IT Program Management Services

As technology becomes  an increasingly more important and larger element in their capital programs, airport owners are realizing the need to make IT Program Management a discrete and unique component of their program management team -- a role requiring unique skills that traditional engineering and construction management firms do not provide.  The role must blend technology planning and design skills with operational and integration/ implementation skills -- including operations and process integration -- to ensure that like systems across multiple projects achieve their integration goals and potential.  At the same time, a discrete IT Program Management component provides a logical "check and balance" between the owner and their overall Program Manager to ensure on-going internal IT plans and standards are met/maintained and there is a support and maintenance road map in place to maintain new systems once projects are completed and placed in service.

• Program Management Office
• Planning
• Design Coordination
• Construction Administration
• System Acceptance
• Quality Assurance
• Post-Commissioning Maintenance and Support Planning

DCG has provided IT Program Management Oversight (PMO) services in the following areas:

• IT Management and Operations
• Security Systems - Access Control/CCTV
• Flight Information Display Systems (FIDS)
• Fire Alarm Systems

Houston Airport System 

IT Program/Project Management Oversight Consultant

Since 2002, Derek Consulting Group has served as Principal IT and Project Management Oversight (PMO) consultant to the Houston Airport System (HAS) providing IT planning, program/project management, and technical management and support of information systems and technology projects. These areas include:

• Information Technology Planning
• Program/Project Management Oversight
• Design Services
• Systems Implementation/Integration
• Applications Development/Support
• Business Process Improvement

During the initial term (from 2002 - 2007; $12 million), DCG completed more than 300 projects under this contract.  DCG has been selected, via competitive bid, for a second five year service term through 2012.

DCG serves as the Airport’s “principal/lead” IT Consultant, responsible for assisting IT management in the overall coordination and timely completion, from a program/project management oversight perspective, of all major information technology initiatives consistent with the goals and vision of the SIP and the project priorities established by the IT Steering Committee.

In many project instances, DCG services were provided as an extension of HAS IT staff to manage, administer, and provide direction, controls, and technical services, including design and development/integration to successfully implement technology initiatives and systems HAS.

DCG was responsible for coordinating and serving as facilitator for the Airport’s information technology planning process, establishing, reviewing, and annually updating/reassessing current project priorities and status. In this role, DCG also facilitated and served as a member of HAS’s Information Technology Steering Committee comprised of senior executives and the CTO.

Paralleling the contract period was HAS’s $3.5 billion Capital Improvement/ Expansion Program involving the construction of new terminals and facilities and renovation of most existing facilities. Program components included significant IT infrastructure and applications initiatives including a system-wide WAN backbone upgrade; premise distribution system upgrades to all existing facilities, including MDF/IDF upgrades, standardization, and build out; network monitoring; server farm expansions and upgrades and related facilities enhancements; and significant applications implementation efforts associated with facilities systems and enterprise business applications including complete upgrades of access control, FIDS, fire alarm, parking, security and operations-related systems – even the implementation of a new enterprise financial system, SAP.

DCG provided IT Program Management Oversight services on large systems initiatives that required implementation across multiple procurements/project contracts including Access Control, FIDS, fire alarm, and parking management. DCG was responsible for establishing standards and coordinating efforts of different technology consultants involved in different projects to ensure the owner’s system vision and standards were consistently maintained across the various projects to achieve the required end results and integration.

DCG also provided design, development, implementation , integration, and project management for major systems initiatives including SAP ERP; enterprise facilities maintenance system; project management information system; badging and access control, FIDS, call accounting; and E-911 to name a few. DCG also handled engineering design responsibility for the Airport’s system-wide access control upgrade.

DCG was responsible for designing, developing, and implementing numerous custom/specialty applications including security dispatch and incident management system (D/IM); PDA-based security activity log system; project management information system (PMIS), criminal history record check (CHRC); emergency protocol; interim emergency notification system (ENS); HAS’s public web site (www.fly2houston.com) and no less than seven applications based upon MS Sharepoint collaboration technologies.

DCG has provided extensive business process improvement and operations review services ranging from an internal controls review of badging office operations, to review of AIP/grants documentation procedures associated with the Capital Program, to business process review and improvement (As Is and To Be) associated with ERP implementation.

Lastly, DCG has been responsible for assisting HAS IT staff in the day-to-day planning, development, administration, and maintenance support of the HAS applications portfolio and data network environment. Network initiatives have included implementation and configuration support of SONAT; developing and implementing fault management and change management process, including 24/7 NOC operations; providing network vulnerability assessment and remediation services; and 800 trunk radio engineering and negotiation support to migrate HAS radio licenses and operations to a inter-local radio network platform.. On the applications side, DCG is responsible for maintaining no less than 10 custom applications, including continued design and maintenance responsibility (since 2000) of the HAS web site (www.fly2houston.com) .

Program Manager - Access Control /CCTV Systems and Technology Upgrade

DCG is serving as Program/Project Manger overseeing a $16 million series of projects that will implement new Access Control and CCTV systems and technologies at Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU).  The Program coordinates no less than 11 discrete capital projects and includes:

• Planning and defining technology solutions and standards for access control and CCTV integration and command and control center (C3) operations 
• Coordinating new technology with new facilities construction.  Major projects include:
  • IAH Terminal E
  • IAH Federal Inspection Facility (FIS) Building
  • HOU Y Concourse
• Serving as Project Manager to replace legacy systems with new IP-based and other security system technologies. The scope includes implementation of head-end systems, panel and reader technologies, badging applications, and CCTV/DVM/DVR technologies.  The critical element of this program was to provide for uninterupted operations and seamless migration of new and legacy systems during the multi-year cutover period. 

  DCG responsibilities have included:

1. Strategic planning
2. Design coordination
3. Construction administration
4. Facility commissioning/acceptance testing
5. Maintenance and support planning 

As part of its related work scope, DCG has also completed the following:

• Operations and internal control review of the Airport Badging Offices at both IAH and HOU airports in Houston
• PMO of ID (IntelliCheck) and fingerprinting (Identix) technology integration
• Development of a Criminal History Record Check application to support TSA background check mandates
• Development of a Dispatch/Incident Management System and integration with the Access Control System to support alarm dispatch response and other security activities
• Decelopment of PDA-based applications to support field operations of Airport Security Officers   

Program Manager - Flight Information Display Systems (FIDS)

Derek Consulting Group has served as Program Manager for the $6 million upgrade and replacement of Flight Information Display Systems (FIDS) for the Houston Airport System since 2000.

The Houston Airport System at it’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) operated owner-provided FIDS in the public areas of three of its terminals (A, B, and D - International Arrivals Building/IAB), and provided flight information feeds to two hotel properties. The legacy FIDS utilized legacy technology and proprietary display controllers driving more than 350 video monitors, scroll signs, and flip dot signs.

As part of HAS’s $3.4 billion capital program, a replacement and expansion to an ethernet and browser based display technology, along with Multi User (MUFIDS) services was desired. In addition, the program was to implement owner operated FIDS – for the first time – at William P. Hobby Airport. The Hobby implementation was additionally significant as it represented Southwest Airlines first participation/experience operating flight information in a MUFIDS (owners) display environment.

DCG was assigned Program Management responsibilities for migration from the legacy technology to the planned new technical environment.

The Program was accomplished under no less than nine (9) capital funded construction projects. In the course of this effort, DCG was instrumental in incorporating new technology procurement approaches and technology currency standards into the design and construction specifications process at Houston Airport System. Today, the FIDS network at HAS supports over 1,100 devices.

DCG was responsible for the following accomplishments for FIDS:

• Prepared MUFIDS Strategic Plan
• Prepared the program definition for replacement of the head end application and server environment, network communications, display devices, and data maintenance (including airline interfaces, airline work stations, and central “FIDS Desk”).
• Incorporated new technologies including Ethernet/IP-based network topology with VLAN segregation; non-proprietary display controller/device technology, including browser-based; new display technologies, including plasma (pilot) and later, LCD
• Developed a project phasing strategy to ensure existing services continued uninterrupted throughout the program period in those facilities where FIDS services were currently provided
• Developed the procurement strategy, including providing procurement language and obtaining City approvals for sole sourcing high tech elements in construction projects, heretofore a new procurement strategy for the Airport/City at the time
• Prepared design specifications for the initial head end replacement project (Terminal A North Concourse) and the project replacing FIDS in existing IAH facilities (under Terminal C Renovation)
• Coordinated design consultants and provided owners representative design reviews for six (6) projects involving new facilities including:
  • IAH – Terminal E
  • IAH – Consolidated Rental Car Facility
  • IAH – Federal Inspection Station (FIS) Building
  • HOU – Central Concourse
  • HOU – A Concourse/East Terminal Expansion
  • HOU – Central Concourse Interiors – Southwest Airlines
• Served as HAS Project Manager and owner’s rep for all FIDS-related projects, including all airline liaison responsibilities
• Conducted acceptance testing and commissioning tasks for all FID projects
• Provided inspection and construction administration services
• Coordinated data interface requirements with airlines
• Provided design direction for all display pages
• Developed business processes for airline work station and central “FIDS Desk” functions
• Designed/developed/implemented webFIDS module on HAS public website to provide flight status information via xml-based feed from FIDS
• Designed/developed/implemented mobileFIDS module, a WAP-based module providing flight status information to web browser enabled cell phones
• Designed/developed/implemented Amber Alert via FIDS, an application to broadcast Amber Alerts over the FIDS display devices in the airport terminals at IAH and HOU 
• Implemented PCI bus extender technology to secure display-control computers in an environmentally controlled and secure environment
• Implemented remote monitoring/alarming tools for display controllers and display devices
• Developed responsibilities definition and service level agreement for outsourced FIDS System Administration
• Developed specification for FIDS Maintenance Service Contract