Construction: Digital collaboration and the new competitive advantage

Integrated Collaboration Platforms like Revizto are helping to challenge the idea that rework and waste are an inevitable part of complex construction projects

2020 will be a year that no one forgets. While the global pandemic caused hysteria worldwide, cities and communities worked together to get through it in the best way possible. In comparison, different groups and industries pushed through and adapted, and how they each did that looked very different from one another. Now, as the vaccine begins to get dispersed and people look at getting back to normal, the truth is, the new normal will look very different. However, there are many things we will be able to take away from the past year that might just help us in the long run.

Best practices will be shared across borders. All types of businesses are getting used to not just a more hybrid remote work environment, but learning how to more effectively and efficiently collaborate digitally. Many organisations are finding that some of these practices have positive benefits beyond employee health and safety, including dramatic returns on investment, such as driving down costs and more efficient workflows. The AEC industry is no different.

The major trend in the AEC industry is digital collaboration. When orchestrating a $1bn design-build project, the idea of digital collaboration once seemed a bit unrealistic. Endless numbers of design changes, countless trade teams and every person from the project manager to an individual mason all have specific jobs. One mishap in communication can lead to costly reworks and timeline delays. Due to the ever-changing complexity of projects, rework and waste (material or time) has almost become an accepted part of the construction lifecycle. Integrated Collaboration Platforms (ICPs) have been changing that mindset and this past year has just accelerated it.

The returns seen from leveraging an ICP are generally broken down into two types of metrics associated with specific workflows: quantitative such as materials cost savings and high-level timelines, and the more qualitative metrics such as more streamlined and accurate information workflows.

More efficient workflows and more quantitative savings

Controlling waste and having a more precise understanding of the total construction cost enables contractors and firms of all types to offer better estimates. When reviewing competitive bids, the cost to build can be not just a significant factor, but often the determining factor in winning or losing a bid.

“Rework and material waste account on average for 6-15% of the construction spending, depending on the industry and project size.” – Based on a 2018 study by Fortune.

Heavy industrial and rail/highway projects generally see the largest reworks and material waste, as well as residential and commercial buildings.

An additional recent study shows that planned construction costs are, on average, overestimated by nearly 23%. By leveraging an Integrated Collaboration Platform like Revizto, cutting costs on reworks and material waste has become a part of the culture for many firms.

Organisations can enable teams to centralise workflows and all project data into a single integrated platform accessible to all stakeholders, in real-time. The “single source of truth” empowers teams to drive accountability and be more proactive in mitigating risks, reworks and waste.

Streamlined communication and an immeasurable return

When analysing the return on investment in more quantitative measures, firms are quick to go to numbers that are easier to digest. However, enhanced communication workflows across teams and trades can be the largest returns, though more challenging to measure and assume a dollar amount. The improved communication workflow can directly impact savings on manpower, fewer coordination meetings and more accurate data being passed.

“A common trend that we have been encountering with our clients is that while a specific ROI number can be hard to calculate with Revizto, teams are quick to state a return.” – David Foley, director – digital delivery, IIMBE.

Dave mentioned that as a direct result of using Revizto, his team and clients see a “reduced time spent on communicating, identifying design issues and risk mitigation strategies”.

Even as a relatively conservative calculation, firms had expressed savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars on a single project, and the software nearly paying for itself within hours of using it.

“We have seen time savings up to 20% due to efficient communication and tracking of issues.” – Thomas Wimpfler, deputy head of engineering, ZETA GmbH.

Workflows that work for you

ICPs like Revizto unite teams and centralise workflows into a single integrated platform that is accessible to all stakeholders, regardless of technical skill level. Integrated Collaboration Platforms empower teams to create a culture of accountability, better mitigate risks, improve project timelines and maximise cost savings with real-time collaboration across platforms, model types and teams, from in-office, on-site and any device.

At the end of 2020, Revizto released Revizto V5. Revizto V5 has created a central hub for all models and project data, making it immediately accessible and actionable for the entire project team. The advanced real-time Issue Tracker allows members to identify, search and manage model-based issues in the 3D space and 2D sheets, including addressing clash groups. Revizto 5 provides unified access to a project’s data both for 2D and 3D workflows, acting as a real-time, single source of truth for project data, eliminating information silos for better cross-trade collaboration and faster decision making.

“We see major time savings and reduction of hours coordinating resolution of issues and documenting the decision.” – Kirsten Crock, design technology coordinator, AECOM Tishman.

Some new product features include the ability to create Search Sets from selected object properties right in the UI, enabling users to focus on hotspots and systems in the right area at the right time. The Units and Transforms feature allows team members to receive models from various sources without the need to adjust coordinate systems in the authoring tool before export. Other notable features include: tracking objects in issues, adding custom parameters to objects outside of traditional authoring, appearance templates and 2D measurements for area and polyline tools.

“I can say for certain though we are achieving less coordination issues, collaborating more between architect and contractor, and leveraging the model for client review more than ever before.” – Michael Paciero, Rossetti, VDC coordinator.

Learn more at revizto5.com.

Original article.