The 2022 passage of the Austin Independent School District’s (Austin ISD) $2.44-billion bond program has ushered in a historically transformative period for the district and the people it serves. Austin ISD’s emphasis on “Equity by Design” – which offers significant scholastic benefits to historically underserved and disadvantaged students and communities – stands to create sweeping improvements throughout the region in terms of state-of-the-art facilities that are beacons of modernization and safety.
STV, as part of a joint venture providing program management and construction management services for Austin ISD’s five-year bond program, understands the importance this initiative holds for future generations in Austin. That’s why, as part of our larger project delivery efforts at more than a dozen individual schools, our team has explored and implemented new digital tools and platforms that allow our internal team and all of our project stakeholders a clearer line of sight of construction progress, along with other crucial information that will shape this program.
One of our key accomplishments was the development of an innovative Power BI dashboard – something our team proactively recommended to Austin ISD that has ultimately led to improved transparency and communication across the bond program.
This dashboard integrates data from multiple sources and platforms to consolidate information about the status of each individual construction project. In turn, this data allows users to track procurement status, risk assessment, milestones, change management, cash flow, cost, design and permit status, and construction updates – all in one place.
The dashboard also features key performance indicators (KPIs), scope definitions, budget breakdowns, and real-time updates on project progress. It syncs with Primavera and other project management tools, providing a comprehensive, up-to-date view of the entire bond program. It also includes a risk matrix that categorizes issues by probability and impact, allowing both STV and Austin ISD to stay proactive in addressing potential challenges.
The use of digital tools in for educational infrastructure construction is not unique to Austin ISD. With the growing need to build, renovate and modernize schools to accommodate increasing student populations and address evolving educational needs, digital tools have become essential. From streamlining the design process to improving long-term facility management, the adoption of technology in school construction is setting a new standard for efficiency, transparency, and sustainability.
Additionally, school construction projects tend to involve multiple stakeholders – from state and local governments to school boards, construction firms, and community members – making effective communication and coordination critical. Tools like the Power BI dashboard bridge these gaps by creating platforms that enable real-time data sharing, collaborative decision-making, and predictive planning.
For Austin ISD, one of the most important things our team did was to create a baseline schedule for the entire program. We knew we needed a reliable, consistent way to track where we were for each project while offering the Austin ISD’s leadership the seamless ability to track progress and monitor risk.
The success of Austin ISD’s dashboard not only benefits the current bond program but also sets the stage for future projects by demonstrating its innovation to other school districts in Texas, as well to those beyond the borders of Lone Star State. It also demonstrates the holistic value of using customized technology across large-scale construction programs.
