as WinZip, linked to the CIMSS website, to compact all electronic files and make them transmittable through e-mail. After an initial cost-benefit analysis, option two made the most sense. We had already established using ICQ as the message system of choice. Additionally, when transmitting a file between users, the two computers essentially link directly through the Internet in much the same way as making a phone call. The first user selects the file he wishes to send to the other second, and the second then confirms he wishes to accept it. The simplicity of the con-
Chiu, Etris, Upadhyaya, Weissenborn,and Louis nection provided an inherent security feature to prevent undesirable third party intervention. Unfortunately, though the most convenient, this method is hampered by a few key drawbacks. First, to exchange a file, both parties must be on-line at the same time. This is clearly inconvenient and an ineffective management strategy. Additionally, the user would be required to download additional software to gain this capability from the messenger service (not a feature offered by ICQ2Go). After some searching, another group member was able to find a freeware version of a login and file upload/download system that could be easily manipulated to form the kind of functional unit the prototype needed. Freeware is basically simple programs available on the Internet for the use of the general public. The site notes the appropriate acknowledgements in the use of these applications. Further explanation of its abilities appears later in the next chapter.
site’s overall layout, details the exact nature of its contents, and further explains how the CIMSS group plans to maintain the information therein after the departure of the Capstone group. The appearance of the workspace responds dynamically according to the user’s actions. A “page” can be though of all material viewable within the browser window on the CIMSS site. For example, Figure 1 below illustrates the CIMSS homepage.
4.4 Messages and Chat Functions The communication hub of the CIMSS site also incorporates a rudimentary message board and chat room. Again, both are designed with a focus on simplicity in the hopes of ensuring universal usability among all international users. For example, users in Tobago or Bacoor may not have the hardware to support a more memory intensive GUI to include more aesthetically pleasing features that many current software programs can offer. The message board allows the user to post a text message to the site, taking its place in the list queue so that it may be read by all members. The message includes the user’s name, title, and contact information. The software does not include an interface to remove old or unneeded messages. To resolve this issue, Prof. Louis will be able to directly access the board’s database to manage its material. The chat room allows any number of users to sign in simultaneously and exchange instantaneous text messages, making it a legitimate alternative to otherwise costly conference phone calls. As discussed in the Literature Review, traditional Distributed Project Management tools incorporate projectscheduling functions. A thorough study of the CIMSS network reinforced the initial conclusion that it would not be necessary in this instance. There are no specific longterm projects that could benefit from its use. The majority of the focus remains in research projects and publications. 5 THE PROTOTYPE The functional prototype, now accessible through the University of Virginia’s Department of Systems and Information Engineering website, brings together all of the design and planning phases discussed thus far in the document. This section goes on to explain the justification for the
Figure 1: CIMSS Homepage Notice the user is informed of their location within the site in the upper left hand corner. To better illustrate the functionality of the active workspace, Figure 2 below displays the login page that precedes the file uploading/downloading section of the site.
Figure 2: Screenshot of Login Page The key idea here is that all action by CIMSS users takes place within the active workspace. This maintains site integrity and flexibility in that the user, at any time, can easily re-direct their efforts to access a different area of the site. These features all work together to further increase overall usability of the product. 327
Chiu, Etris, Upadhyaya, Weissenborn,and Louis 5.1 Available Information Within the site, CIMSS has made available a number of published papers, project descriptions, and contact information for the general public. Someone interested in learning more about CIMSS, for research, academic, or recreational purposes, has access to a wealth of knowledge through this site. All total, it is comprised of upwards of sixty different pages. Published papers are either hardcoded in html or downloadable in Adobe Acrobat format. Additionally, users can view slide presentations on Integrated Water Resource Management and Storm Water Management (two key CIMSS research areas). When viewing the slide presentations, as can be seen in Figure 3 below, the user encounters a slightly altered graphical interface.
Figure 3: Slideshow Presentation Interface Both graphical and text versions of the presentation are available, depending on the user’s preference or hardware capabilities. The navigational buttons at the bottom of the screen allow the user to easily return to the site at any time during the presentation. Many visitors to the CIMSS website come to view the few hundred different photos available on the site. Under the heading of “Projects” sit links to an extensive photo gallery and the GIS mapping application. The photo gallery is organized by geographic locale and includes images from Tobago, Bacoor, the Delaware Solid Waste Authority, the Shipman Project, and the Philippines. Each is organized in an album, as appears in Figure 7 of Appendix C, that can then be enlarged for easier viewing. The photo gallery section of the site is directly accessible from the main menu bar as well as under the “Projects” heading. This better accommodates a large portion of the target user population whose sole interest in visiting the site lie in browsing the available digital imagery. Though the interactive GIS mapping section has not been completed at the time of this writing (to be fin328
ished by the end of April 2003), the following section explains its intended use and how it will eventually be integrated with the rest of the site. As explained by Amanda Singleton, third-year undergraduate CIMSS research assistant working closely with the project, the use of GIS in countries such as Tobago (currently the only area charted by CIMSS) allows for better management of their sanitation infrastructure. With plans to expand this study into Trinidad, this technology offers these two islands a centrally located geo-database for both graphical and information entries. This, in turn, has the potential to offer a more systematic approach for tracking locations, capacities, or maintenance schedules of each area’s infrastructure. 5.2 User Manuals Two Capstone members, Ms. Chiu and Ms. Upadhyaya, have written a user manual that walks a first time user through the CIMSS site. It describes, from a novice’s perspective, how to get around in explicit detail. This includes a “how-to” on username registration, instant messaging, file uploading/downloading, chat rooms, and GIS viewing. Access to this information will help make the transition of site ownership from the Capstone group to the CIMSS leadership significantly smoother. It also serves as a technical reference guide should one ever become necessary. More specifically, these portions describe how to add pictures to the photo gallery, add links, add new research documents for download, and manage the site on Bart or a stand-alone server. At the time of this writing, the user manuals are still under revision and thus do not appear in this document. 5 DESIGN DECISIONS Through the course of this process, all design decisions are made in light of an understanding of what separates an ergonomically successful website from a failed one. This knowledge can be attributed to the content of the undergraduate education in the Systems and Information Engineering Department. The following section discusses how these principles apply to the CIMSS project and why certain aspects of the prototype appear as they do. Four key design aspects used in the CIMSS site include salience, intended consequences, user feedback, and ease of navigation. When the buttons either change color or disappear entirely to alert the user to a change in their location within the site – that is a salient feature. The design of the menu structure discussed earlier is centered on the idea of intended consequences. The group strove to organize it in such a way so that when the user left-clicks “Research,” for example, the buttons appearing on the left logically flow from the broader category. The small text reading, “You are in ____” in the upper left further reminds the user of their location. At any given point, the
Chiu, Etris, Upadhyaya, Weissenborn,and Louis user can reach any other portion of the site in three steps or less, keeping navigation as simple as possible and ensuring the near impossibility of getting “lost”. 5.1 Use of Freeware It seems important to acknowledge and explain the portions of this project that use what the technology industry refers to as freeware. As previously mentioned, it’s anything from a small piece of code to an executable program and, as its name would imply, can be found at various sites on the Internet for the use by the general public. Our design takes advantage of such programs in the implementation of the chat room, message board, file uploading/downloading system, and instant messaging capabilities. Our reasoning for such a design decision, emphasizing functionality over originality, grew primarily from time constraints. In order to completely fulfill the project requirements and complete it on time, the use of freeware offered the best solution. Again, as previously discussed, the appropriate acknowledgements of the creators of these programs appear on the site as required. 6 CONCLUSIONS By the end of this document, one thing becomes quite clear. This thesis breaks new ground not in content of the CIMSS website, but in its organization. The dynamic webbased project management tool this project made available allows the free flow of information, ideas, data, and other forms of communiqué in new ways not previously available to those it affects. Its top-down organizational approach provides the means to aid the type of less structured problem-solving goals CIMSS endeavors to undertake. This project provides a good example of an instance in which newer technology is not necessarily better. The use of more advanced communication systems, such as realtime video conferencing or web-based teaching technologies, would surely have helped the site if the infrastructure existed to benefit all CIMSS members equally. As it stands now, the product delivers the best solution available. Its strength, as emphasized throughout the preceding discussion, lies in its simplicity. Structurally, what has been referred to until now as the “prototype,” will remain the same. Prof. Louis has indicated that some possible improvements may include the addition of more photo galleries and research papers. It is further possible that within a few years a new Capstone team will build upon the existing design to incorporate newly available technologies. Until that time though, the new CIMSS application will serve the group as delivered at the time of this document’s completion.
6.1 Additional Recommendations Although the project has met all of its objectives and goals originally stated at the beginning of the year, the CIMSS web site will require additional work in the future. The web site will not be effective or useful if the information becomes outdated. A web administrator is a necessity to ensure the content on the web site is correct and it is updated. Additionally, the content stored in the databases must also be monitored to ensure unwanted material is not posted in the file uploading/downloading and message board pages. When projects are started, specific projects web sites must be created along with unique databases to allow users to transfer documents over the secure connection. The web administrator would need to update photos, links, and publications, add members’ names, and monitor database records. Descriptions on how to ensure all of these issues appear in the user manual and have been discussed at length with Prof. Louis. Furthermore, due to the size and construction of the web site, a text based web site would be helpful. Having a text based version with the same information and functionality would allow users with a slow Internet connection to retrieve the information faster. Many of the users that may be using the web site may be in underdeveloped countries where Internet connections are slow. For example, a user in Tobago may want access to information pertaining to a wastewater treatment plant on the web site, but may only have a dial up connection through a phone line. The download time would be extremely slow in this case and therefore a text based web site would be useful. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to acknowledge the Department of Systems and Information Engineering at the University of Virginia and Professor Garrick Louis for their assistance throughout this undertaking. Research on Integrated Municipal Sanitation Systems is funded by the National Science Foundation Career Grant #9984318. REFERENCES Biggs, M. (2000). Why choose a Web-based project management solution? Infoworld. Retrieved October 13, 2002 from http://infotrac.galegroup.com Bussler, Christoph and Stefan Jablonski. (1996). Workflow Management: Modeling Concepts, Architecture, and Implementation. Boston: International Thomson Computer Press. Dearden, John et. all. (1971). Managing Computer-Based Information Systems. Homewood: Richard D. Irwin, Inc.
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Chiu, Etris, Upadhyaya, Weissenborn,and Louis Esiner, Howard. (1997) Essentials of Project & Systems Engineering Management. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Louis, Garret E. et al. (2001) Consortium for Integrated Municipal Sanitation Systems: Description [14 paragraphs]. On-line. Internet. Available: http://www.sys.virginia.edu/dfd/c imss-description.html McLeod Jr., Raymond and Eleanor Jordan. (2002) System’s Development: A Project Management Approach. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Mitropoulos, Panagiotis and C. B. Tatum (2000). “Management-Driven Integration.” Journal of Management In Engineering. Page, Khristine Annwn. (2002) Macromedia Dreamweaver MX: Training from the Source. San Francisco: Macromedia Press. Pena-Mora, Feniosky and Gyanesh Hari Dwivedi. (2002) Multiple Device Collaboration and Real-Time Analysis System for Project Management in Civil Engineering. Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering. Peña-Mora, F., and Park, M. (2000). "Dynamic planning and control of construction project," Proc., 8th Int. Conf. Vol. 2, Stanford, Calif., 930–939. Suhanic, George. (2001) Computer Aided Project Management. New York: Oxford University Press. Thorpe, T. & Mead, S. (2001). Project-Specific Web Sites: Friend of Foe? Journal of Construciton Engineering and Management. Tinnirello, Paul C. (ed) (2000). New Directions in Project Management. Boca Raton: Auerback Publications Tushman, M., and Nadler, D. (1978). "Information processing as an integrating concept in organizational design." Academy of Mgmt. Rev., July. U.S. Department of the Interior. (2002). Geographic Information Systems. Online. Internet. Available: http://info.er.usgs.gov/research/ gis/title.html. Van Brakel, Pieter. (1999) “Teaching Information Management via a Web-Based Course.” The Electronic Library Vol. (17 No. 6 December) BIOGRAPHIES MATILDA CHIU is a graduating fourth year, receiving a B.S. in Systems and Information Engineering. In the previous years, Matilda has worked for SAIC, the WFMH, and Central Console & Control, Inc. designing human machine interfaces, and designing and maintaining websites, respectively. Matilda’s interests include system design and implementation. She can be contacted at
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ROBERT D. ETRIS is a graduating fourth year, receiving a B.S. in Systems and Information Engineering. His previous work experience includes two extensive database driven web design projects for the US Department of the Interior and database management with the Fairfax County Water Authority. His areas of interest include web-design and business process improvement, among others. He can be contacted at . NIRAL UPADHYAYA is currently a fourth-year student at the University of Virginia, graduating with a B.S. in Systems and Information Engineering. Her previous experience includes developing a vendor management system for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. However, her research interests include public health, communicable diseases, environmental issues, policies, and technological impacts on health issues. She can be contacted by email at . JOHN D. WEISSENBORN is a graduating fourth year, receiving a B.S. in Systems and Information Engineering. Upon graduation he will receive a commission into the U.S. Army Signal Corps as a 2nd Lieutenant. He can be contacted at .
