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How Construction Management Software Saves AEC Professionals Time and Reduces Risk

July 3, 2019 Adam Higgins

Despite continuing technological advancement in the construction industry, AEC professionals in every specialty continue to find sharing information across the project lifecycle cumbersome. Systems lack interoperability, information isn’t readily accessible in the field, and manual curation opens the door to costly errors. This traditional workflow stands in the way of team effectiveness and is often at odds with the best interests of the overall project.

Construction management software specifically addresses AEC workflow problems through improved collaboration and handoff of project data. This software seamlessly meets the needs of all users across trades. Here’s how software like BIM 360 saves time and reduces risk of errors within a project by addressing multiple common pain points:

  • 2D and 3D plans are in one system instead of having to find “the BIM guy” for 3D models
  • Markup functionality is far more sophisticated and is maintained between versions of docs
  • Document version access and approval controls make sure the team is working with the latest set of approved plans at all times
  • You can organize your project doc store by contents instead of filenames, using title blocks for plans in PDF OCR formats that can be rasterized and data stored as attributes
  • No more flipping through piles of paper drawings to find what you need, all text and all properties are searchable
  • File sharing and even simple viewing of sheets is made faster

So what would implementation of this software mean for the workflow of every member of a project? Let’s take a look by role.

 

Owners and CIOs

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Minimizing risk and maximizing profitability makes every owner smile

 

Right now, most of the tools being utilized are siloed by specialty; designers are using one set of tools and field construction staff another. An all-inclusive construction management software offers a graceful solution to bridge gaps in document handoff and save costly mistakes. Designers and those in the field can now standardize the information shared across teams, working off a single, up-to-date set of information. All users have the most recent versions available and at anytime via a mobile device. 

This saves organizations the cost of deploying multiple technology solutions and learning resources, giving owners and CIOs a single solution for all workgroups. It provides peace-of-mind and minimizes costly errors by mitigating risk from users accessing the wrong document version. With a reduction in managing multiple tools, decision makers can now focus on maximizing the value of solutions and meeting compliance.

 

Document Managers

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Curating and sharing documentation with peace-of-mind on site

 

As the owner of the construction document management process, a great deal of responsibility falls on document managers. They are well aware of the consequences of mistakes and yet, human error is always possible when there are so many manual tasks associated with content curation and sharing. 

BIM 360 allows document managers easy standardization with automated naming and structuring to eliminate time spent adjusting naming structures for GCs. It also provides role-based and version-based access for necessary team members. Peace-of-mind comes with knowing that each version of every file in the project’s record set is up-to-date and accessible to all user types at all times.

 

Architects and Engineers

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Architects & Engineers can share both 2D & 3D plans and revisions in the same system

 

Currently, the amount of time A&E professionals spend moving and converting documents is frustrating. Internal revisions in the current workflow can be a struggle. Especially when the only way to collaborate is to take data offline, fix it, then add the data back in. 

The BIM 360 solution is especially advantageous in this regard as A&Es can manage their own docs and push out revisions to projects far more easily. They’ll also be able to find 2D and 3D plans in the same system and show the relationship between different sheets.

 

Superintendents

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Superintendents use BIM 360 to increase workflow efficiency

 

As managers of the day-to-day operations at a job site problem-solving on the fly, the superintendent needs increased efficiency in their workflow. When a scope or design question arises and superintendents have to spend time traveling back and forth between the construction site and the trailer for the latest documentation, valuable time is lost.  In some cases, this can take 20 minutes or more round trip.

Having project data at their fingertips means significant time savings.  It reduces communication issues, enabling them to make corrective decisions earlier and faster with far less risk of error. On top of that, this is collaboration software that is easy to use, making field superintendents more open to its adoption.

 

Site Foremen

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Foremen need plans to be up-to-date in real-time or mistakes will occur

 

Foremen have the responsibility of putting plans into action. Any reduction in time spent with the superintendent or project engineers clarifying issues is welcome. It allows them to focus on putting work in place and delivering projects on time. 

The other key benefit of construction management software for a foreman is that the most up-to-date plans are available at their fingertips via a mobile device. Additionally,  the software is designed to be easy to use. It’s just like every other well designed mobile app, meaning no training is required.

BIM 360 is a complete solution, bringing together the needs of the entire team for the betterment of projects through improved handoff, a single source of up-to-date project data, and easy to use mobile app access.

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