Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/354800
Focus on IT The increasing role of software in construction by Stefan Dubowski T he elation that comes with winning a contract usually doesn't last. Architects, engineers and contractors quickly swing from celebrating the success to worrying about the details. "I've heard a number of customers say that after they win the bid, one of the first things they ask them- selves is, 'What did we miss?'" says Joe Hammill, business development manager for Viewpoint Con- struction Software Canada. He explains that a project manager may discover the plans lack a crucial compo- nent, or an estimator might find that the costs have been calculated incorrectly. "There's a big scramble to figure out how to work around those mistakes." Many companies rely on software to catch such errors before they affect the bottom line. The latest programs enable construction companies to track costs in real time, predict completion dates more accurately and share information among project par- ticipants quickly, so everyone works from the latest drawings and documents. Fewer Errors, Reduced Costs Hammill says companies install Viewpoint's software programs –including Job Cost, Project Management and Viewpoint For Project Collaboration – to prevent expensive errors. Job Cost provides instant updates from payroll, accounts payable and other departments, so firms can estimate costs accurately. Construction Project Management helps project managers identify problems such as budget overruns, unanswered RFIs and unapproved change requests. Viewpoint Project Collaboration is a web-based program where owners, architects and others can save and access the latest documents, so participants are less likely to make decisions based on inaccurate data. "Now there's an auditable record of everything that happens on the project," Hammill says. "It's not finger- pointing, but fingerprints on all the work." Some companies have also started to use software to document processes and workflows. "We're help- ing companies standardize interactions between the organizations on the project," Hammill says. He points out that every general contractor has a process for, say, conducting reviews of drawings. The process might indicate who is supposed to receive the drawing, who should look at it for quality control and who approves or rejects the drawing. Contractors can use the Viewpoint software to document that process and ensure everyone uses the best practice. Software plays an increasingly integral role in construction. "I've seen a movement towards compa- nies actually contracting that if a decision hasn't been documented in software such as Viewpoint For Project Collaboration, then it's not binding," Hammill says. Faster, More Accurate Estimates Michael Rotolo agrees that technology is becoming increasingly important. A senior technical consultant at construction software provider SolidCAD Solutions, he notes that building information modelling (BIM) is mandatory for private-public partnership (P3) proj- ects run by Infrastructure Ontario, the government organization in charge of managing and developing provincially-owned real estate. "[Infrastructure Ontario] feels that contractors can leverage that information to reduce the number of changes and errors that can happen, and therefore save money," Rotolo says. "And once the building is commissioned, the owner receives a 3D model of the building for facility management." But the number one reason construction companies use software is to improve information management. Rotolo tells the story of one Solid CAD customer that recently started using Autodesk Inc.'s Navisworks project review software. The company's estimators had been working from hardcopy floorplans, eleva- tions, sections and schedules, marked up with changes from owners, designers and others. The estimators found it difficult to incorporate all the input. If they missed an important change, the cost projections would be incorrect. "Now there's an auditable record of everything that happens on the project. It's not finger-pointing, but fingerprints on all the work." – Joe Hammill, business development manager, Viewpoint Construction Software Canada VIEWPOINT CONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE CANADA AUGUST 2014 /57 Software for AEC