Case studies

Traffic Management Systems (TMS) has been using Huddle since April 2009 for data control and electronic communication with its clients.

TMS make the roads safe for workmen to undertake necessary road works to improve and maintain our nation's traffic systems.

"In short", says director Peter Ryland, "we put cones on the road. We are a privately held company and our customers are typically main contractors working for local authorities and the Highways Agency."

The company sought an online collaboration tool to simplify the sharing of information with its clients. Huddle enables TMS to share key information such as method statements, risk assessments, AutoCad design layouts for temporary trafic management and setting site meetings.

""In addition to the hugely advantageous approval and audit trails in Huddle, it also helps me to manage my team from the comfort of wherever I'm working, at home or on a site."

- Peter Ryland, Director

For example TMS is currently working in central London, which is a highly traffic sensitive area, and on a job of this nature over 20 drawings will be shared in large data files.

In buying into Huddle, TMS were looking to improve their quality management systems of communication both in terms of time and efficiency, and direct involvement of their customers. Previously TMS shared the data on discs and the traditional 'snail mail' - a time consuming and potentially unreliable method of communication.

Before learning about Huddle, TMS considered having a web page designed that would allow the upload and easy online transfer of files. This would have involved consulting and committing a web design company for a content management system. This would have been very expensive and may not have achieved the solution required. Huddle's off-the-shelf system was far easier and more cost effective. Now, TMS stores and shares all of its data in five Huddle Workspaces - administration data, health and safety, drawings, directors and accounting.

One of the Huddle Workspaces TMS operates is for the sharing of layout design drawings for planned work by the London Borough of Barnet and Transport for London (TFL). TMS creates highly detailed plans of how traffic will flow during roadworks, and these plans must be approved prior to work beginning. The size of these large data files prevented them being sent on email. Prior to using Huddle, TMS would save the files onto CDs and post them to the clients. Any communications, queries and approvals could take several days – sometimes weeks. Time is money. Now, with Huddle, TMS can upload the documents into the workspace, Huddle automatically notfies the clients that the documents are available, and they and the invited team members can review and provide comments. Approval by all parties is simply done by checking the 'approved' button. It is important at every stage of the project that approvals are sought and confirmed before actually putting a cone on the road. In today's litigious society, if there wer an incident or an accident a clear audit trail of approvals ensures accountability by individuals at every stage of the project. Huddle has achieved this for TMS.

Peter Ryland, director at TMS says: "In addition to the hugely advantageous approval and audit trails in Huddle, it also helps me to manage my team from the comfort of wherever I'm working, at home or on a site. We use the central diary and task settings, which eliminates the problem of my normal memory failure! It also ensures that my team can be tasked and doesn't escape keeping projects moving forward because I have forgotten to follow up or because I'm not there."