58 Engineer January-March 2004

In September 2002, the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers (USACE) challenged the ArmyFacilities Component System (AFCS)

branch of the USACE Engineering andSupport Center, Huntsville, Alabama,to overhaul the planning and designtool called Theater ConstructionManagement System (TCMS)version 1.2E. The Huntsville AFCSteam released TCMS version 2.0 on1 December 2003. This release is acomplete overhaul of the TCMSstructure and the underlying AFCSdatabase, making version 1.2Eobsolete and incompatible withversion 2.0.

The significance of this overhaul relieson the knowledge of the underlying tech-nology. The Construction Engineering ResearchLaboratory developed the early programming for TCMS morethan 20 years ago to access the existing AFCS digital database.That version of the program was based on a Microsoft® disk-operated system that used external drives and was limited byfloppy disks and hard drive space. The AFCS branch addedfunctions and interface options within the 16-bit MicrosoftWindows® operating system. However, each change was anadd-on instead of an integrated, planned programmingadjustment. This created an unstable operating environmentand limited the enhancements that users needed. TCMS stayed16-bit-based until 2003, even though 32-bit programming wasintroduced in 1995. This meant that version 1.2E and earlierversions of TCMS are limited to old and outdated commercialoff-the-shelf (COTS) software, while the overhauled version2.0 can interface with the latest version of Microsoft Projectand AutoCAD® and run on a native Microsoft Windows XPenvironment. This lets users take advantage of current COTS.

TCMS interfaces seamlessly with the AFCS database andCOTS software. There are tables that allow users to search orquery the AFCS database. The “facility” table enables usersto look up various facilities and view the bill of materials (BOM),labor, or drawings associated with that facility. (Note: TCMSuses the term “facility” to identify any item that serves apurpose and contains a construction sequence. This could bea warehouse, an administration building, hardstand, a 1-mileincrement of road, 1,000 feet of fence line or runway, bomb

damage repair, a latrine, or a dining hall.) The facilitytable has a search filter that makes finding items

quick and easy. There are more than 4,700facilities in TCMS, including initial or

temporary construction standards,various types of constructionmaterials, and different climates andterrain. Vertical and horizontalconstruction are represented in theextensive database. The drawingtable accesses more than 2,000AutoCAD drawings which, whendrawn into a computer-aided design

(CAD) program, allows users to adapta standard drawing to the site or

situation. Items such as truss platedetail, material takeoffs, and detailed

production drawings are included in thedatabase. This resource alone gives users a leg

up on construction planning and execution. The programviews CAD drawings with an internal viewer, letting usersview and print drawings without leaving the TCMSenvironment. TCMS also allows the transfer of data minedfrom AFCS to Microsoft Project in logical sequences. Thistransfer of data in construction sequence, along with the importof user-defined resources, gives a decent Gantt chart withoutmuch of the stubby-pencil entry normally associated withdeveloping such charts.

The AFCS database is the digitized information fromTechnical Manual (TM) 5-301, AFCS Planning; TM 5-302,AFCS Design; and TM 5-303, AFCS Logistics Data and Billsof Materials. These TMs were called the “Red Book” becauseof the red bindings encasing the standard drawing sheets. Ittook a footlocker to carry the TMs on a deployment, and itwas a labor-intensive task to update and maintain them. Theygave users information in the form of BOMs and labor for thefacility, as well as drawings. The annual distribution of theTCMS replaced the publishing of the Red Books, and theInternet allows users to periodically update TCMS at<http://www.tcms.net>. This sometimes eliminates the needto mail new CD-ROMs. The Web site is also the place to go fortechnical information, program updates, training requests, andgeneral TCMS information.

Changing TCMS meant thinking outside the box for thedevelopment team. Each part (programming, data, anddrawings) could not be changed separately; each would

By Mr. Chris Boyd

TheaTer ConsTruCTionManageMenT sysTeM

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January-March 2004 Engineer 59

happen simultaneously. The tough part was not knowing ifeverything would work when all the parts were put together.The programming was updated to Visual FoxPro®. This was amajor adjustment because 32-bit programming languageallowed the arcane keystrokes method of version 1.2E to besupplanted by “point-and-click” commands. The programmingalso changed the way projects are viewed, using a graphictree structure and icons. Seeing the relationships amongcomponent, facility, construction sequence, BOM, and laborallows users to make “drag-and-drop” project edits, as well asquantity changes, without losing sight of the overall project.Having multiple windows or tables open at the same time nolonger locks the system. Using 32-bit programming ensuresthe life cycle of TCMS for years to come and allows it tointerface with other 32-bit COTS software, giving the useraccess to the productivity gains associated with COTS. Asthe programming of TCMS/AFCS was being changed, the datastructure of a facility was changed from the subfacility formatto sequence. This change allowed the user to logically relatefacility information. Each facility would now contain at leastone construction sequence that would contain the labor toperform that sequence along with any materials that might beused during the sequence. For example, approximately sevenconstruction sequences are used to build a warehouse. Thedrawing database expanded from 700 to more than 2,000 blocks,allowing the inclusion of production drawings and drawingdetails not previously available in TCMS. Including cross

sections of various road types, building footings, new campsiteplans, Hesco® bastions, trusses, and other items, the databaseof drawings is a wealth of information. Combining all threechanged elements created TCMS32, an engineering platform.

The engineering platform of TCMS32 allows the user toinput local purchase materials by Federal Supply Code andcountry code. The user can input local labor resources andcombine those into resource sheets for use in Microsoft Project.A feature that has limitless possibilities is the “attach file”function, which allows the user to attach any electronic file tothe project. Now geographic information system (GIS) data,real estate data, contracts, after-action reviews, pictures, andany other file that can be found with Microsoft Internet Explorercan be archived within the project. Since a project is actually aTCMS32 ZIP file, those documents become a part of the projectitself. Project labor production rates are adjustable, based onuser input. The locally purchased materials list can be exportedto other TCMS32 users, allowing the theater engineer to avoidbidding wars, inflated prices, and material shortages by usingthe same listing across an area of responsibility. Editing thelocally purchased material listing for price, nomenclature,volume, and weight is quick and easy. The AFCS planningfactors are now accessible in their own easy-to-find table. Thebiggest new feature is the “export” function under projectreports. This allows the user to convert various BOM andlabor project reports into Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word,portable document format (PDF), or hypertext markup language

Sample Project Screen Shot

60 Engineer January-March 2004

(HTML). The project progress report and the project summarycan also be converted to other file formats. This enables theuser to send project information to other persons in formatsthey can use outside of TCMS32. Development is underwayto add Web-based training and application execution.

Future additions to TCMS32 should include a customdesign function, allowing the user to quickly create fromscratch a new three-dimensional design in minutes, includingBOM, labor, and production drawings. It will also allow theuser to change construction material on the fly andautomatically adjust the BOM and labor. The COTS softwarefor this exists today. TCMS32 should have a GIS capability tosite-adapt facilities; a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioningmodule to forecast heating and cooling designs for buildings;

and a module to address the power requirements for basecamps and individual facilities. The ability to interface withcurrent Army reporting systems and TeleEngineering willhelp engineers provide TCMS32 data across the battlefield.These items are part of the future development of TCMS32.The planning for TCMS64, a 64-bit version, will occur infiscal year 2005. This will ensure that TCMS as anengineering platform will not be outdated by improvementsin technology. With continued funding, these plannedupdates will become reality.

Mr. Boyd is a military planner with the AFCS branch ofthe USACE Engineering and Support Center at Huntsville,Alabama.

Screen Shot of Table Menu

Screen Shot of Internal CADD Viewer