Relieve these common GC headaches by getting project teams on the same page.

Being a general contractor (GC) isn’t easy. Your construction project management skills are constantly put to the test. You’re at the center of a network of stakeholders who rely on your coordination alongside thousands—or even millions—of dollars to build the structures and infrastructure that help everyone else live their lives. And you have to do all that within a contracted amount of time with razor-thin profit margins. 

With a role this demanding that evolves in complexity every year, it’s no wonder that processes that have worked well in the past are now routine headaches that every GC in the industry runs into. Some of the top problems GCs face are three documentation processes that, while important for communication and liability, take time away from actually building. 

 

1. Creating the submittal log 

The submittal log, in short, is a list of all documents that the contractor is required to provide to the design team to ensure that the project is following the spec book. Historically, the process has been to have a project engineer (PE), typically the newest builder, flip through the laid-out specs page-by-page and copy each submittal requirement into a spreadsheet. The project team can then track that submittal log throughout the rest of the project. This not only takes days or weeks for the PE to complete, but human error often results in oversights of important submittals that aren’t included in the log. When PE’s fail to record necessary requirements, they’re unlikely to do them. This puts GC’s in breach of contract, which can lead to costly rework, lawsuits, late delivery, or all three.

The modernized process that the industry is adopting is to use automated software like Pype AutoSpecs for initial submittal log drafting to save time, standardize processes, and mitigate risk. AutoSpecs scans spec books using a patented algorithm designed to identify all submittal requirements, QA/QC requirements, closeout requirements, mock-ups, product data, and a lot more. Project teams can quickly compare previous versions of the specs to the most recently issued version and review all changes, clearly identifying extraneous and redundant requirements. Top GCs are even using AutoSpecs’ built-in filters to review the log and assign custom sections of it to their trades. 

Want to learn more about how AutoSpecs’ automation can save you time, standardize your processes, and mitigate risk across your projects? Join our webinar on November 16th to see it in action.

Register NOW

 

2. Maintaining a single source of truth 

In an industry as iterative and paper-trail-y as construction, there is inevitably going to be a lot of contractually-obligated paperwork needing to be tracked. Between RFIs, contract documents, progress reports, as-builts, specs, plans, and hundreds more document types that can each contain hundreds of pages, it’s a lot for any project team to keep track of. And when contract compliance relies on following only the most recent documents like plans, specs, change orders, addendums, etc., making sure everyone is on the same page—literally and figuratively—can be the difference between a payday and bankruptcy for a GC. 

Making sure everyone is on the same page—literally and figuratively—can be the difference between a payday and bankruptcy for a GC. 

Most project management software solves for this to some degree, but only Autodesk Build allows access to these documents throughout the entire project lifecycle. Data created in design phase programs such as Navisworks and Revit is stored in the same common data environment (CDE) that the rest of Autodesk Construction Cloud uses, meaning that Build—and any other ACC software—can access this data at any time without having to push it back and forth between different modules.  

All project data is stored in this CDE so that GC teams using Build always have access to the latest, most up-to-date documents to work with. This allows them to do their jobs without having to worry about a new version being published that they weren’t aware of. Autodesk Build maintains the single source of truth for GC teams, regardless of where the project is in the lifecycle. Watch the recorded webinar here.

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3. The turnover package 

It’s a frustrating truth that even if the first 95% of a project goes perfectly, a fumbled turnover experience can leave enough of a bad taste in a client’s mouth that they’ll look elsewhere for a GC on their next project. Why is project turnover messy? Many GCs shift project teams to new projects out of necessity as their current project enters the closeout phase. That leaves the initial project with fewer people that need to shoulder extra responsibility in order to meet their closeout deadline. As a result, the tedious process of contacting subcontractors to request closeout documents and then getting them reviewed often falls to the wayside to make time for more immediate tasks on the new project. That is, until the turnover package becomes an immediate task itself.  

Successful GCs use software like Pype Closeout to automate their closeout document collection process.

Successful GCs use software like Pype Closeout to automate their closeout document collection process. As soon as they have IFC specs, teams can start early by letting Pype Closeout automatically extract closeout requirements from those specs. As the project progresses, Closeout sends customized emails to trade partners as their scope of work gets completed in order to collect documents over time toward substantial completion.  

Not only does Closeout take over a time-consuming task when there’s a myriad of other tasks for project teams to complete, but the end result for the operations team is a manual that can be stored in the cloud—and thus much harder to misplace. To everyone’s benefit, the cloud-based turnover package includes an internally linked table of contents that can be used to instantly jump directly to the documents needed in the moment. This leaves a much better impression on the client, and because GC teams could devote that time to other closeout tasks—like the punch list—they provide a better deliverable overall. Watch the recorded webinar here.

Watch NOW

 

Work smarter, not harder 

General contractors are responsible for the smooth construction of contracted projects, which means any mistakes, delays, or cost overruns can easily land at their feet and threaten their cash flow. The processes to take on those challenges are constantly evolving as the industry evolves. Forward-thinking GCs are already adopting the technologies they need to stay competitive and not continually fall into these traps. With software like AutoSpecs, Autodesk Build, and Pype Closeout, GCs can give themselves that much more of an edge in an increasingly competitive market.

If you’d like a demo of Pype, please contact us. We’d love to show you how it improves the way you work.

The post 3 Avoidable Headaches for Construction Project Managers [Webinar] appeared first on Digital Builder.

Machine learning has been making waves in the construction industry. But what does that really mean and how are teams using this seemingly futuristic technology today?  

Let’s start by unpacking the concept of machine learning, a subset of artificial intelligence. Machine learning uses algorithms that allow computers to learn from data without being explicitly programmed to solve a specific problem. Without knowing it, you probably already leverage the benefits of machine learning in your daily life. For example, consider the filters on your email that tag incoming messages as ‘spam.’ This is a perfect example where machine learning identifies certain keywords or senders and automatically knows if an email is likely to be spam. And as more people flag certain emails as spam, the algorithm becomes smarter. Over time more spam is being accurately tagged, benefiting inboxes everywhere.  

So how does that work in construction?  

There are a lot of great use cases for how machine learning can improve our industry. For example, companies like Smartvid use image recognition to scan jobsite photos and flag safety concerns. Pype uses SmartPlans to scan through drawings to identify submittals or potential submittals and organizes them. Even TradeTapp ingests data to compare subcontractor risk levels and proactively mitigate against project risk.

All of these products are leveraging machine learning to help simplify and automate construction workflows. And one of the industry’s most powerful machine learning based capabilities is through Autodesk’s Construction IQ.  

At Autodesk, our focus is applying machine learning to deliver better products and user experiences for our customers to make their work lives better. Construction IQ for the Autodesk Construction Cloud platform and BIM 360 does just that. With built-in machine learning technology, it helps teams to predict, prevent, and manage risk by giving them instant visibility into daily priorities, a snapshot of individual project health, and insight into company-wide performance across projects.  

We spoke with Michael Murphy, Digital Construction Operations Manager at BAM Ireland, to understand how Construction IQ is helping to drive safer, higher-quality projects for its teams with less risk.Here are some great examples of how Construction IQ can specifically help teams across various workflows: 

Driving Better Safety Oversight 

One of the most important goals on a jobsite is to ensure everyone goes home safely at the end of each day. Safety management is by no means a new concept. But with Construction IQ, teams can spend more time looking into leading indicators that can predict and reduce safety issues rather than responding to lagging incidents. 

For example, 60% of all construction related deaths are attributed to accidents occurring within one of the “fatal four” categories; fall, caught in between, electric, and struck by. Construction IQ uses its machine learning technology to categorize jobsite issues that fall into these categories so that teams can quickly see, prioritize, and address the most pressing issues. 

“Construction IQ gives us laser sharp focus in terms of the health and safety issues onsite, enabling our teams to focus and track leading safety indicators, whilst working with our supply chain partners more effectively,” says Murphy. “By visualising safety issues such as high-risk subcontractors or high-risk safety items, we can address issues right away, resulting in a heightened level of safety on-site.”

Improving Project Quality 

Keeping track and maintaining project quality is another critical part of a successful project. But it’s challenging for teams to understanding where to focus attention to address these issues. 

Through the Quality Risk Factor card in both the Autodesk Construction Cloud platform and BIM 360, you can easily see a list of high risk subcontractors and issues predicted by Construction IQ. These could have been tagged if there was some indication of rework, inspection risk, or water related risk as water infiltration can be a primary cause of high-risk quality issues as construction progresses.

“Construction IQ surfaces all of the leading quality-related trends that support our teams in focusing on helping our partners succeed in their execution,” says Murphy. “By flagging an issue that poses high risk earlier in the process, we can eliminate any issues before it significantly impacts the quality of the project.”

Reducing Design Risk 

Through internal research, we found out that over 70% of RFIs stem from design or documentation issues. Diving a bit deeper, unsuccessful projects (classified by profit margins) tend to have 50% more RFIs, with a root cause in Design & Engineering or documentation issues, than successful projects. It is critical to resolve these design issues as early as possible, so they don’t become higher cost impact RFIs later during construction.  

With the Design Risk Factor card, you can see design specific risk such as code compliance issues, issues to critical building components, and errors and omissions in design and documentation.  

“The Design Risk Factor card provides insight into design issue trending, which enables our design teams to concentrate on areas of the design that are on our critical path,” says Murphy. “By identifying design issues earlier in the process, we can avoid any necessary cost overruns or schedule delays.”

Enhancing Project Controls with RFI Management 

Teams often struggle in prioritizing which RFIs to focus on. This can frequently lead to additional rework, schedule delays, and cost overruns. Furthermore, design and construction information are often disconnected, increasing the total number of RFIs in general.  

Our data experts found that projects that prioritized closing more critical RFIs faster were more successful. So how can teams better prioritize and manage RFIs?  

The Construction IQ driven RFI Risk Factor card breaks down RFIs based on those tagged as higher risk, any MEP or Structural RFIs, RFIs that have a root cause in design coordination, documentation errors, or code compliance since these tend to drive the most cost or schedule related impact.  

“Construction IQ provides critical insight into the status and progress of RFI’s on which to prioritise by level of risk,” says Murphy. “This reduces the level of effort normally required by us to manage this process on a daily basis, allowing us to focus on other critical areas of the project.”

Leverage the Power of Machine Learning for Your Projects Today 

Harness the power of Construction IQ’s built-in machine learning and AI functionality to predict, prevent and manage risks to cost, schedule, quality, and safety. Learn more here

We recently spoke to two industry experts on the future of AI and machine learning in construction on our Digital Builder podcast. Listen to the full episode here.  

The post Leverage Machine Learning to Reduce Risk with Construction IQ appeared first on Digital Builder.

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.dennis-construction.com/?p=918

After one of the most difficult years in modern history, the construction industry appears to be taking 2021 to make up for lost time. In March of 2021, the Autodesk Construction Outlook Report found that bidding activity slowly began to recover in 2020 between March and October, hitting a high for 2020 in November and then an all-time high in January, 2021.  

These insights came from aggregated and anonymized data from BuildingConnected, a preconstruction solution within Autodesk Construction Cloud. In March of 2021, economist Ed Zarinski noted that this increase in real-time bidding activity “signal(ed) the industry (was) getting back to work – and doing so quickly.”  

Our team has continued to keep a keen eye on bidding activity throughout the U.S. and Canada, and we recently looked at the number of new projects published in BuildingConnected by an owner, general contractor or specialty trade over the past year. Here’s what we found. 

Note: all numbers represent U.S. and Canadian data.

 

Projects published on BuildingConnected have grown almost 19 percent year-over-year

According to aggregated and anonymized product data from BuildingConnected – a collection of over one million owners, general contractors, construction managers and subcontractors soliciting or submitting bids – 2021 was a year of record growth for the industry, with new projects published increasing almost 19 percent year-over-year on the platform. March of 2021 also hit a new all-time record for most projects published in a single month, followed closely by June 2021. 

This aggregated and anonymized BuildingConnected data also shows encouraging year-over-year growth from 2020, a sign that our industry is still working to “climb out of the trough,” so to speak. Year-over-year growth of projects published spiked in April of 2021, followed by May and June. 

 

Top 15 Cities for new project volume (U.S. and Canada)

The BuildingConnected team also identified the regions of the U.S. and Canada that are seeing the highest volumes of new projects published (chart below). This chart details the top 15 cities with the highest levels of published projects over the course of 2021 so far. 

 

Texas, California show strong volumes of new projects

In January of 2020, the AGC released data showing the impacts in construction jobs, which detailed that Texas lost over 33,000 jobs during the pandemic, followed by New York (22,000), Ohio (12,600), Massachusetts (11,300) and Florida (9,900).  

Of the top 15 cities with the highest levels of new projects published in 2021, cities in Texas (Houston, Dallas and San Antonio) accounted for almost 16 percent of all new projects published among the top 15 cities. California also had a particularly strong showing in terms of projects published, with three cities (San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego) accounting for just over 17 percent of new projects in the top 15 list. 

Our team will continue to review aggregated, anonymized real-time bidding activity throughout the rest of 2021 and into 2022, and we look forward to providing another update down the line. For more information about building, construction and design trends and technology, visit our Digital Builder blog and subscribe to our podcast, Digital Builder with host Eric Thomas

 

bout BuildingConnected, an Autodesk Company

All numbers for this blog post are proprietary product data from BuildingConnected, a platform that more than one million owners, general contractors, construction managers and subcontractors use to solicit and submit bids. BuildingConnected helps save time and increases collaboration while managing the bidding process with automated workflows that facilitate securing the best team for any construction project.  

With more than five million bid invites sent out every month on the platform, BuildingConnected empowers preconstruction teams to:  

Find and choose the right builders for every project on the most up-to-date network of construction professionals  Quickly solicit bids with customizable templates and accurately compare those bids side-by-side Easily collaborate with other estimators on the team, and follow communications and bid versions Gain valuable insight into historical bid data and reports to optimize for future projects 

To learn more about how BuildingConnected can help your team, click here to visit our website

The post BuildingConnected Data Reveals Top 15 Cities with Most New Projects Published [Report] appeared first on Digital Builder.

Find the people that are going to support you, help answer questions, and mentor you. Those are the teams you want to be on and the type of team you want to build.

To see the greatest results from technical solutions, you’ll need to get all users and stakeholders on board. While there are many factors that play into successful technology adoption, there’s one component that every initiative must have: a fearless champion. Enthusiastic, committed champions help drive the buy-in you need from stakeholders while getting support from the people who will use the new technology. Building internal advocacy ensures full-scale adoption. 

As a Senior Project Manager, Jacob Freitas is one of those fearless champions, pushing innovation and productivity forward at Level 10 Construction. We recently spoke with Jacob about his experience with planning and construction, how the project manager role is evolving, and how Level 10 leverages technology to solve challenges. Read his story below.

Tell us a little bit about Level 10 and what you specialize in.

We’re headquartered in Sunnyvale, California with a few more offices in San Francisco, San Diego, and Austin, Texas. Level 10 Construction was actually founded in 2011 by industry veterans with this shared vision of delivering construction projects at the highest level. And we’ve been able to deliver successful projects across several market sectors thanks to our different regional offices. Our projects have run the gambit—advanced technology, corporate, education, housing & mixed use, biotechnology, entertainment, healthcare and gaming & hospitality.

Walk us through your career. What led you to become Senior Project Manager?

I started back at Cal Poly in the summer of 2005 studying city-regional planning. My first summer after Cal Poly, I had an internship with a home builder, which was when I realized I wanted to go into construction. 

So, I pursued internships in the field and worked with Rudolph and Sletten for six months doing co-op. That was all around 2008 when the economic downturn happened and new construction opportunities dried up. I ended up getting more work experience related to my planning background. From 2009 to 2011 I worked on energy management and greenhouse gas mitigation for Mazzetti, an engineering firm out of San Francisco.

A lot of what I focused on during those three years were energy-related projects such as efficiency upgrades, solar installation and fuel cells. The primary client I supported was Kaiser Permanente, with the goal of reducing their environmental footprint, primarily focused on the greenhouse gas emissions associated from their facility operations. 

In 2011, a former boss of mine reached out to me to see if I was still interested in the construction space. This November will be nine years for me here at Level 10 Construction.

s construction evolves, how do you see the role of Project Manager changing?

Today, I see a lot of the same mistakes being repeated, and it’s due to a lack of knowledge sharing. Hopefully, in the next decade, sharing lessons learned will become easier with the advent of new technology. 

Looking forward, I’m excited to see how our industry shares information, not only internally in organizations but peer-to-peer, and how we can try to be more effective at it.

In terms of existing work products, I want to leverage that existing work product. I don’t want to reinvent the bid package or the spec section or this or that detail. There’s no reason to reinvent it if it’s already been figured out; however, many times it comes down to not knowing where that information resides. 

Looking forward, I’m excited to see how our industry shares information, not only internally in organizations but peer-to-peer, and how we can try to be more effective at it.

What project are you most proud of working on in your career?

I would say the Facebook west campus job we worked on from 2012 to 2014. At that time, we were still relatively small as an organization. That was around a $400 million project. As a senior engineer, I was managing all the MEPF trades, which was a $100 million dollar scope. That project felt like the equivalent of two or three projects rolled into one, and we delivered. 

The project was super cool, especially considering its size, scope, and complexity. That’s part of the reason I’m here doing what I’m doing today is because of that experience. Not everyone has the opportunity to manage mechanical, electrical, plumbing, food service, fire protection trades early in their careers. The project allowed me to advance faster.

What are the biggest challenges you face in your role? How does technology help you meet these challenges?

Having a centralized platform that the whole team can be on. That has always been a challenge. Recently there’s been a number of platforms that check that box.

Autodesk Build is taking the right approach with getting the whole project on board. I think that model is what we’ll continue to see moving forward. 

At Level 10, we also don’t print many drawing updates anymore. The only drawing sets we have are pretty much just the permit sets. It’s key to have the most recent version of all the information on hand, whether it’s an RFI or submittal or drawing. I can carry it around on my iPad and in my safety vest.

You just couldn’t do that 20 years ago, right? Instead, everyone would just be working with incomplete information. Now, one person can basically manage to keep the whole set current for the entire team—for 100 or 200 people. 

The concept of reality capture from 360 video walks has also become really beneficial. Companies like OpenSpace, StructionSite, and DroneDeploy allow users to quickly capture current site conditions and share project information with various stakeholders for coordination. Think Google Street View for the jobsite. 

Aside from just doing reality capture, some of these companies use photogrammetry to create 3D models of the site conditions. These can be used for things like soil stockpile quantity tracking and, more recently with OpenSpace, progress tracking of TI trades such as framing and drywalls. At a high level, eventually, you’ll be able to walk through the project and capture 360 video then upload it. The software will take that walk-through video and generate a point cloud, which is a geometrically accurate digital version of the built environment you’re looking at in real life. That point cloud then gets compared to your BIM models and schedule. This will give you percent complete by trade, trade-specific scope items, and how the completion of those items are tracking against the project schedule. That’s something that’s always hard to do on larger projects.

When you think about the future, what are your plans to advance innovation and productivity at Level 10? 

Internally, everyone’s definitely supportive of these things, but part of it is my own internal quest to be better at things because I see it could be better. The owners of our company are all very knowledgeable, and they’ve been doing this for 30, 40 or more years. So, sometimes it’s scary to face questions like, “We’re going to do what? How? We never did it like that. How are you going to do this?” 

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. I constantly ask questions. Don’t be afraid to be the idiot in the room. Raise your hand…understand why you’re doing things. Don’t just do things because someone told you to.

Right now we’re tracking layout with a Dusty Robotics Field Printer robot, using all of our coordinated BIM models and shop drawings. The framers are going to do a Level of Detail (LOD) 350 model in Revit and coordinate with all the MEPs. The grand plan is to export all that information into a single layout file. Each trade will still be responsible for their own layouts, but the bulk of the layout will be exported by trade, given to Dusty, consolidated into a single layout file and multi-trade layout completed through Dusty Robotics Field Printer. 

For example, rough openings in walls, bottom track locations, drops for lights, etc., you stack it all in the system and it lays it out. Some of the framers are already enjoying it and some of the MEPs are already seeing the value in it. It should greatly improve the speed at which a project can complete layout and provide additional opportunities to spot problems before things are built out. We had a demo of it out in the field and it seemed effective.

What advice would you give to the next generation of men and women entering and preparing for the future of the industry?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. I constantly ask questions. Don’t be afraid to be the idiot in the room. Raise your hand and ask questions a lot. You need to understand why you’re doing things. Don’t just do things because someone told you to do them. Figure out why you’re doing it because there’s usually a reason why you’re doing it. If you don’t understand the “why”, it’s not going to click a lot of times. That’s true with anything in life, but you have to ask questions and figure it out. Find the people that are going to support you, help answer those questions, and mentor you. Those are the teams you want to be on and the type of team you want to build.

The post Behind the Build: Interview with Jacob Freitas, Senior Project Manager, Level 10 Construction appeared first on Digital Builder.

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https://www.dennis-construction.com/?p=907

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Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd. is developing a range of construction businesses, not only in single-family house building as seen in TV commercials, but also rental housing, commercial and distribution facilities, medical care, and nursing care facilities. Behind these promising developments is the enthusiasm of young employees and site managers, and the “Digital Construction Project” that supports them. For this issue, we interviewed Mr. Kazuaki Ishizawa, General Manager, Yokohama Branch, Kanto Construction Works Division of Daiwa House Industry, and Mr. Yoshinori Shimizu, who is working in Construction Works Department I in the same division. We asked them about the present and future utilization of PlanGrid

Construction Business that Leads Daiwa House Industry

Daiwa House Industry is diversifying its business, from construction to the management of single-family homes, condominiums, commercial and distribution facilities, hotels, and other areas. The Kanto Construction Works Division led by Mr. Kazuaki Ishizawa is in charge of commercial and business facilities, which means that it engages primarily in the construction of distribution facilities, stores, elderly care facilities, and hospitals. It is one of the leading divisions within Daiwa House Industry. The huge number of construction units underlies the strong performance of this division.

“As far as I know, when compared with other construction companies, our company constructs a huge number of buildings. I think one of the reasons for this is that our contract amount per building is more affordable than other companies. On the other hand, even while constructing a large number of buildings, we ensure that we are always able to deliver consistent quality to our clients.” (Mr. Ishizawa)

In order to consistently deliver high-quality buildings to our clients, it is certainly important that individual workers improve their skill levels through experience. However, from the perspective of the company as a whole, instead of depending on the technical capabilities of individuals, the company believes that the power of digital technology is important in terms of developing technical expertise.

Going forward, in order to continue our successful development as a company, organizational technological capabilities should be emphasized over individual technical abilities. —Mr. Kazuaki Ishizawa

“Going forward, in order to continue our successful development as a company, organizational technological capabilities should be emphasized over individual technical abilities. ‘Digital Construction Project’ started with this concept in mind under the direction of the President and CEO. The use of technology and the standardization of these techniques lie at the heart of this project.” (Mr. Ishizawa)

Autodesk, with whom Daiwa House Industry maintains a strategic partnership, introduced PlanGrid to Mr. Ishizawa, who was assigned as a project member, as one solution to promote the digitalization of construction sites. Mr. Ishizawa’s impression of PlanGrid was that it seemed to be “a very promising and deep solution.”

“PlanGrid enables us to inspect and check the site, store the site conditions, and immediately share and view the necessary information with all the concerned parties. Furthermore, it enables us to send necessary information to the people in charge both in and outside the company in a timely fashion. I immediately felt that these functions could be applied to a wide variety of jobs.” (Mr. Ishizawa)

Leading to the improvement of future building quality

Mr. Ishizawa initially thought about using PlanGrid to perform completion inspections, which are carried out before a building is handed over to the client. While learning more about PlanGrid, however, he realized that it might not only be useful for quality inspections of completed buildings, but also for overall quality checks, which include checking and recording site conditions obtained from safety inspections and patrols.

“Of course, such inspection operations are routinely conducted. However, each inspection operation has sheets in different formats and is conducted by different departments/sections. I thought that all of these differing formats and data collected by different departments/sections might be able to be coordinated in using PlanGrid.” (Mr. Ishizawa)

Mr. Ishizawa then instructed several members including Mr. Yoshinori Shimizu of the Kanto Construction Works Division to start initiatives for the practical utilization and the introduction of PlanGrid into sites in cooperation with Autodesk. Mr. Shimizu, who is working as site manager, says that he saw the immense potential of PlanGrid from the moment he was introduced to it.

“When using conventional paper documents, sharing information and decision-making took a long time. With PlanGrid, on the other hand, we can share information about the root causes of defects or other findings very easily and quickly if we have a tablet on a site.” (Mr. Shimizu)

When inputting data for the first time using PlanGrid, he realized that PlanGrid would help in on-site decision-making and improve work efficiency, and that it would possibly result in a substantial reduction of time and labor.

“The knowledge of the engineers working on their respective sites will be gathered and stored in PlanGrid, and by doing so, such data can be used effectively in the future.” (Mr. Shimizu)

By utilizing PlanGrid in practice, Mr. Shimizu realized a number of other advantages. He noticed its “usability” at construction sites where people are extremely busy.

“For example, without going to all the trouble of preparing an inspection sheet, the preparations for inspections and safety/site patrols can be completed by inserting a single drawing into PlanGrid. I only need to visit the site and input the site information and photos in the stamps that are on PlanGrid. I do not need to go to the trouble of returning to my office to compile the sheet, and I can finish the work on site. Photos taken on your smart phone can be uploaded immediately. Just by placing the photos in their proper positions on the drawing, there is no longer any needs to send an e-mail to someone else. All the project members can share this information immediately.” (Mr. Shimizu)

Through the introduction of PlanGrid, workers can easily find whether a task has already been finished or is still in progress simply by checking the stamp. They can uniformly manage tasks such as site patrols and safety checks, which would normally require a number of different people to visit the site. Furthermore, there is no need to visit the site; instead, they can check the tasks from the office, meaning that work efficiency will dramatically increase, which will also lead to a drastic improvement in the quality of construction.

“The fact that we can share findings, technical information and prevent problems in advance is significant. This will lead to improvements not only in near-term performance but also in future building quality, which today’s young employees will provide.” (Mr. Shimizu)

Utilization of PlanGrid is an investment in the future

The range of uses of PlanGrid is continually expanding. At present, PlanGrid is being promoted for use not only in safety patrols and a variety of inspections, but also for use during pre-construction site investigations.

“Before a site manager is assigned, a supervisor conducts a site investigation. The supervisor investigates the access of vehicles, the conditions of neighboring buildings and surrounding fences, and the infrastructure. I had the idea that PlanGrid might also be useful during such investigations, and therefore, I asked Shimizu to customize PlanGrid so that not only site managers but also supervisors would be able to use it effectively. Preparations for this application of PlanGrid have already begun.” (Mr. Ishizawa)

At present, Mr. Shimizu is heading up the widening use of PlanGrid, and the number of PlanGrid users is continually increasing. However, Mr. Ishizawa is not satisfied with the current state. Mr. Ishizawa hopes for a time when everyone on site will be able to use PlanGrid and will continue steady efforts toward that goal.

“At present, all the members who have a relatively high level of technological knowledge are tackling how to utilize PlanGrid; however, enabling this technology to reach all employees is our next challenge. I think it is necessary that this technology be used by a larger number of workers.” (Mr. Ishizawa)

By gathering and storing the knowledge of different people [in PlanGrid], younger or less experienced site managers can refer to this information easily by searching for a keyword, allowing them to deal with problems quickly on-site. —Mr. Yoshinori Shimizu

According to Mr. Ishizawa, he set a target for the branch offices he manages in Kanagawa, Chiba and Ibaraki Prefectures and made at least two people in each office use PlanGrid on-site. They also have opportunities to share opinions with other members.

“If members who use PlanGrid on the site steadily continue to share their experience with other members, the use of this technology will spread quickly across the company. I am currently working with Autodesk to promote the general use of PlanGrid across the company.” (Mr. Ishizawa)

Mr. Shimizu says that customization (preparation) will be essential to develop the use of PlanGrid horizontally across construction sites.

“We will thoroughly customize PlanGrid so that it will become very simple to use. At first, we will try to reach a level where everyone feels that ‘a job can be completed using only the tools on hand’. By gathering and storing the knowledge of different people, younger or less experienced site managers can refer to this information easily by searching for a keyword, allowing them to deal with problems quickly on-site. Used in this way, the value of PlanGrid will be easily understood by the workers on-site.” (Mr. Shimizu)

Mr. Ishizawa says that he thinks that the utilization of PlanGrid is an investment for the future.

“Up until now, the output differs depending on the person in charge, and this has been covered by the whole staff to maintain a consistent level of quality. Going forward, I am sure that by continuing to accumulate data in the cloud, integrating that data and drawing on it as information, we will definitely be able to increase not only quality stability, but further increase the quality level of staff.” (Mr. Ishizawa)

On the other hand, while Mr. Ishizawa admitted that there are concerns about the future role of technical skills in the construction industry, he says that balancing technology and human skills is the key to moving forward.

“The technical skills that are learned by sweating over your work on-site and by sharing experiences with other skilled construction workers are also very important, because we work with people. We may be able to create a good product using digital technologies, however, we cannot establish a trusting relationship without skilled construction workers. I think that only our people who worked on sites while using digital technology are in the end able to communicate accurately with skilled construction workers. While teaching PlanGrid is important, we should not neglect other kinds of teaching. I do not believe that the Japanese construction industry will completely change in the next five to ten years. However, I hope that the generation following Shimizu will be able to work more easily and enjoyably, while at the same time carrying out consistently high-quality work for our clients. I am engaging in this challenge with considering such thoughts.” (Mr. Ishizawa)

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瞬時に共有可能な現場の知見を蓄積することで、まだ見ぬ未来の建物の品質を担保する

ＴＶコマーシャルでおなじみの戸建住宅のみならず、賃貸住宅や商業施設・物流施設、医療・介護施設など、多様な建築事業を展開する大和ハウス工業。その好調の裏には、若手・現場所長たちの情熱と、それを下支えする「デジタル・コンストラクション・プロジェクト」の存在がありました。今回は同社横浜支社関東工事部統括部長である石澤一晃氏と同部工事第一部で活躍する清水慶典氏にインタビュー。PlanGrid活用の現在と未来についてうかがいました。

大和ハウス工業を牽引する建築事業

戸建住宅や分譲マンション、商業・物流施設、ホテルなどの建設から運営まで事業の多角化を進める大和ハウス工業。石澤一晃氏が率いる関東工事部は、商業施設部門・事業施設部門、すなわち物流施設や店舗、高齢者施設などのビルの建設を手掛ける部門。現在の大和ハウス工業を牽引する事業部門のひとつです。その好調要因を支えているのが、圧倒的な建設戸数だといいます。

「恐らくどの建設会社と比べても、圧倒的な棟数を建設しています。他社に比べて1棟あたりの受注金額が安価であるという点が理由の一つとしてあげられると思いますが、裏を返せば棟数をこなしつつ、いつでも安定した品質をお客様に提供するための努力を重ねているということでもあります」（石澤氏）。

安定的に高品質な建物をお客様に提供するためには、個人が経験を積んでレベルを上げることが重要だという意見もあるのは確か。しかし会社全体として考えると、個人が持っている技術力に頼るのではなく、デジタルの力を重要な技術力のひとつとして捉えたといいます。

「むしろこれからは、会社として成功や発展を続けるために、個人の技術力よりも組織的な技術力の方が重要視されるべきです。そうした考えの元、社長の肝煎りでスタートしたのが『デジタル・コンストラクション・プロジェクト』です。テクノロジーの力を活用して技術を標準化するという考えが根底にあります」（石澤氏）。

そのプロジェクト・メンバーとしてアサインされた石澤氏は、会社として戦略的パートナーシップを結んでいるAutodeskから、施工現場のデジタル化を推進するソリューションの一つとしてPlanGridの紹介を受けました。“とても未来のある、奥の深いソリューション”という印象を受けたといいます。

「現地を確認・チェックして、その状態を保存する、それを関係者全員ですぐに必要な情報を共有して見ることができる。さらには、タイムリーに社外や社内の担当者に必要な情報を発信できるという一連の機能が、様々な業務で応用できると直感的に感じました」（石澤氏）。

将来の建物の品質向上にも繋がっている

当初はPlanGridを、お客様に引き渡す前に実施する竣工検査に活用しようと考えていた石澤氏。ところが説明を聞いているうちに、完成した建物の品質検査もさることながら、安全の検査やパトロールなど、現場を確認し、記録を残すという、もっと大きな意味でのクオリティチェックに活用できるのではないかという発想になったといいます。

「もちろん、従来もそういった点検業務は実施されていました。しかし、各々の作業によってフォーマットが異なる帳票があり、担当部署も違う。今までは部署ごとにバラバラだった帳票やデータを、PlanGridを用いることで連携させていくができるのではないかと思います」（石澤氏）。

そこで石澤氏は、同じく関東工事部のメンバーである清水慶典氏を含む数人のメンバーに指示。Autodeskと共に、実用化、および現場浸透に向けての取り組みを開始。現場所長として活躍する清水氏は、PlanGridに出会った瞬間から、その可能性を感じ取ったといいます。

「従来の紙の帳票による運用では、担当者が持っている情報の共有や意思決定が決してスピーディーには行われてはいませんでした。ところがPlanGridであれば、現場にタブレットさえあれば非常に簡単に、しかも即時で、不具合の根本原因や指摘事項などの情報共有が可能となります」（清水氏）

初めてPlanGridを使って入力した時点で、現場における意思決定の一助となり、業務効率が上がる。時間や労力の大幅な削減に繋がる可能性があると実感したといいます。

「そして何よりも、それぞれの現場で活躍する技術者たちが持つ知見をPlanGridに集約し、蓄積することで、今後、そうしたデータを未来に活かすことができるのではないかと感じました」（清水氏）

実際に活用してみると、さらに様々なメリットを実感したという清水氏。多忙を極める現場の最前線における“使い勝手の良さ”に注目します。

「例えば、帳票をわざわざ作らなくても、PlanGridに図面を1枚入れれば、それで検査や安全、現場巡視の準備は終了します。現場に赴き、PlanGrid上に存在するスタンプに現地情報や写真などを入れてしまえば、わざわざ事務所に戻って帳票をまとめることもなく、その場で作業を終えることができます。写真もスマートフォンで撮影してすぐにアップロードが可能で、図面の場所に写真を置くだけで、誰かにメールで送る必要もなく、瞬時にプロジェクト・メンバーで情報共有が可能です」（清水氏）

PlanGridを導入することで、その作業が終了しているのか、継続しているのかが、スタンプひとつで見極めることが可能に。現場巡視や安全確認など、従来は複数の担当者が現場に足を運んでいた作業が、PlanGridを介して一元管理できるようになりました。しかもそれが現場に行かなくても、事務所で確認することができるため、業務効率は格段にアップ。それは工事の品質にも大きな影響を及ぼしているといいます。

「やはり、これまでの指摘事項や技術情報を共有し、事前に回避できるようになった点は大きいと思います。それは目先の成果だけでなく、現在の若年層が担っていく、将来の建物の品質向上にも間違いなく繋がっていくと思います」（清水氏）

PlanGridの活用は未来への投資

PlanGridの活用アイデアはさらに広がりを見せています。現在は、安全パトロールや様々な検査においてはもちろん、工事を実施する前段階の現地調査においても活用を進めています。

「現場所長が配属される前段階において、管理職による現場調査が行われます。車の乗り入れや隣の建物、周りの塀の状況やインフラなどの調査をしますが、それもPlanGridでできるのではないかと考えました。ですから、現場管理者だけでなく管理職も使いこなせるようカスタマイズしてほしいと、清水に依頼して運用準備を始めているところです」（石澤氏）

現在は、清水氏を中心に普及活動が進められ、PlanGridを活用する人員が増えつつある状況ですが、石澤氏は満足していません。石澤氏が目指すのは、現場の誰もがPlanGridを活用できる世界、そのために地道な取り組みを続けていくといいます。

「今はテクノロジーに対する知識レベルが比較的高いメンバーが取り組んでいますが、現場の担当者全員に普及したときにどうなるのかというのは、これからの課題です。まずはより多くの人財にこのテクノロジーに触れてもらうことが必要だと思っています」（石澤氏）

石澤氏が管掌する神奈川県、千葉県、茨城県の各事業所には目標を設定し、事業所内で必ず最低2人にPlanGridを実際に現場で使ってもらい、意見を共有する機会を持っているといいます。

「チャレンジしたメンバーが他のメンバーに広めていくという活動を地道に続けていけば、やがて会社全体に浸透していきます。そこは現在、Autodesk様と一緒になって考えながら進めている段階です」（石澤氏）

現場に水平展開するためには、カスタマイズ（下準備）が必須だと清水氏は言います。

「とにかく簡単に使えるよう徹底的にカスタマイズしていきます。まずは“そこにあるものを使うだけで、簡単にできる”と誰もが感じるようなレベルに持っていきます。色々な人の知識を収集し蓄積することで、若い現場管理者や経験の少ない現場管理者が、そのキーワードを選ぶだけで指摘事項を閲覧。現場ですぐに対処ができるようになれば、目に見える効果として、その価値を現場に理解してもらえるようになると思います」（清水氏）

そして石澤氏は、PlanGridの活用は未来への投資だと考えているといいます。

「これまでは、担当者によってアウトプットの違いがあり、それを皆でカバーして品質を保ってきました。これからは、クラウドにデータを蓄積し、繋ぎ、情報として引き出すということをくり返すことによって品質の安定化、いや品質が安定するとともに、担当者のレベルが高くなることは間違いありません」（石澤氏）

その一方で、“建設業界の技術力は本当にそれでいいのか”という懸念もあるというが、テクノロジーとヒューマニズムの両立がカギになるといいます。

「現場で汗水たらして建設技能労働者と様々なことを共有しながら身に付ける技術力もとても重要です。なぜなら、私たちは人と仕事をしています。デジタルで良品は作れるかもしれませんが、建設技能労働者たちとの信頼を作ることはできません。デジタルを駆使しながら現場でたたき上げられた人間こそが、結局、建設技能労働者とのコミュニケーションも正確に取れるのだと思います。PlanGridの指導も重要ですが、それ以外の指導もおろそかにできません。5年～10年という期間で日本の建設業が180度様変わりするとは思っていませんが、いずれ清水の後輩たちが楽になる、楽しく仕事をしながらお客様に価値を提供できるようになると期待しながら、今は取り組んでいます」（石澤氏）

The post Ensuring the High Quality of Future Buildings by Accumulating Instantly Shareable Site Knowledge appeared first on Digital Builder.

One of the keys to effective technology adoption is a strong partnership with your tech provider. While the quality of technology is certainly important, you should also consider that company’s commitment to ensuring your success.

At the end of the day, successful technological deployment goes beyond savviness. It hinges on the strength of your relationships with your technology vendors and the quality of those partnerships. No one knows this better than Daniel Charest, Project Executive at J. Calnan & Associates. As someone who’s been working in the construction management realm for over 20 years, Daniel knows firsthand how essential technology partners are.  Specifically, how having the right tech partner helps ensures the firm’s long-term success.

We recently caught up with Daniel and chatted about his journey to becoming a Project Executive. Check out what he has to say below.

Tell us a little bit about J.Calnan and Associates and what you specialize in.

Calnan and Associates (JC&A) is a New England-based firm that provides construction management services. We’ve been around for over two decades now, and we’re celebrating our 25th anniversary in September. We’re in the commercial construction business and our primary focus is in the corporate and the life science marketplaces. We’re fortunate to be well-seeded for a lot of new opportunities in our 25th year.

Walk us through your career. What led you to becoming Project Executive?

I graduated from Wentworth Institute of Technology in 2003 with a degree in Construction Management.

Over the course of my time there, I had co-opped at a couple of different construction companies, but predominantly at a firm that’s no longer around. And while I was there, I got to meet some really awesome individuals. I met my boss and mentor, Steve Robak, along with some others who are also here at JC&A. So, I’ve been working with Steve now for 20 plus years, and I’ve been at JC&A for nearly 17 years.

Steve and I work well together. He is Executive Vice President and Partner at JC&A and an excellent leader and guide. He’s helped me find some really awesome opportunities within the organization.  Many of these opportunities challenged me as a young construction professional to set up and help add detail and focus to the then-young JC&A.  One of these areas include the formation of our Technology Committee and later focus groups like our PlanGrid Build team that help train and leverage the power of technology across the organization.

I started at JC&A as an Assistant Project Manager then worked my way up to Project Manager, two to three years in. From there, I moved up to Senior Project Manager for a while. I’m now a Project Executive, and I’ve had this role for over five years with many successful projects including Bioverativ and Olympus SSA, Lifoam, Smith & Nephew and two major robotics projects in the metro Boston area; most notably Boston Dynamics new Headquarters in Waltham, MA.

s construction evolves, how do you see the role of Project Executive changing?

The way we work and function today is a little bit different than when I first got into the role. When I started as Project Executive, I was transitioning from being a senior PM and still doing a lot of that project management function. I still act in this function today, and have the ability to shift between the various ends of the PX role as the projects and client needs call for, which keeps my day interesting. I enjoy the nimbleness and the autonomy of my role, so compared to others, I might be considered more hands-on.

One of the projects that I’m gearing up for right now is our largest job ever. It’s a core shell life science building that is currently scheduled for completion in the latter half of 2023.  We’re also working with some large, well-known household brands and retailers in developing their portfolio around the Metro-Boston area. All of these projects offer many new challenges for JC&A and my role as a PX to adapt our project teams to a larger project mindset for these opportunities.  Everyday is truly a new day, which helps keep things interesting for sure.

A common denominator across all these  projects is they are very, very demanding. So, I see the role of the Project Executive as one that’s sitting at the intersection of the client and subcontractor relationships.  On any day, within minutes, I have the chance to speak with great people representing both sides of the project team. It’s a really fascinating dynamic.

And at the same time, it’s also about saying, “Hey, we’ve got this really cool project. What can we do, as we’re building it, to make ourselves better?”

That’s the mindset that I’ve been working with and continuing to build on. To succeed in this role, we shouldn’t take anything for granted, and we shouldn’t keep doing things just because that’s the way they’ve always been done. We need to strive for continuous improvement.

What project are you most proud of working on in your career? Why?

A number of projects come to mind. I often go back to our first PlanGrid project, which was the Schneider Electric Headquarters. That was a project where I was a senior Project Manager all the way through the entire duration of the project.. That said, I was often acting as a Project Executive, but I didn’t really realize that until I came out of it and looked back. It was our largest project at the time and it’s very cool to have on our resume.

“I was often acting as a Project Executive, but I didn’t really realize that until I came out of out it and looked back.” —Daniel Charest, JC&A

Since then, I’ve faced similar, yet different challenges. We had a national brand hotel project that we’ve built. Upon completing, I moved to the Project Executive role.

I’ve also had a couple of other sizable jobs, some interior fit-outs, but most notably of late was a large robotics client doing the core-shell portion for their headquarters, while another team from our company did the fit-out portion. That one is currently wrapping up over the next month or so.

Another important one is the fore mentioned Boston Dynamics headquarters. That’s my favorite job in recent history. I actually led the team that won that project! We went aggressively into the interview, and our team’s humble approach to the prospective opportunity was the client’s deciding factor in allowing us to earn the work and their trust.

What are the biggest challenges you face in your role? How does technology help you overcome those challenges?

One of the biggest challenges that we struggle with as an industry is communication. And I think the strain that COVID-19 put on our industry provided a unique opportunity for us to embrace technology and enhance our communication practices as time goes on in the JC&A organisation and industry as a whole.

That could be in the form of a Zoom call, or in our case, Microsoft Teams. We actually started implementing Teams even when nobody had a major vision for it yet.  I started using many elements of Teams and the larger benefits of Microsoft 365 before COVID, with decent success, but it was difficult to see what would be needed to help change the mindset around communication protocols.  Then COVID hit, and we were able to figure out pretty quickly how we could use the technology. I had people coming up to me from our IT department, and going, “Man, I’m glad you were pushing Teams out when we did because we were ready for the pandemic.”   We literally discussed over the phone some quick steps to make sure all teammates could use Teams and away we went!

It was a tough period, but we’re definitely much better because of it. Aside from learning to communicate more effectively, our team became stronger working together in a different media. People learned to support one another and realized that we didn’t have to be in the same room to be there for each other.  They even realized their desk line also rang their Teams line too!

When you think about the future, what are your plans to advance innovation and productivity at J. Calnan and Associates?

We’re doing a number of things with photogrammetry right now. We’re exploring it. Our feet are pretty wet in the drone world, as well. We’ve got a couple different drone types and we’ve been working with DroneDeploy. We’re really using that as the broker of the photo data, and rolling that out on some of our larger projects for cost efficiency. We’ve also done some things with HoloBuilder and Structionsite to name a few.

“It’s really exciting to have these nimble tools all in one place.” —Daniel Charest, JC&A

We’re currently using Autodesk Build on a number of projects. It’s still early days, but we’re looking forward to new features and other things in store for the software. Right now, I really like Meeting Minutes in Autodesk Build, as well as some of the insights dashboard features.  It’s really exciting to have these nimble tools, all in one, place and function in a way that is easy for our team to learn these modern software.

All that being said, when it comes to technology adoption, it’s always a beta test for us. We’ll try anything. There are enough young people here in the company that we can talk to—they say, “Hey, this is the next best thing.”

We’ve had some new hires that have experienced other construction management solutions. But they look at PlanGrid and they’re like, “Wow, this is a lot better product.”

It’s clear that Autodesk is leading the way and we’re proud to work so closely with your team.  I think it’s important to drive home how long we’ve been partners with the folks at PlanGrid. We started working with PlanGrid when it had fewer than 20 people, and we’ve been with the company ever since.

A colleague of mine and I both stumbled upon it when we had the iPad and we’re like, “What can we do with this? There’s got to be something we can do with this.” Going through the app store, we found PlanGrid and we said, “Let’s give this a try.”

What advice would you give to the next generation of men and women entering and preparing for the future of the industry?

Don’t be embarrassed or ever give yourself a second thought about asking a question. Whatever the question is, just ask it.

“Don’t be embarassed… Whatever the question is, just ask it.” —Daniel Charest, JC&A

You used to hear teachers say there was never a dumb question, and there really isn’t. Just question and clarify, and make sure you have a clear understanding of something. Make sure you understand what the expectation is, etc. That’s the best way to learn.

The post Behind the Build: Interview with Daniel Charest, Project Executive, J. Calnan & Associates appeared first on Digital Builder.

Get to know the App Gallery

Construction projects are complex. This is often due to various stakeholders using different technology solutions specific to their needs. That’s normal, but this creates problems when decision-makers need to bring together countless, disconnected data points including financial information, scheduling, performance data, and more. 

As such, it’s critical that project teams tightly integrate the many moving parts of a project using a single source of truth. Achieving that lies in how easy it is to connect third-party solutions to your chosen construction platform. The goal, of course, being to make project data readily available when and where decision-makers need it. 

We have good news. The App Gallery in Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) now enables Account Admins to connect ACC with various third-party applications including field management solutions, reality capture apps, AR tools, and more. Currently, the App Gallery supports over 35 different integrations with many more to come.  It also leverages the Forge open platform, letting users experience seamless data flow, so everything—and everyone—stays in sync across the entire project lifecycle. 

Let’s take a closer look at what the App Gallery offers.

 

pp Gallery at a glance

The App Gallery enables Account Admins to:

Find apps that are vetted and approved by Autodesk, to guarantee that they work properly with the platformExtend the capabilities of the construction platform by seamlessly connecting Autodesk Construction Cloud with various third-party applicationsBrowse and discover new or existing applications that can streamline steps and processes across the project lifecycle

 

Key benefits of the App Gallery

Using the App Gallery within ACC allows you and your team to connect data from otherwise disconnected sources. Here’s a look at why the App Gallery is so useful to Account Admins, and the project teams capturing, managing, and using that data.

Simplifies connections to 3rd party solutions 

The App Gallery allows teams to easily set up connections directly from within Autodesk Construction Cloud, so they can get up and running quickly. And since all connections go through a rigorous QA process, you can rest easy knowing that the apps will work perfectly with Autodesk. No more wondering whether or not data points sync. When you’re using the App Gallery, all applications will work like they’re supposed to. 

Improved data quality and collaboration

Teams leveraging these integrations also increase the quality of their data and get a more holistic view of their projects. They’re able to access the necessary information through a single source of truth, so stakeholders are all working from the same information. 

The result? Team members stay on the same page, and through smarter collaboration, project outcomes are significantly improved. 

Seamless integrations also lead to higher quality data. Teams can ensure that they’re using information that’s complete, accurate, and updated, which leads to better reporting and decision-making.

Time savings and control to users

Autodesk’s App Gallery gives you a marketplace of approved apps, so you don’t have to spend too much time researching and vetting applications. You’re able to add, open, deactivate, and uninstall apps with just a few clicks. Plus, the App Gallery is a self-service solution, which means you have control over the management of your solutions. 

Discover and shop around new integrations

The App Gallery gives you the opportunity to discover and shop around for other partner integrations that could streamline your team’s daily work. It puts more apps on your radar and opens you up to new solutions that’ll improve procedures, workflows, and project outcomes.

 

How the App Gallery works

Let’s say a VP of Operations wants to connect Autodesk Construction Cloud to an ERP system so they can see consolidated cost information in a single view.

To do this, they (or whoever has admin access) should simply:

Navigate to the App Gallery Search or browse the various apps until they find the solution they need Select the app they want to use (in this case an ERP system)Click Add to Build, or add to any other Autodesk Construction Cloud software that the app integrates withClick Authorize

Once these steps are complete, the VP will have connected ACC with their ERP system of choice and streamline access to data for all project teams that need it. 

 

Want a demo?

The App Gallery eliminates the hurdles that normally come with finding, vetting, and integrating third-party applications with Autodesk. We work closely with our partners to develop integrations that are practical in function and something team members genuinely want to use. The App Gallery enables you to seamlessly connect the apps you need via powerful integrations to Autodesk Construction Cloud products, ensuring that your data and teams stay in perfect sync. 

To learn more, request a demo or learn more about the App Gallery in our help section.

The post Rapidly Connect Third-Party Apps with Autodesk Construction Cloud appeared first on Digital Builder.

ll eyes are on the next generation.

Over the last three years, new project data has doubled across the industry. As new technologies create more and more data, many firms are struggling to capture, analyze, and manage it all. This problem can have a significant impact on decision-making based on data. In fact, it’s estimated that poor decisions based on poor data may be impacting costs in the global construction industry at upwards of $1.85 trillion. 

The amount of data we create isn’t going to decrease. The big question then is who will manage all of this data? And how? Data management is critical to maintaining a competitive advantage, finishing projects on time, and staying on budget. 

All eyes are on the next generation. These soon-to-be industry-newcomers are acquiring the skills for data management in educational institutions across the world. Below you’ll find highlights from our recent interviews with educators at Birmingham City University (BCU), University College London (UCL), and Technology University Dublin (TU Dublin). They share how today’s educational institutions are building curriculums to prepare students for data-related roles. 

 

How are modern students being taught to use data?

The rooms of today’s undergraduate classrooms are primarily filled with students from Generation Z. These students are considered to be “digital natives” because they grew up with access to digital technology. While their innate familiarity with technology is certainly a plus, it doesn’t always mean they’re naturally equipped with the skills needed for data management. 

Dr. Avril Behan, Director & Dean of the College of Engineering & Built Environment at TU Dublin explains, “While many students are assumed to be digital natives because of their comfort with, in particular, social media and mobile devices, most students actually require support and education in relation to digital skills such as data management, security, data transfer and interoperability, and information visualization and communication.” For that reason, Technology University Dublin builds these competencies into its programs. 

The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction at UCL also recognizes the need to manage the proliferation of data in the construction sector. “Our Master of Science in  Digital Engineering Management program prepares students to be able to manage this exponential growth in data by focusing on both input and output,” shares Dr. Eleni Papadonikolaki, Programme Director of Master of Science Digital Engineering, “namely focusing on both data capturing and cleaning, but also on data analysis and visualization.”

Students must also understand the rationale behind digital transformation and digitized processes. BCU is facing this task head-on by including information systems management strategies into its curriculum. As Dr. Mark Shelbourn, Head of the Department for Built Environment, notes, “this approach incorporates the three key strands: people, process, and technology-related considerations. How data can support these strands is vital for the sector.”

 

Have curriculums been adapted to teach modern data skills?

As both the educational and construction sectors become more digitized, universities are leveraging parent programs to prepare students for this advanced digital world. TU Dublin aligns their programs with its strategic plan of being an agile, technology-enabled, modern university that facilitates learners in an advanced digital world. “At TU Dublin, all of our students embark on a digital-first journey that guides them from their first speculative engagement, through program orientation, into learning and assessment, past graduation, and to become part of a digitally-enabled workforce,”elaborates Dr. Avril Behan.

BCU provides a selection of modules to students as part of its Master of Science Digital Construction program. One of the modules,  “Fundamentals of Data Analytics,” gives students experience with a wide range of data and instructs them on how to use that data to improve processes across different phases and make better-informed decisions. Dr. Mohammad Mayouf explains the benefit of this program, “This is vital if the industry is to optimize the performance of buildings that are in operation to ensure they are meeting the challenges of a sustainable industry. As a result of this module, students will be able to become more strategic thinkers and visualize different situations and scenarios more holistically.”

Students are also being prepared to see digital technology and data work through as a socio-technical construct. Data management skills are essential as soft skills for leadership. UCL factors these needs into its curriculum. “The future generations in the construction sector need to master social and management (or soft) competencies to lead in the sector. We have a balanced curriculum providing our students with both these hard and soft competencies,” shares Dr. Eleni Papadonikolaki, ARB MAPM SFHEA. 

Is workflow optimization being prioritized? If so, how?

Workflow optimization can help increase process efficiency, task automation, visibility, collaboration, and process adoption rates. These benefits all add up to better project outcomes for construction firms. However, mastering workflow optimization isn’t as simple as mastering different software applications. Instead, BCU incorporates digital underlined processes such as BIM and international standards (e.g., ISO 19650) to equip students with industry best practices. 

Students also learn to take an evaluation-based approach toward using technology in a project. This approach begins at level three in the program’s curriculum. “This is progressively employed within our curriculum from levels 3 to 6,” describes Dr. Mohammad Mayouf. “At level 7, students are expected to take project manager roles so they can oversee the entire workflow and make informed decisions accordingly.”

Taking a systematic approach to project management across the entire life cycle of a project provides students with a holistic view of workflow optimization. The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction at UCL takes students from design and planning to handover and beyond to optimize existing workflows. Dr. Eleni Papadonikolaki, ARB MAPM SFHEA, emphasizes, “Revolutionary thinking is paramount for the future of construction as we don’t want to simply digitize existing processes that might be obsolete. Modules such as ‘Engineering the digital thread across life cycle’ and ‘Agile and hybrid project management’ target these exact challenges, turning them into opportunities for change.”

Of course, there are many obstacles that threaten workflow optimization, such as the number of stakeholders involved in typical construction processes and variance in their digital competence. TU Dublin understands that students will likely work with participants operating at all levels of BIM from zero to two or three. To address these challenges, the university focuses on future workflows in its built environment and construction-related programs. Dr. Avril Behan shares, “This includes the use of Autodesk software as part of our strategic partnership, where all stakeholders have sufficient digital capability, both in terms of human and equipment resources, to contribute to, engage in, and exploit fully interoperable, digital, and holistic systems.” The educational institution has also developed specific postgraduate programs in Building Information Modelling & Management and in Digital Construction Analytics / Engineering Analytics for working professionals and recent graduates. 

 

Making the grade: How to master data and analytics

From data management and security to workflow optimization, the newest generation is learning how to succeed in today’s digital construction environment thanks to robust, carefully designed curriculums. That said, enhancing data skills is not exclusive to the up-n-comers, nor should you wait for new employees to understand the impact of data on your own projects. If you’re interested in upskilling your current workforce, we recommend reading 6 Leaders in Construction Share Priority Data Skills to Plan for Now

Knowing how to harness data is critical to informing effective decisions, reducing risk, and increasing profit. In our report, Harnessing the Data Advantage in Construction, we partnered with FMI to survey over 3,900 construction professionals on their data strategies and best practices. Get the report now to discover key insights into mastering data and analytics.

 

The post How Construction Data Skills Are Being Taught in School appeared first on Digital Builder.

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.dennis-construction.com/?p=769

At Autodesk University this month, you probably learned about the power of our platform and the breadth of our construction integrations. You may have heard Jim Lynch, SVP & GM for Autodesk Construction Solutions, share during his Keynote that Autodesk Construction Cloud is “enabling general contractors, specialty contractors and owners to control how their data is accessed, shared and managed at every stage.” He also warned, “if your data isn’t connected, you’re only able to see a fraction of what your business is capable of.”  

Autodesk Construction Cloud is dedicated to delivering integrated workflows, exemplified by the more than 200 partners leveraging Partner Cards and APIs to deliver strong and meaningful integrations for customers who want to simplify data management and make more informed decisions. Many of those partners joined us this year at Autodesk University and hosted insightful and informative sessions for customers to unlock new insights and improve productivity with these integrated workflows and automations.  

Autodesk University content is available until October 29th. Check out these Industry Talks and the Solution Markeplace featuring many of our ecosystem partners and integrations! 

Jump to Industry Talk:

ERP Integrations for Autodesk Construction CloudThe Breadth and Depth of the Autodesk Construction EcosystemHow Strategic Workforce Management Completes More Work with Fewer ResourcesA Hitchhiker’s Guide to ArcGIS GeoBIM and the Construction CloudHow to Automate Repetitive Tasks on BIM 360 to Improve Cloud CollaborationFrom BIM to Fabrication with ForgeDig Deeper into Data with Forge and Digital TwinsUsing Forge to Build Connected and Customized Workflows in BIM 360

Top Industry Talks from Partners at Autodesk University 2021

ERP Integrations for Autodesk Construction Cloud

Speakers: Josh Cheney, Senior Manager of Strategic Alliances at Autodesk – Sophat Sam, Integration Solutions Engineer for Autodesk Construction Cloud – Michael Newland, Director of Product Management, hh2 Cloud Services

We walked through hh2’s integration between Sage CRE 300 and Autodesk Build as well as QuickBooks Online, which integrates with Autodesk Build using Autodesk Construction Cloud Connect. 

The speakers shared what makes the integrations so useful, their availability, and highlighted which ERPs integrate into Autodesk Build’s Cost Management capabilities. Listeners also had the opportunity to connect with some construction-accounting system integrators for deeper learning. 

Watch session >

 

The Breadth and Depth of the Autodesk Construction Ecosystem

Speakers: Anna Lazar, Strategic Alliances & Partnerships at Autodesk – Lauren Lake, Founder & COO at Bridgit – Lisa Kelly, Executive Director at EarthCam – Lambros Kaliakatsos, Founder & CEO at Plexscape

Autodesk has firmly committed to an open integration ecosystem to help construction firms collaborate and drive efficiency. As a result, technology partners offer over 200 direct integrations and Autodesk Construction Cloud Connect powers hundreds of possible custom integration workflows. Listen to our key partners across industries such as mixed reality, reality capture, financials and budget planning, data and analytics, site and safety management, and more. 

Watch session >

 

How Strategic Workforce Management Completes More Work with Fewer Resources 

Speaker: Lauren Lake, Founder & COO at Bridgit

With only 80% of the 1 million construction workers who lost their jobs at the start of lockdown returning to work in construction, contractors feel the effect of the labor shortage now more than ever. Whether it’s improving the information sharing or focusing on data-driven decision making, many contractors are asking “How can we do more work with less resources?” 

This conversation covered: 

Building stronger project teams using insights into your workforce  Tracking project data to improve bidding and project management How to avoid cost overruns by managing resources effectively Moving from segregated information silos to centralized real-time trusted data 

Watch session >

 

Hitchhiker’s Guide to ArcGIS GeoBIM and the Construction Cloud

Speakers: Anthony Renteria, Product Manager at ESRI – Stephen Brockwell, Sr Product Owner at ESRI

Get on the road to cloud-cloud integration between geographic information system (GIS) and BIM (Building Information Modeling) with ArcGIS GeoBIM and Autodesk Construction Cloud software. This instructional demo showcased customer examples of the benefits gained from the fusion of geography and BIM data for project portfolio management, collaboration, and construction project insights informed by geography. 

By following best practices for geolocating intelligent models, AutoCAD software, AutoCAD Civil 3D software, and Revit software, users can help ensure effective integration of these models in GIS. This reduces the cost of integration by ensuring upfront data quality. To facilitate this, ArcGIS GeoBIM provideds analytics to identify documents with geolocation errors. Managing and visualization issues during the design, construction, and handover of BIM projects is crucial for financial and operational performance.  

Speakers showed how the integration of GIS and BIM with project and issue performance dashboards significantly improves insights into these critical aspects of project management. 

Watch session >

 

How to Automate Repetitive Tasks on BIM 360 to Improve Cloud Collaboration

Speaker: Juan Tena Florez, Regional Digital Design Manager at KEO International Consultants

BIM 360 and Autodesk Construction Cloud connects teams and data in real time, empowering project members to anticipate, optimize, and manage all aspects of project performance in a cloud-based platform.  

To provide even more flexibility and capability, the software is built on the Forge platform, which can assist anyone with customization or automation of certain tasks that are not built on the platform by default. In this class, we demonstrated different tools and workflows that can automate some of the most tedious and repetitive manual tasks.  

You will also learn how to integrate the software with other platforms such as Microsoft Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Dropbox—or with files on premises—and more. 

Watch session >

 

From BIM to Fabrication with Forge

Speakers: Amy Marks, VP of Industrialized Construction at Autodesk – Az Jasat, Industry Manager of Industrialized Construction at Autodesk – Brian Nickel, Co-owner at AlliedBIM – Britton Langdon, CEO at MSUITE

Leveraging BIM and automation can dramatically reduce fabrication costs and time—allowing you to do more in less time and with less waste. The convergence of construction and manufacturing is happening right now, giving you tools you need to deliver projects faster, with higher quality, efficiency, and safety.  

In this session, speakers shared how Autodesk partners Allied BIM and MSUITE use Forge to marry BIM to machine automation to power new fabrication automation tools and services; and are developing techniques that can be applied across many processes and industries. 

Watch session >

 

Dig Deeper into Data with Forge and Digital Twins

Speakers: Jessica Di Zio, Sr. Product Manger at Autodesk – Michael Beale, Software Developer Advocate at Autodesk – Mani Golparvar, CTO & Co-Founder at Reconstruct Inc. – Shawn Weekly,Principal at Southern Company – Cindy Baldwi, President at VDCO Tech – Anand Desai, Sr Capital Project Manager at Accenture- Adeel Ali, Data Specialist at Accenture

Digital twins are digital replicas of physical assets—a bridge between the physical and virtual worlds. Combining real-time data from multiple sources (including your design data) with a 3D interactive model can help you generate greater insights into your project—leading to performance improvements at all phases of the project lifecycle. In this session, you’ll hear from three companies that are using Forge to power their digital twins. They’ll talk you through why they needed to create a digital twin, and how they achieved it with Forge. 

Watch session >

 

Using Forge to Build Connected and Customized Workflows in BIM 360

Speaker: Matt Anderle, BIM Director at AECOM

Forge enables companies to connect data and processes, build custom integrations, and streamline workflows to extend Autodesk product capabilities. Enterprise customers can elevate the ROI of BIM 360 software to the next level by maximizing Forge web services that come with BIM 360 subscriptions. 

In this session, AECOM shared innovations and stories about how the firm uses Forge to connect BIM 360 with company-specific project administration workflows in a large enterprise environment. You’ll also learn how they optimize the design collaboration, review, and submittal processes for project teams. You will get a better understanding of what’s available in and applicable from Forge to BIM 360 and gain inspiration for driving business value with models and data. 

Watch session >

 

Check out the Solution Marketplace

Lots of viewers met our partners during live demo sessions where they connected directly with our attendees to answer questions and show off their products and integrations with Autodesk Construction Cloud.  

You can find all these partners and other integration partners in our Solution Marketplace. Must be logged in to view. Be sure to check out: 

Applied SoftwareArkioBridgitCintooDocuSignDroneDeployEagle Point SoftwareEarthCamEsriEyrushh2 Cloud ServicesHoloBuilderGoFormzGTP STRATUSIdeate SoftwareIMAGINiT TechnologiesJoinLeica GeosystemsLinxupMilwaukee ToolsMicrodeskMSUITEMultivistaNewformaNewmetrixProjectReadyTopcon SolutionsThe WildUnityXinaps

The post Autodesk Partners Dive Into Top Construction Technologies at AU2021 appeared first on Digital Builder.

On the heels of Autodesk University, including dozens of engaging sessions from industry-leaders about the importance of data, the term “platform” came up often. But what does that concept really mean? A true platform is more than just a list of APIs connected to a SaaS solution. It provides a single experience where designers, engineers, and builders can harness the data and tools they need whenever and wherever they need them.

So, how can you ensure you’re getting a true platform experience? We cover top takeaways from the podcast below, including how to evaluate construction platforms and technology, and what to expect from data and digitization in the future.

Jim Lynch, Senior Vice President & General Manager, and Sid Haksar, Head of Construction Strategy, both with Autodesk, join the show to answer that question. Plus, they share pivotal moments from Autodesk University, discuss how to evaluate platforms and construction technology to ensure alignment to your business needs, and offer predictions on where construction is heading.

“The fact of the matter is that almost every SaaS product today has APIs that let you exchange data with other applications; but a true platform really plays a more active role in coordinating how products work together.” —Jim Lynch, SVP & GM, Autodesk Construction Solutions

New Episodes Every Two Weeks

Digital Builder is hosted by me, Eric Thomas. Remember, new episodes of Digital Builder go live every two weeks. You can hear more episodes like this one by subscribing to Digital Builder on Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

You can also subscribe to our email list with the form below so you’re the first to hear when new episodes are released:

How to evaluate construction platforms and technology (5 considerations)

A key point of discussion in this episode is the importance of platforms in modern construction, and how AEC professionals can evaluate solutions that best fit their needs. As you’ll learn below, Jim and Sid both share actionable steps to help you do just that.

But before we get to those tips, it’s worth defining what a platform actually is.

“Everybody talks about platforms and there are many out there that seem to think that just because they have APIs, they have a platform,” says Jim.

However, an open API doesn’t necessarily mean that the provider offers a solid platform.

“The fact of the matter is that almost every SaaS product today has APIs that let you exchange data with other applications; but a true platform really plays a more active role in coordinating how products work together.”

Jim continues, “A true platform ensures that data flows seamlessly and bidirectionally across all the capabilities in that platform.”

Sid agrees and adds that those using solid platforms have a more seamless and powerful experience, as it enables “high fidelity connections across teams, workflows, and data.”

So, how can construction professionals ensure that they implement a true platform? Jim and Sid recommend the following steps to help you find and evaluate vendors and solutions for your business.

1. Make sure you know where data is stored and who has access

Getting a proper handle on construction data is essential for every firm. You need to have accurate and up-to-date information in order to execute on your projects. Data is also critical for measuring success and making business decisions.

For this reason, data must be the first factor you consider when evaluating solutions.

According to Jim, a good platform centralizes your data and makes it easy for teams to collaborate.

“Some solutions limit access to the data. They only allow the license holder to have complete control and ownership of that data.” —Jim Lynch, SVP & GM

“Having a single source of truth is paramount. It is a core pillar in the strategy of really creating ways for companies to work from the same documents while respecting the data ownership aspects of it.”

Speaking of which, ownership and accessibility of information should also be considered, says Jim.

“Some solutions limit access to the data,” he warns. “They only allow the license holder to have complete control and ownership of that data.”

PRO TIP

Before getting too far along with a technology provider, make sure you’ve asked them about how their platform handles data and how you and your team can access the necessary information.

2. Discuss how the technology provider defines the project lifecycle

“A true construction platform supports the entire project lifecycle—from design, through reconstruction, out to the job site, out to operations and maintenance,” states Jim. That’s why the question of how a vendor defines the project is really important.

If a vendor’s software only supports a single phase of the project, then it’s not truly a platform.

“I think a lot of providers define a construction project from the point they start on the project site, ending when they push it to operations and maintenance. But that’s not a real platform, that’s a point solution,” he explains.

3. Ask about the solution provider’s customer success and training initiatives

In today’s increasingly competitive and complex construction landscape, you don’t want just any vendor on your side. You need a partner who’ll support you and your team throughout all your projects.

Jim says that before selecting a technology provider, you need to ask them about the customer support, training, and resources they provide.

“Do they have the expertise and skillset to support you? Do they have the teams necessary to really help you adopt, embrace, and in fact, get the most from your technology investment?”

These are just some of the questions that you should ask, he says.

The key is to find a vendor who can support your entire business, not one that’s focused on how fast they can deploy their technology and quickly move on to another customer. The right vendor is there, “to help you take advantage of and collaborate better with the design team, with the team on the job site, with the pre-construction office, and ultimately, with the owner of the project.”

4. Explore their ecosystem of partners and integrations

The next step is to look into the other companies and providers that the vendor works with, and explore the depth of their partnerships.

Bear in mind that not all integrations are created equal. As Sid puts it, “Having partner logos on a website does not really mean much if those integrations are weak and limit the customer’s ability to utilize their existing solutions in an efficient and seamless manner.”

He adds that weak integrations that lack data interoperability and require manual processes “can ultimately lead to greater risk on a project.”

As such, properly vetting the vendor’s integrations and figuring out exactly what information is synced will lead to smarter decisions on which solution providers to choose. Autodesk, for instance, has deep integrations with the industry’s top solutions and also makes it easy for users to create flexible integrations through ACC Connect.

“One of the exciting pieces of news that we announced at AU was that we now have over 200+ integrations leveraging both forge and partner cards,” shares Sid.

“We also have ACC Connect, which enables customers to build their own custom integrations over 100 workflows that we offer, in a no-code environment.”

5. Talk about their pricing model

It’s best to go with a vendor that offers flexible licensing. The best solutions don’t limit the way the customer can purchase technology.

As Sid points out, “being a platform comes with a lot of responsibility to customers. We are essentially asking companies to standardize their core processes on one platform.”

“Construction professionals need to ask if these platforms really offer flexibility in how they can purchase software, rather than deploying a one-size-fits-all approach.” —Sid Harska, Head of Construction Strategy

“To that end, construction professionals need to ask if these platforms really offer flexibility in how they can purchase software, rather than deploying a one-size-fits-all approach.”

Sid adds that you should also determine if the vendor has price certainty so you’re not left with uncomfortable surprises during the terms of your contract.

“In listening to the industry and our customers, [Autodesk] offers multiple ways for people to consume our offerings, whether it’s user-based or account-based. We also strive to offer price certainty and really be a partner to them,” he shares.

The importance of data, digitization, and the future of construction technology

When asked about the future of construction, Jim and Sid both agreed on the importance of data.

The most successful firms will be the ones who can effectively manage and harness the data that they have—something that many companies are struggling to achieve. According to a recent study by Autodesk and FMI, the majority of construction teams don’t have a formal data strategy in place—and many don’t trust the data they do have available.

Data management is clearly a challenge that we must overcome, and the first step in doing that is to digitize systems and processes.

“Embrace digital technology to capture project information from early on in the project through to handover and operations.” —Jim Lynch, SVP & GM

Jim encourages teams to “apply or embrace digital technology to capture project information from early on in the project through to handover and operations.” Taking this step, he says, enables you to amass digital information, which you can integrate into your project management and financial systems.

“This then leads to the optimization stage, the idea of actually using technologies like machine learning to be able to look back at that information, extract key insights, extract key learnings, and drive better outcomes on future projects.”

In line with this, Sid points out the value of standardization

“Getting access to the data is exceedingly challenging, and it’s really a prerequisite in order for companies to start driving actionable insights from that information,” he remarks.

“I would say standardizing on an open and integrated platform enables that first part of the journey in capturing data in one place. Then subsequent to that is really the ability to surface information in a highly consumable manner so you can make appropriate business decisions.”

The bottom line: data and digitization are the future of construction. The sooner you organize and manage these components in your business, the better positioned you’ll be in the market.

Listen to the Full Episode of Digital Builder

Can’t get enough of platforms, data, and construction tech? Catch the full episode of Digital Builder to hear more from Jim and Sid. You can listen to it on:

Apple PodcastsSpotifyStitcherGoogle Podcastsor wherever you listen to podcasts.

The post Digital Builder Ep. 20: Evaluating Construction Platforms and Technology appeared first on Digital Builder.