HDR-Led Bridge Program Data Dashboard Wins Microsoft Power Platform Award

An HDR-led project to track millions of dollars in bridge investment projects earned the Excellence in Users Experience award at the recent Microsoft Power Platform Community Conference.

HDR’s winning project — the Bridge Formula Program in Utah — was highlighted in the conference’s 2024 Got Power Awards, which showcase solutions that make extensive use of the platform’s products, make a significant business impact and demonstrate good governance. The annual conference draws thousands of attendees from around the world to discuss the latest advancements in Microsoft’s Power Platform.

The award-winning project is part of the Utah Department of Transportation’s effort to rehabilitate and replace 90 bridges using five years of federal funding. HDR’s team created a one-stop dashboard with different levels of access for the project delivery team and public users to track the program over those five years. It displays various aspects, including schedule, cost, communications and scope, across all delivery phases, fostering a unified vision among all stakeholders and project team members.

“This award is a great validation that the solutions we created for UDOT are at the leading edge of project management technologies,” said James Ritchey, HDR project controls technology lead. Ritchey presented the project at the conference along with HDR Project Controls Analyst Lily Rosenthal. 

The dashboard incorporates tools that allow project stakeholders to quickly see how each bridge is progressing in relation to the original schedule and planned costs. It emphasizes tasks that are off schedule or discrepancies in expenditures, which helps UDOT to effectively manage projects. And it adds automated features that streamline the entry and tracking of key data. 

“The automations we were able to incorporate into the project have eliminated thousands of hours of manual effort, while promoting efficiency, accountability, accuracy and concise communication,” Rosenthal said.

“Communicating progress on a complex infrastructure program at a glance is an impressive feat,” said HDR Transportation President Tom McLaughlin. “Congratulations to the highly skilled project controls professionals who created this detailed tracking effort, a valuable model for similar programs looking for powerful insights on schedule, budget and more.”