Catalyst^SM is the structured methodology that we will use to manage and implement CHART II. The methodology was developed by CSC over a number of years and has been used successfully by CSC on many projects and by the CSC/PBFI Team on several recent ITS projects, including our ongoing work on the Maryland Network Management Services (MD NMS) Contract.

The Catalyst structure and the specific development paths that will be implemented for CHART II are described in 6.2, The Catalyst Methodology, of this document. In this section, we will simply introduce those design principles inherent to the Catalyst methodology that have a direct bearing on the success of CHART II. Each of these principles either meets a current MDSHA need or ensures that problems experienced on the previous CHART effort will not reappear on the current effort.

Catalyst implements the following principles:

• Drive Development with the Business Vision. Using Catalyst, all architectural, design, and implementation decisions are made in the context of the desired future rather than of the inadequate present. It is the MDSHA vision of the future, the vision we discuss in 3.2, The CSC/PBFI Team’s Vision and Strategy, that will drive our development and implementation of CHART II.

• Reengineer Business Processes; Do Not Merely Re-Automate Them. MDSHA has invited the CSC/PBFI Team to provide an innovative technical solution to CHART II requirements—to rethink the most effective way to automate the CHART II traffic management system. How can the operator most effectively relate to traffic information gathered from around the state and employ that information to make real-time traffic management decisions? We have considered these issues and applied this principle to our recommended design solution.

• Orchestrate the Business Change. New information systems alone do not transform a business. Real change demands new attitudes and behavior. MDSHA is working to implement innovative change in traffic management within the state, and the CSC/PBFI Team will work agressively to support that change. Catalyst directly addresses the three dimensions of organizational change: culture, work force structure, and competencies—the latter two issues specifically addressed in our recommendations for training and continuing operations and maintenance support.

• Build a System to Satisfy User Requirements at the Time of Delivery. Traditional methodologies have assumed that system developers can develop and document today the detailed requirements for a system to be delivered one to three years in the future. These methodologies further presuppose that users always have a clear and detailed understanding of the kind of system they will need, and they ignore the fact that the users’ understanding of what they need evolves with system use. Catalyst avoids this pitfall through an iterative development process and constant dialog with the client. This is the approach we are taking in the design of CHART II.

• Unite Providers and Users in Partnership. Catalyst departs from the traditional view and encourages a cooperative partnership between developer and user. It greatly reduces formal specification, provides for active user participation at almost every step, and builds and maintains consensus on a daily basis. Catalyst fosters a win-win relationship where goals, benefits, and risks are shared by both MDSHA and the CSC/PBFI Team.

• Achieve Business Results with a Series of Small Successes. The record of large, all-or-nothing, multi-year development projects is dismal. The "get-it-right-the-first-time" mentality has meant huge specification documents, long periods of development with too little developer-user dialogue, and ultimate delivery of an inevitably disappointing system. In contrast, a "partnership" viewpoint presses for modules of development with the shortest possible time span. CSC’s Catalyst has an early planning activity that divides big, high-risk projects into smaller, more manageable pieces, each of which can deliver tangible business benefits in a short period of time. With each small success, the partnership gains credibility, and organizational learning increases.

• Apply Technology Aggressively. CSC’s Catalyst encourages aggressive exploitation of technology by considering technology capabilities and opportunities during every phase of development. The CSC/PBFI Team provides a knowledge of ITS and telecommunications systems that is unsurpassed.

• Follow an Architectural Blueprint in Development. Business vision and system design must be linked by a framework that supports a coordinated effort while allowing sufficient latitude for organizational learning. Architecture provides that required link. Development under CSC’s Catalyst is not driven by current business need; it is driven by the architecture that supports the future business vision. Our proposed technical solution is architecture-driven.

These principles are and will continue to be applied throughout the design, development, and implementation of CHART II. They are, quite simply, the roadmap the CSC/PBFI Team follows in achieving exceptional results for our clients.