[Photo courtesy of Newforma]
When time is money, spending too much time on common project tasks can make or break profitability. So how can designers, engineers, contractors, and industry professionals streamline processes like RFIs, submittals, and punch lists to make the most of their time and talent? Since 2004, Newforma has been streamlining project information management with convenient, collaborative software. Here, Newforma solutions consultant and technical manager Aaron Kivett discusses how integration can save time and resources, making your bottom line and your team much happier.
Time is the biggest expense Newforma’s customers have, so the more time we can save them the better. If I’m an architect, I might be working on 10 projects at any given moment. If three of those are in construction, I’m also potentially collaborating with three contractors using three submittal processes, which makes my life difficult. By creating automation, your company can ensure designers don’t needlessly waste energy switching between processes. To allow for this, Newforma has created a set of connectors. Let’s take Procore, a leading construction management software, as an example.
A contractor using Procore sends a submittal to the architect, who then needs to log into Procore, take the information, and manually enter it into their submittal log. They have to download a file and save it in a specific location within their project folder. In addition to this waste of time, by double entering data, you also create the risk of human error. When the designer is done reviewing the submittal, the process of translation starts all over again, wasting more time and compounding the risk.
[Photo courtesy of Newforma]
With Newforma’s Procore connector, however, the submittal automatically shows up in Newforma. There’s no double entry and no risk of error, saving significant time and effort in tracking submittals. When the architect is done with their work, their information automatically goes back to the contractor with the push of a button. The bottom line is: The contractor can stay in Procore, and the architect can stay in Newforma. Newforma with the Procore connector serves as the unifying dashboard.
Newforma’s connectors go well beyond Procore. Newforma connects email, including Outlook and Gmail, business systems from BST and Deltek, document management systems like Bentley ProjectWise and Microsoft SharePoint, and more. If Newforma software can save clients’ project team members an hour a week each, we’re making teams more efficient and happier. After all, architects and engineers prefer to focus on the design work they love, and it’s where they add the greatest value to their firm. It’s a win-win.
