Materials Labwork Plan

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MATERIALS LABWORK PLAN

The Materials Lab Workplan form is used when the work will be done by Materials Lab personnel. The Materials Lab will complete the form as fully as possible (working with the Project Coordinator (PC)) and forward to the Technical Liaison (TL) for review and approval. Once the TL has signed off approval of this work plan, the Principal Investigator signs it. Then the Manager of Road Research Section signs the work plan. Forward the work plan, with the TL approval, to the RSS Financial Services Section Manager, who will obtain the Director of Research Services (RSS) signature. Once the Director of Research Services has signed the work plan, the work can begin. A copy of the fully signed work plan will be distributed to all involved.

Final Reports

The final 2 tasks of the Work Plan should be Draft Final Report and Final Report Completion. MnDOT’s publishing guidelines must be followed (including submitting the report for technical and editorial reviews). The Final Report Completion task should have a duration time of 4 months to allow time for incorporation of review comments and publication.

FINAL REPORTS FROM THE MATERIALS LAB

The PI works with the project’s Technical Advisory Panel (TAP). The panel consists of the PI, Technical Liaison (TL), Project Coordinator (PC), and other experts who may contribute to the project and provide input during the research process and the writing of the report.

• When a draft research report is ready, researchers should submit a Microsoft Word and/or PDF file of the draft report to the research reports Program Coordinator at the Center for Transportation Studies (CTS) at the University of Minnesota. Use the e-mail address and copy the project’s PC.

The PI can refer to the website or handouts for publication guidelines.

In order to allow sufficient time for the Publication process, the last two tasks of each work order will be as follows:

Task y: Compile Report, Technical Advisory Panel Review and Revisions

Description: A draft report will be prepared, following MnDOT publication guidelines, to document project activities, findings and recommendations. This report will need to be reviewed by the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP), updated by the Principal Investigator to incorporate technical comments, and then approved by Technical Liaison before this task is considered complete. Holding a TAP meeting to discuss the draft report and review comments is strongly encouraged. TAP members may be consulted for clarification or discussion of comments.

Anticipated Start Date:

Scheduled Date to Submit Draft Report:

Schedule Date for Final Report Approval: (Add at least two months.)

Duration: x months including TAP review, discussion, and PI revisions

Deliverables: A Draft Report and Final Report Approved for Publication

Task z: Editorial Review and Publication of Final Report

Description: During this task the Approved Report will be processed by MnDOT’s Contract Editors. The editors will review the document to ensure it meets the publication standard. This task must be completed within the Contract time because the editors will provide editorial comments and request information from the Principal Investigator.

Scheduled Start Date:

Scheduled End Date:

Duration: 2 months (required)

Deliverables: Final Published Report

MATERIALS AND ROAD RESEARCH SECTION
RESEARCH PROJECT WORK PLAN / INV. No. / Contract #
TITLE OF PROJECT:
IS THIS A RESPONSE TO A PROBLEM STATEMENT? NO YES
IF YES, STATE NAME OF CONTACT PERSON.
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (LAST, FIRST, MIDDLE).
POSITION TITLE/DEGREES
MAILING ADDRESS:
/ TELEPHONE AND FAX (AREA CODE, NUMBER, EXT.):
TEL:
FAX:
E-MAIL:
TOTAL BUDGET:
FUNDING SOURCE AMOUNT
/ TOTAL BUDGET PERIOD:
START DATE:
END DATE:
PROJECT LENGTH (MONTHS):
KEY PERSONNEL OTHER THAN PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
NAME
POSITION TITLE
ORGANIZATION
DEGREE(S)
ROLE ON THE PROJECT / NAME
POSITION TITLE
ORGANIZATION
DEGREE(S)
ROLE ON THE PROJECT
PROJECT LIAISONS
TECHNICAL LIAISON:
NAME
ORGANIZATION / PROJECT COORDINATOR:
NAME
ORGANIZATION
TECHNICAL LIAISON: (Check one electronic approvals accepted)
Work Plan Approved
Work Plan Approved with Changes Noted
Work Plan Not Approved / SIGNATURE OF TECHNICAL LIAISON:
______
DATE:
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:
I agree to accept responsibility for the scientific conduct of this project and to provide the required progress reports. / SIGNATURE OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:
______
DATE:
MANAGER, ROAD RESEARCH SECTION :
I hereby certify sufficient staff time will be scheduled for the Principal Investigator to complete the research as outlined in the attached work plan. / SIGNATURE OF MANAGER, ROAD RESEARCH SECTION:
______
DATE:
DIRECTOR, RESEARCH SERVICES & LIBRARY SECTION:
I hereby certify sufficient staff time will be scheduled for the Principal Investigator to complete the research as outlined in the attached work plan. / SIGNATURE OF DIRECTOR, RESEARCH SERVICES & LIBRARY SECTION:
______
DATE:

You must please completed answer for questions 1 through 12 of this Work Plan form.

PROPOSAL SUMMARY: (Abstract) and Objective(s):

Summarize the problem, the proposed approach and any anticipated impact, including financial, of the research(approx. 250 words). If funded this abstract could be used to promote the project in progress.

IMPLEMENTATION:

What Methods, procedures, products, and/or standards should change as a result of this research project?

What are the specific benefits of this change(s), why would this change(s) be important, and how can these benefits be measured project?

How does this research benefit Minnesota taxpayers? (see questions 1 and 2 below)

Since transportation funding comes from the public through fees and taxes, citizen stakeholders insist on sound financial management that ensures those resources are used efficiently for maximum effect and maximum value. For your proposal, clearly define the benefits the state will receive from the results and conclusions of this research. Benefits might include the following:

material cost savings
labor savings
user savings
construction savings
reduced life cycle costs
reduced environmental impacts
improved safety
reduced risk
user benefits

Include documentation as to how you would model and/or calculate this benefit for the taxpayers.

Describe implementation opportunities and the steps required to implement the research.

BACKGROUND:Include any background information pertinent to the research including any previous related work performed for/by MnDOT.

OBJECTIVE:Concisely describe the goals or objectives of the project.

SCOPE:Briefly describe the range or scope of work encompassed by this project.

TASKS: In chronological order list each major task or milestone necessary to complete the project. The work on each task will be reviewed to track progress of the project and to determine when payment should be made.

Tasks Descriptions, Durations, Scheduled Dates, and Key Milestones:

Use the following guidelines to list and describe the major tasks that are needed to complete this proposed project.

It is important that the PI and the TAP set a realistic project schedule. It is better to include extra time in the task duration and submit the deliverable early than to set an aggressive schedule and submit the deliverable late.
List the task durations in whole months.
Anticipated start and end dates are subject to contract execution. Anticipated start dates should always be the first of the month (i.e.: July 1), while end dates should be the last day of the month (i.e. July 31).
All tasks require a summary report or deliverable. PowerPoint presentations are not considered deliverables and will not be accepted as deliverables. These presentations can be provided as support of a summary report but are not a substitute.
If the project has a report as a deliverable, the last task must have a duration of 2 months for processing the report for publishing. If the project does not have a report as a deliverable, tasks y and z listed below are not applicable.
It can take up to 12 weeks from the day your technical liaison approves the work plan to fully execute a contract work order.
If you are employing a subcontractor, please see section 10 for further instructions.

Task x:

Description:

Anticipated Start Date:

Scheduled date to submit draft deliverable:

Scheduled date for final task approval: (Add two months: one month after submittal of draft deliverable for TAP review and TL to provide a summary of TAP comments back to PI, and one month for PI to address comments and prepare final deliverable for TL approval for payment.)

Duration: x months including the TAP review and comment period

Deliverable:

Task y: Compile Report, Technical Advisory Panel Review and Revisions

Anticipated Start Date:

Scheduled Date to Submit Draft Report:

Schedule Date for Final Report Approval: (Add at least two months.)

Duration: x months including TAP review, discussion, and PI revisions

Deliverables: A Draft Report and Final Report Approved for Publication

Task z: Editorial Review and Publication of Final Report

Scheduled Start Date:

Scheduled End Date:

Duration: 2 months (required)

Deliverables: Final Published Report

KEY MILESTONES:

List any key milestones not provided above that may impact the project schedule, such as target dates for a project kickoff meeting and TAP meetings, workshops conducted as part of the project, beginning or end of field work, as well as due dates for information to be provided by the Technical Liaison, and decisions or approvals needed from the sponsoring organization (MnDOT or LRRB). Key milestones will be reviewed, discussed and modified, as necessary, at the first project TAP meeting an incorporated into the contract work order.

Key Milestones / Target Date / Description
Additional rows as necessary

BUDGET DETAILS:

DETAILED BUDGET FOR ENTIRE PROJECT
SALARY: / DOLLAR AMOUNT (OMIT CENTS)
NAME/ROLE / YEAR 1 / YEAR 2 / TOTALS
TOTAL SALARIES

DIRECT COSTS:
CONSULTANT/CONTRACTOR COSTS (See Note(1))
EQUIPMENT (ITEMIZE)
SUPPLIES
TRAVEL (In-state only)
OTHER EXPENSES (i.e., testing)
TOTAL DIRECT COSTS
TOTAL PROJECT COSTS

Note(1): Contracts for consultants/contractors will be processed by P.I. through Consultant Services and encumbered directly from LRRB accounts. Requisition for contract is sent through Research Services for coding of accounting information

IF PROJECT EXTENDS BEYOND TWO YEARS, DUPLICATE BUDGET PAGE AND PROVIDE PROJECT TOTAL AT THE END OF ADDITIONAL YEARS.

BUDGET BY TASK:

(List Task number and dollar value for each task in work plan. If project includes consultant/contractor, provide breakdown of task budget for Materials and consultant/contractor)

Task No. / Description / Lab / Contractor
$ / $
$ / $
$ / $
$ / $
Total / $ / $

PROJECT SCHEDULE: Include a project schedule such as the one shown here: Note: This is a Sample!

Months / -3 / -2 / -1 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / . / . / n / Budget
Contract1 / X / X / X
Task 1 / X / $
Task 2 / $
Task 3 / $
Task y / $
Task z / $
TOTAL: $

NOTE(2) The final report MUST be listed as the final two tasks as shown above to provide for technical review. Each task will have a dollar value in the Budget by Task.

Because the start of a project is sometimes delayed due to processing of the contract, the months in the schedule should be listed by NUMBER from the time the contract is approved, not Jan, Feb, Mar, etc.

OTHER ASSISTANCE: If the project requires specialized help or input including data, materials, equipment, facilities etc., it should be documented. Include names or job titles if necessary.

LITERATURE SEARCH: Include your findings related to this project from a literature search. A literature search is required before any contract negotiations begin.

Last updated 02/03/2017