5 Ways BIM 360 Docs Reduces Construction Rework

Here are five ways many GCs are putting substantial savings back in their own pockets:

1. Connect the office to the jobsite
2. Free up time and increase productivity
3. Ensure everyone is working from the latest plan
4. Seamlessly track daily reports and data collection
5. Use data for your competitive advantage

1. Connect the Office to the Jobsite

About 24% of rework claims are due to lack of detail or inaccurate specs and logistics. Delays in getting the latest information to the field results in more RFIs and less accurate work.

The right software can provide a single, cloud-based repository for all project documentation, making real-time communication and document exchange possible between the office and the field. With a system like BIM 360, documents and communications can be managed on handheld mobile devices, making it easy for field workers to be continuously in the loop with the office, and get it right the first time.

Connecting the office to the job site has many benefits:

• Improves understanding of difficult project conditions
• Increases the ability to convey design intent to subcontractors
• Creates the ability to engage and collaborate with remotely located team members
• Accelerates issues resolution and RFI communications
• Ensures field workers have the latest data to work from

Global construction group Skanska saw a whopping 948% ROI from implementing cloud-based tech tools. While we can’t guarantee results that impressive every time, there’s no question that connecting the office to the jobsite will reduce rework.

Pro Tip!

Choose software that supports project documentation for both 2D and 3D designs. This will give field workers better data and more context. This also eliminates the “flattening” of models from 3D to 2D, where rich detail is lost, as well as the need to use separate apps for different functions.

Ditch the Paper: Manage 2D & 3D in BIM 360 Docs

2. Free Up Time and Increase Productivity

On most construction jobs, a good deal of field workers’ time is wasted waiting on answers to build questions, running back and forth to the trailer to align the jobsite with the plan, manually updating paper checklists or other documentation, and engaging in other valueless tasks.

Software like BIM 360 Docs gives workers mobile access to the latest set of plans, including a shared view of markups, issues, and RFIs. Instead of wasting time running back and forth and waiting for answers, they can be in the field with the information they need at their fingertips, getting the work done more efficiently. On average, this saves each and every site worker about 9 hours per week according to industry research.

That’s time that can be reinvested in proactively identifying and solving problems that lead to rework. Skanska’s study found that being able to reinvest those hours on a $10 million project, with just 5% rework, yields a cost savings of $500,000.

Pro Tip! 

Involve your whole project team in design and constructability reviews as early as possible. Document questions, formalize issue & RFI processes, and keep a record of all changes. Resolving problems virtually early on will reduce a lot of physical rework during construction.

Ditch the Paper: Resolve issues early & virtually in BIM 360 Docs

3. Ensure Everyone is Working From the Latest Plan

More than half (55%) of rework claims are due to inaccurate field data. When workers in the field have outdated plans, at best they’ll waste time going back and forth to the trailer to get the latest. At worst, they’ll perform work based on outdated plans. The result: Rework.

Software like BIM 360 Docs operates as a single source of truth that can be accessed in real time directly from the field. This eliminates time-consuming trips to the trailer and ensures everyone has all the latest changes, markups, RFI responses, and issues resolutions.

Folder-based permissions ensure that field workers access only the latest files, and only those that are relevant to their work. Version control and native markup give users confidence that they are working from the right set of plans, and allows them to view comments and notes that are kept up-to-date with the latest version. Users can even subscribe to folders to receive real-time alerts whenever there are changes that need attention.

Pro Tip!

Set up BIM 360 Docs folders to control access and maintain current sets, and to keep work in progress files separate from archived records.

Ditch the Paper: Stay current but comprehensive at all times with BIM 360 Docs

4. Seamlessly Track Daily Activity and Data Collection

Often on job sites, the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. This leads to delays in communication and scheduling conflicts.

BIM 360 Docs provides an activity log of all document-related activity and changes as it happens. Markups, issues, RFIs, plan updates, and files accessed are all clearly visible to everyone who needs to know. This ensures that responses happen in a timely fashion, providing the field with the latest updates. It also makes it possible to address problems earlier to increase efficiency and decrease rework.

A study by McGraw Hill shows that 76% of contractors using cloud-based technology report better team collaboration. Skanska discovered a 45% reduction in control-related rework thanks to using cloud-based document management systems like BIM 360.

Pro Tip!

Choose software that offers a quick way to view project-wide issue and RFI lists to quickly see what items need immediate attention. It’s much quicker than having to look at every sheet to check on the status.

Ditch the Paper: Check status quickly & easily with BIM 360 Docs

5. Use Data for Competitive Advantage

Remember the old saying, “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity”? Some construction companies could fall into that category. We make the same mistakes over and over on projects, costing untold amounts and causing untold frustration.

BIM 360 Docs removes the data siloes that stand in the way of identifying the root cause of problems. Data stored and collected in BIM 360 Docs can be used to provide powerful insights for future projects, and move from using lagging indicators to leading indicators.

For example, if a portion of a project goes several weeks beyond schedule due to rework, you can call up that section of the plan, look through all the vendors and associated activity, and uncover the cause of the problem. Whether it was delays in RFI responses, incomplete details, missing specifications, or an incompetent vendor, you can identify the culprit and put together a process to avoid the problem in the future.

By contrast, organizations using multiple apps to manage their documents would have a very difficult time putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

Pro Tip!

Get your project data into a single system just as soon as the construction team is involved. With permissioning, version control, and the ability to structure project files, there is no risk involved in compiling your information early.

Ditch the Paper: Have one single source of truth for your projects with BIM 360 Docs

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