The Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting’s upgrade to its electronic plan review software for building permits has suffered a delay, DPP announced.
The agency says that
delay relates to a conversion of DPP’s ePlans to a cloud computing system,
in which user information is essentially stored on remote servers on the internet.
DPP anticipates the software upgrade — which began a week ago — will be completed by today.
On Jan. 14, DPP started its second major upgrade to ePlans. In order to install the new Avolve Software 9.4, department officials said they had to temporarily shut down the ePlans system — also known as ProjectDox — to an undetermined time Thursday.
But on Friday, DPP issued a news release claiming it had fallen behind schedule as “the upgrade by Avolve Software from the 9.2 to 9.4 version ran into data migration issues.”
“Avolve today informed DPP that it will require more time to complete the remaining update scripts for data restoration,” the news release reads. “But because of the amount of data that needed to be migrated and the complexity of the upgrade, the process is taking longer than anticipated.”
While the software is
being updated, the system will not be available to the public, and DPP staff also will not be able to access ePlans, according to DPP.
“The DPP apologizes for the inconvenience, but the upgrade is needed to improve the 13-year-old electronic permit review system,” the release reads. “The ePlans upgrade is part of a larger effort to improve the permit application
process.”
Before the work began, DPP Director Dawn Takeuchi Apuna told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the ePlans upgrade was “essential as we transition from an on-premises infrastructure to a cloud-based platform.”
“This migration to the cloud, which brings efficient system maintenance and updates, will protect applicant data and provide a better user experience, ensuring a timely response to permits,” she said, adding that the upgrade process involves “a significant platform update composed of several critical steps that have been carefully timed.”
“We recognize the downtime is an inconvenience for DPP and the community, but once this upgrade is completed and we are on the most current version of
ProjectDox, future upgrades will be done with minimal downtime,” she said.
This will be DPP’s last upgrade to ePlans requiring “noticeable downtime,” she said.
“Once we are on version 9.4, all future upgrades can be pushed to the cloud
platform during off-hours
requiring minimal, if any, downtime,” Takeuchi Apuna added.
She also had noted this upgrade was scheduled during the workweek — rather than on the weekend or in the overnight hours — to ensure any issues that might arise could be addressed promptly.
“This allows for real-time troubleshooting and collaboration between our consultant Avolve, the developer of ProjectDox, and DPP
to resolve any potential issues efficiently,” she said previously.
In March, Takeuchi Apuna unveiled her department’s plans to use automation to speed the building permit process.
At the time, she noted the new system was part of a $5.6 million project that was expected to be fully completed in 18 months, or by fall 2025.
Money for that system originated with Honolulu’s receipt of $386 million in 2021 from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, or FRF, as part of the federal government’s $1.3 trillion American Rescue Plan Act package.
Takeuchi Apuna said tech upgrades — like ProjectDox and AI-based systems — will lead to “shorter times” for permit applicants.
ProjectDox from Avolve Software, which launched in July 2023, also allows users to view, zoom, pan, rotate, measure, annotate and redact building plan documents and images, the city says.
That system upgrade, also paid for with FRF money, cost $206,000, she said.
