Maximize Your Productivity: 7 Ways Cloud Collaboration Helps Civil Engineers Deliver Infrastructure Projects Faster

Transcription

1 Maximize Your Productivity: 7 Ways Cloud Collaboration Helps Civil Engineers Deliver Infrastructure Projects Faster 1 1

2 Contents Fast-paced projects and large teams demand improved productivity 3 Traditional ways of working drain productivity 4 1: Centralized all-team access to project information 7 2: Streamlined project coordination and scheduling 7 3: Reduced need for paper prints 8 4: Anytime, anywhere access 9 5: Spend less time translating and coordinating files 10 6: Capture comments more quickly and easily 10 7: Streamline file storage and sharing 11 Get started now

3 Fast-paced projects and large teams demand improved productivity Adapt and succeed The pace of infrastructure projects keeps increasing. As teams need to account for progressively complex planning and permitting, the number of participants and stakeholders seems to grow from one project to the next. Multiple engineering and environmental specialists must weigh in on even relatively small projects. This requires a level of collaboration and coordination that adds time and effort. But design budgets aren t necessarily growing. As a result, civil engineering firms and other project participants find that their resources are stretched far too thin. A productivity boost would hugely impact the bottom line for many infrastructure project participants. Yet, as compared to just a few years ago, people are working more efficiently thanks to more integrated workflows. Take design as an example. Many civil engineers use Building Information Modeling (BIM) processes and tools. According to a 2017 SmartMarket Report survey from Dodge Data and Analytics, 52% of civil engineering firms report using BIM on more than half their projects, with just 20% reporting that level of use in [1] Of those survey respondents using BIM, 87% say they receive positive value from BIM, with a majority also reporting that they have only begun to unlock its full potential. The 2017 SmartMarket Report from Dodge Data and Analytics referenced above also found that users attributed a wide-array of benefits to BIM, including fewer errors, less rework, and greater cost predictability. BIM s ability to improve cross-team collaboration and coordination are at the root of many of these benefits. But even as collaboration is improving on civil projects, teams still rely heavily on traditional ways of interacting, such as phone, , and in-person meetings. These ways of collaborating may be limiting productivity, especially when project team members are in different offices and sometimes in different countries. It s time to upgrade to a more efficient way of working: cloud-based collaboration. In this white paper, we ll explore some of the top sources of inefficiency on infrastructure projects. Then, the paper highlights seven ways that cloud-based workflows eliminate process inefficiencies and open the door to higher levels of productivity 67% of engineers across disciplines reporting BIM implementation in The American Society of Civil Engineers published its 20-year vision for the profession in 2006.[2] The report seemed to anticipate many of the technologies, such as cloud, impacting the profession today. Linking success to adaptability, engineering leaders highlighted the professional skills civil engineers will need to thrive. They include: Rapid mastery of new technology Agile collaboration with multidisciplinary teams, including virtual teams Proactive project management that advances projects within budgets, schedules, and other constraints Those are just three of the skills highlighted, but cloud-based collaboration can further each one. 3 3

4 Traditional ways of working drain productivity Infrastructure project teams, especially on major projects, often require contributions from multiple specialties and people based at different firms. So coordination and collaboration play significant roles in project delivery. But traditional ways of collaborating and coordinating may be limiting productivity and negatively impacting project profitability. Consider how you usually collaborate and coordinate. You probably rely on meetings, discussions with peers, and frequent s to keep everyone on the same page. Basically, you communicate. Communication isn t the problem. The problem lies in the gaps in communication processes. Think about it. You wait until the next in-person meeting to resolve significant interferences. You play endless phone tag when you need input on budget-critical value engineering ideas. And you wade through mountains of s to find important project schedule information. Everyone on your project teams do, too. You need to bridge communication gaps and stay connected to each other and project details. Doing so helps you collaborate and coordinate more seamlessly. Inefficiencies fall away and productivity increases across the project team. The cloud provides the perfect building blocks for a bridge over traditional communication gaps. It s available anytime and anywhere. Cloud-based tools designed specifically for architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals support your workflows, project needs, and file types. Industry-focused tools go well beyond simple file storage and exchange. These tools support the specific scheduling and collaboration processes that help your teams develop deliverables efficiently. Just as importantly, these tools are designed to let teams view CAD and model-based design files in the office and in the field. Professionals like you are adopting cloud-based technology, and it s changing the way projects are executed. According to a recent survey, 33% of those responding said they see online collaboration tools as a potential path to higher productivity.[3] The impact of cloud computing is having a positive impact on the industry, and it s gaining global momentum. In fact, the Construction Industry Council in the United Kingdom expects cloud computing to be the leading way industry participants store and share designs.[4] Cloud-based collaboration s ability to improve productivity is a key factor driving adoption. Let s explore seven ways that it can boost productivity on infrastructure projects. 33% 33% of industry professionals see online collaboration tools as a path to higher productivity. 4 4

5 A global vision Digitalization could save as much as $1.2 trillion. Consider your current workflows. You probably rely on data and models as opposed to paper far more than you did just a few years ago. The trend is global, and the potential cross-industry wins of a complete digitalization of the industry are staggering, according to the World Economic Forum. The cost-savings to come from digitalization could be as much as $1.2 trillion.[5] Cloud-based collaboration is one of the pivotal capabilities enabling the industry to go digital. The cost-savings to come from digitalization could be as much as $1.2 trillion.[5] Cloud-based collaboration is one of the pivotal capabilities enabling the industry to go digital. 5 5

6 CLOUD-BASED COLLABORATION 6 6

7 1: Centralized all-team access to project information 2: Streamlined project coordination and scheduling On a typical project, you probably receive an that lists project participants and their contact information. As the project team grows you get updates with new names all very orderly. And then you have a question for the geotechnical engineer who s doing the analysis for the retaining walls. What s her name? Where s the latest contact list? You waste time finding project information hidden in the 120-plus s a typical professional receives each day. It s in the wiki Cloud collaboration lets you stop using to manage project information that everyone needs. Instead, you and your collaborators create a project wiki. It can hold all the project data you want everyone to be able to easily access. And starting the wiki takes minutes adding a page is about as quick as writing an . A small wiki might contain just a few entries contacts, meeting notes, and some additional background material but that s the kind of information that prevents virtually every team member from losing time to reconnaissance. And when you get a question that you don t have time to answer, you can just say, It s in the wiki. Project teams manage schedules in a variety of ways. You might keep track of everything in your personal desktop calendar. For some projects, the project manager might be tasked with regularly sending the whole team updated calendars. When done this way, participants don t have real-time access to the project schedule the schedule simply remains a list of milestones rather than a dynamic contributor to crossteam coordination. Wouldn t it be better if you and the other project stakeholders could access a master schedule to add meetings and update milestones yourself? Working in the cloud lets you make schedules more collaborative. At the beginning of a project, you create a calendar with major milestones. Throughout the project, you update it with new events, such as meetings. As you set up meetings, you can send calendar notifications to populate team members desktop calendars. The whole team can see the freshest version of the agenda for the day, week, or month. They also know who s set to deliver what when, making it more efficient to coordinate interdependent aspects of the project. 7 7

8 3: Reduced need for paper prints It s like having real-time access to electronic prints that maintain complete visual fidelity with respect to pen weights, line types, fonts, and colors. Many infrastructure teams still rely heavily on paper prints to get a total project view. That s largely because design files are too big to efficiently. Yes, the use of DWF and PDF files have led to reduced printing because they allow you to share information by more easily. But team members still request prints and unroll the sheet set when they want to check details. This creates several problems. Printing is expensive. More importantly, prints are outdated almost as soon as they come off the printer. Also, today s BIM-powered designs contain object data and intelligence that prints don t convey. Fewer prints, more information Cloud collaboration and coordination give you easy access to all the latest project information. You can access your cloud-based project files and view project information from anywhere. Plan sheets retain civildesign model information, so you can see project plans and underlying object data. It s like having real-time access to electronic prints that maintain complete visual fidelity with respect to pen weights, line types, fonts, and colors. And you aren t the only one with access to this information everyone on the project team can refer to project plans without resorting to printing. So you get the peace of mind that comes from knowing that no team member is working from old data. 8 8

9 4: Anytime, anywhere access People who work on infrastructure projects are often on the go. You visit job sites that are under construction. You drive to sometimes-remote locations to get firsthand looks at existing conditions for projects in design. You attend meetings with clients, engineers, and architects. You talk (and wait to talk) with local planners in person because that s sometimes the best way to get their full attention. Projects don t pause when you re away from your desk your phone keeps ringing and the s keep coming. The answers that people need too often have to wait until you get back to the office because you need project files to address questions. Fast answers Having a list of to-dos and to-answers for when you return to your desk is business-as-usual and slows the pace of projects. But it doesn t have to when you use cloud collaboration and coordination to gain anywhere, anytime access to project information. Instead of putting off questions until you return to the office, you simply access project information with your mobile device. Project files along with object data are accessible and viewable wherever you are. Not only can you address pressing questions immediately, you can check more minor items off your to-do list while waiting for offsite meetings to start. Call a quick meeting Cloud collaboration also gives you the power to assemble one-on-one or multiparty meetings wherever you are. You simply invite others to attend a virtual meeting. When attendees arrive, you can share your view of design files with them. Everyone sees what you see, making it faster and easier to communicate with precision. The team can address concerns quicker and with greater clarity. Markup tools let you add comments to the design during the meeting. You can even share and save meeting notes to ensure that everyone is on the same page. 9 9

10 5: Spend less time translating and coordinating files 6: Capture comments more quickly and easily Civil projects require a variety of design tools. The preferred tools for a structural engineer on a highway project may differ from those used by the roadway engineer, and the GIS specialist will use an entirely different set of tools. The data created by these different tools often can't be shared without a significant amount of work going into translating the files. This work is accompanied by the risk that some details may get lost in translation. Some teams might even use design software systems that don t include all the available BIM intelligence in order to accommodate other collaborators tool preferences. Cloud collaboration can help you address compatibility issues in several ways. You can view many native file types directly through cloud-based viewing tools. For these file types, you no longer need to translate the files to view them. The whole team saves time and collaborators work more efficiently in their preferred tools. But what if team members use unsupported file types? Cloud collaboration offers two options to address this. Cloud collaboration can help you address compatibility issues in several ways. You can view many native file types directly through cloud-based viewing tools. Members can simply save their work as one of dozens of supported file types and upload the file to the cloud for easy viewing by the whole team. Chances are their design tools can write to one or more supported formats. Another option is to create an aggregated project model that incorporates all of the team-generated files. Once this aggregated model is uploaded, the team even the client can use the 3D viewer to explore the model. While this option does necessitate maintaining the aggregated model, it has the advantage of providing cross-team visibility into the project s progress. Clients and other stakeholders need to review and comment on your work. How do you manage that process? Create and PDF versions? Invite them to your office to review designs in person? The second option lets you share detail-rich, 3D views with your client. You know they can envision your design intent, especially when you blend your design models with detailed representations of existing conditions. But an in-person meeting may not be practical for every review. When you create an aggregated design model and put it in the cloud, you can bring the client and other stakeholders who can t easily view design models into your process. Anyone granted access can go to the cloud to view the 3D project model anywhere, anytime. When you want to call an issue to the client s attention, you can use the real-time meeting feature to walk them through the model, giving you greater confidence that they understand exactly what they re seeing. Additionally, the client and other stakeholders can go online at any time and use markup tools to comment on the aggregated model or individual design files. 10

11 7: Streamline file storage and sharing Today s projects move fast, and when people need timely project data and designs, they need it immediately, not by the end of the day or tomorrow. Yet, without a way to store and share files easily, people do wait. They are forced to send and respond to near-constant requests for files or questions about file information that they can t access. Internal collaborators can typically access files stored within the organization s systems. But information stored outside the firewall can t be accessed easily, so project team members waste time on cumbersome file-exchange methods. Cloud-based project collaboration and coordination completely transform the way files are stored and shared. The cloud serves as the information repository for all project-related files. When you or any other authorized team members want a file, it s there. Information exchange across disciplines and between different organizations is no longer limited by manual processes. And the information within files is viewable on your desktop or mobile device, which means you don t have to waste time downloading and opening files in your software just to see a detail

12 Transform the way people work together Get started now Cloud-based collaboration and coordination are poised to transform the way people work together on infrastructure projects. The shift to the cloud has the potential to deliver productivity increases similar to those enabled by BIM tools but without the learning curve associated with engineering tools and processes. Exploring cloud processes is as straightforward as signing up for a free trial. You can get started today. Learn More 12 12

13 Index 1 Dodge Data and Analytics, SmartMarket Report: The Business Value of BIM for Infrastructure, The American Society of Civil Engineers, The Vision for Civil Engineering in 2025, The Economist Intelligence Unit, Rethinking Productivity Across the Construction Industry, Saxon, Richard, Growth Through BIM, The Construction Industry Council, World Economic Forum, Shaping the Future of Construction: A Breakthrough in Mindset and Technology,

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