Building Smarter in

the Digital Age -

A National Forum

 

Summary Reports

from Four Work Groups:

 

 

Discussion and identification of barriers, solutions, possible actions:

Group #1 - Permitting & Plan Review Process

        -Moderator: Stephen Garnier, Fairfax County, Virginia

 

Group #2 - Marriage of Plan Review, Field Inspection and Occupancy Permitting

        -Moderator:  Scott Hassell, Rand Corporation

 

Group #3 - Integration with the Rest of the Building Process

        -Moderator:  David Harris, NIBS

 

Group #4 - Re-engineering the Regulatory System

        -Moderator:  George Arimes, American Planning Association

 

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********************Group 1******************

 

Priorities of Barriers

 

 1) Funding

        a)     Use of Resources

        b)     Focus on Software

2) Cooperation and Communication of stakeholders (Govt., IT Providers)

3) Cultural environment (in/ext)

4) Tech/Practical Plan, Review Barriers

5) Interoperability

6) Existing Process not geared for automation

 

 

Solutions

 

Use of Resources

 

a) Sharing the product

b) Cooperative Purchasing

c)  State developed Model of IT Solutions for Jurisdictions

d)  Lobby Govt officials at all levels use of IT

e)  Political and Financial support from Private industry

f)  Establish fee incentives

g)  Surcharge

 

Focus on Software

 

a) Software for low hanging fruit

b) Simple permits and plans

c) Residential

d) Modular Planning

 

 

 Cooperation and Communication of stakeholders (Govt., IT Providers

           

a)     Initiate dialog (Incentive needed)

b)     Create an IT Chat Room (Centralized Resource for Govt to identify

         for Research)

c)      Encouragement by the industry for stakeholders to participate and partner

 

 

Cultural environment (in/ext) (resistance to change, perceive security issues)

 

 a)     Education and training

 b)     Phased Approach to Implementation

 c)     Change focus in hiring practice

 d)     Identify Expense and status Quo

 

 

Tech/Practical Plan, Review Barriers

 

a)     Sharing Success with other jurisdictions (Best practice)

b)     Funding

c)      Encourage development and improvement in Technology

d)     Focusing on benefits

 

 

Interoperability

 

a)     Buy in by Software vendors (IT providers)

b)     Defining

 

Existing Process not geared for automation

 

 a)     Identify commonalties

 

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****************************Group 2*****************

Barriers

   

  • Lack of standards for information transfer

  • CAD drawings, specs

  • Longevity issues

  • Archiving

  • Quantity of information

  • Volume of plans

  • Lack of tools for plan reviewer

  • Legacy data

  • Field access to data/plans

  • Legislative barriers – electronic signatures

  • ECommerce laws

  • How to “seal” documents

  • Look to medical community for comparison

  • Lack of coordination of review at plan review, inspection and occupancy permit – inconsistency

  • Lack of communication with IT as to exactly what the problem is

  • Cost

  • Local relationships/vested interests are anti-competitive to outsiders

  • Governments need to work together in coordinated manner to save effort and money

  • Status quo is hard ti overcome

  • Perpetuation of bad habits

  • More than converting the present situation that starting from zero base

  • Multiple layers of oversight

  • Perception that we are all different

  • Multiple objectives of regulation

  • Safety

  • Health

  • Unions

  • Environment

  • More is better

  • Inspections made without real need

  • Waste of effort

  • Not all code issues have equal value

  • Union caused problems can drive costs – can increase costs

  • Code staff needs training

  • Changing job duties

  • Increase costs for salaries

  • Supervisory concern for loss of trained staff

  • Perception that efficiency will lead to job loss/downsizing

  • Leadership needs to counter this

  • Approach by supervisor can effect this by showing the improvement that is achieved

  • Upper management does not coordinate amongst tasks from top

  • Multiple methods of satisfying similar requirements

  • Conflicts between regulations: code to code

  • No agreement on what should be done, how to do it

  • Negative perception of building department can cause funding/political support problems relative to competing for funds

  • Formally failed IT efforts cause staff to less enthusiastic

  • Staff not included in planning

 

Clusters:

 

1) Technology

 

  • Archiving

  • Quantity of information

  • Volume of plans

  • Lack of tools for plan reviewer

  • Legacy data

  • Field access to data/plans

  • Lack of standards for information transfer

  • CAD drawings, specs

  • Longevity issues

  • Archiving

 

2) Culture

 

  • Code staff needs training

  • Changing job duties

  • Increase costs for salaries

  • Supervisory concern for loss of trained staff

  • Perception that efficiency will lead to job loss/downsizing

  • Leadership needs to counter this

  • Approach by supervisor can effect this by showing the improvement that is achieved

  • Formally failed IT efforts cause staff to less enthusiastic

  • Staff not included in planning

 

 

3)

  • Upper management does not coordinate amongst tasks from top

  • Multiple methods of satisfying similar requirements

  • Conflicts between regulations: code to code

  • No agreement on what should be done, how to do it

  • Multiple objectives of regulation

  • Safety

  • Health

  • Unions

  • Environment

  • More is better