Being successful in construction isn’t just about a finished project. While completion is certainly important, the outcomes that you achieve during and after the project also matter a great deal.

Five essential construction KPIs to focus on improving are winning more business, minimizing costs, maximizing quality, optimizing project schedules, as well as promoting health, safety, and sustainability. Effectively delivering on these KPIs will result in short- and long-term success for everyone involved, which is why construction pros should strive to achieve them.

Our latest ebook, How Digitally Connecting Workflows Dramatically Improves 5 Key Construction KPIs, discusses how you can improve these KPIs by digitally connecting construction workflows. Download it for free. 

DOWNLOAD FREE EBOOK

Essential Construction KPIs

1. Winning business

Many contractors want to win more business, and in today’s modern landscape, connected construction technology is one of the best tools you can have to achieve this outcome. When your workflows and systems are tightly integrated, you’re able to automate various tasks and be more efficient with your bids. 

It also paves the way for better stakeholder engagement and collaboration. Connected construction technology keeps everyone on the same page, reducing issues with miscommunication. 

In addition, a connected construction platform makes data more accessible. Information from different projects can be stored on one platform, so it’s easier to surface insights and analyze trends. This, in turn, can give you the information you need to make smarter bidding decisions. 

2. Cost

Maintaining cost-effectiveness in projects is critical to success. Unfortunately, the majority of construction pros regularly run into cost-related issues. Research by Dodge and Autodesk found that 66% of general contractors incur additional costs from overtime and second shifts on at least three-quarters of their projects. 

Connected construction helps solve budget issues for contractors in a number of ways. A robust platform can provide detailed reporting, allowing you to produce accurate forecasts, obtain better cost controls, and improve subcontractor qualification. 

Not to mention, the enhanced collaboration between all parties greatly reduces inefficiencies and helps stakeholders resolve problems quickly. 

As Michael Shurgalla, CADD Manager at Moffatt & Nichol, points out, “Connected construction allows teams to identify and resolve issues promptly, which significantly impacts costs before they appear.”

3. Quality

Quality issues lead to rework, which is a major headache for contractors. 

Here’s the thing, though: many of the issues that cause rework are actually preventable. According to the Autodesk and FMI report, Construction Disconnected, 52% of rework was caused by poor project data and miscommunication. 

Connected construction addresses these problems by bringing together various project workflows, ultimately reducing or even eliminating rework. 

What’s more, connected construction technology makes design reviews much more streamlined, thus helping stakeholders spot and prevent constructability issues before they lead to rework problems down the line. 

4. Schedule

Connected construction can also keep teams and projects right on schedule. 

When your tools and workflows are integrated, it’s easier to view the project timeline and determine what needs to happen and when. Armed with this information, contractors are able to spot opportunities and risks so they can optimize the project schedule accordingly. 

Plus, having the right data at your fingertips allows for more efficient resource allocation, so you always have the necessary resources at the appropriate time.

5. Health, safety, and the environment

With connected construction, you can have safer and more sustainable projects.

Integrated workflows and better communication between different parties promote a stronger safety culture in the workplace. Having better access to data also improves visibility when it comes to risks and hazards, so you can prevent safety issues on-site.

In terms of being environment-friendly, a connected construction platform makes it easier to source materials sustainably and ethically, enabling contractors to obtain the resources they need with the environment in mind. 

Download the ebook for free

We dive deeper into these construction outcomes in our new ebook, How Digitally Connecting Workflows Dramatically Improves 5 Key Construction KPIs. Download it today to start improving your performance and results. 

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The post 5 Construction KPIs & How to Dramatically Improve Outcomes appeared first on Digital Builder.

Tayla Matthews

www.cmcconstruction.net

The quality of construction data matters. Here’s a look at five characteristics of good data, how to avoid some common pitfalls that lead to bad data, and how to tell the difference.

In the construction industry, we’re no longer dealing with the issue of not having access to data, but instead with a lack of information to drive decision-making. What’s the difference? While there’s no shortage of data, many firms are still learning to use that data in an insightful way. The benefits of mastering this skill are plenty; they include having a stronger competitive advantage and greater project outcomes. 

Good project outcomes stem from good decision-making, and nothing affects the decisions you make on a construction job like the quality of your data. The information gathered can have an impact on everything from timelines to budgets, bid performance, and even site safety. What’s more, using bad data over the course of a project has the potential to affect your current work and future jobs. Its predictive nature can create systemic inaccuracies down the line.

Why Quality Data Matters

All construction data is not created equal, and time spent gathering poor data is time lost. According to a new report from Autodesk and FMI, Harnessing the Data Advantage in Construction,  project data has grown exponentially — doubling in the last three years. Yet not all of that project data is created equally. Roughly half of the survey’s respondents shared that “bad” project data (e.g., inaccurate, incomplete, or inconsistent data) contributed to a poor outcome for one in three project decisions. What’s more, bad project data is costly. Avoiding rework triggered by bad project data could save the global construction industry over $88 billion annually.

How do you tell the difference between good and bad project data? Let’s take a look at five characteristics of good data, how to avoid some common pitfalls that lead to bad data, and how to tell the difference.

How to Spot Bad Construction Data: Siloed, Unreliable, Inaccessible

Bad project data doesn’t come down to a single reason. Research indicates that data management solutions and the challenges the industry faces vary and are unique to each organization’s way of working. In Harnessing the Data Advantage in Construction, the most common contributors to bad project data included:

• Inaccurate/Incorrect data* (24%)
• Missing data* (24%)
• Wrong data* (21%)

*Please check out the report for definitions

While it’s not always easy to spot the difference between good and bad data, there are a number of key attributes of bad data that can help construction professionals avoid using it in the first place.

For one thing, bad data is siloed, meaning there’s a disconnect between the systems used to access the data, and the possibility that not everyone is on the same page regarding which data is most reliable and relevant to the project at hand. Unreliability is another characteristic of bad data, and professionals can spot it by ensuring that data is not outdated and doesn’t contain mistakes. Finally, poor quality data is difficult to access, making it hard to pull up relevant project information.

5 Qualities to Look for in Construction Data

Beyond identifying poor quality data, construction professionals must understand the characteristics of high quality data. Doing so not only helps to avoid wasted time but it also sets projects up for success by providing as many resources as possible. So what characteristics make for good construction data? Read on to learn more about the five attributes of quality construction data and a few resources to help you collect and use it.

1. Consistency

The nature of data captured by the construction industry is often what is considered “heterogeneous” data, or data that has multiple variable types, (e.g., comparing apples to oranges). This type of data is ambiguous and inconsistent in the ways it measures something and what it measures that something against. 

As industry data expert Jit Kee Chin shared, construction professionals must gather “a lot of information across contracts, across text documents, across drawings and across financial information. So the challenge in construction data is heterogeneity in terms of the data that we historically collect.”

With the variety of data formats available in construction, how is it possible to maintain consistency? It all starts with how data is collected. Consistent data requires collecting insights in a uniform way like adopting a common data environment, which helps create a standard platform to capture data. A common data environment typically takes the form of a digital hub, where all information comes together during a building project. Any information gathered for or about a project during any part of the process should be stored in the common data environment to ensure the consistency and accuracy of all project data. 

Organizations committed to quality data typically share these three most common efforts or investments made to ensure decision-makers have access to actionable, high-quality data:

• Regularly reviewing data at set intervals for quality purposes (40%)
• Having established data reporting and monitoring practices, both at the time of collection and use (38%)
• Structuring data in a common data environment (38%)

2. Cleanliness

Just like clean job sites are integral to successful project outcomes, clean data is vital to ensuring the information you’re relying on is as up-to-date and accurate as possible. In fact, data cleansing — the process of reviewing all project data and eliminating data that is not currently relevant or accurate — often leaves construction professionals with only the best quality data to work with, thus elevating the likelihood of the successful completion of a job. In contrast, data that is not clean creates increased opportunities for mistakes and rework, as well as wastes professionals’ time when they must go back and search for correct information.

The first step toward achieving clean data is to fine-tune your information collection and management processes. Examining vital tasks like data entry, including how and where information is entered into a common data environment, and the controls around what information is considered clean data can go a long way to help ensure the timeliness and accuracy of the data used in a project.

3. Transparency and accessibility

When working to improve your construction data, ask yourself, “Can your team see the data in real time? Can they access it across devices like mobile, and from remote locations?” These are two of the most common issues facing construction professionals when it comes to the transparency and accessibility of data. 

Quality information should be accessible and transparent to reflect what is currently happening. Even something as seemingly innocuous as a one-day lag in accuracy can lead to immense setbacks for a project. Survey respondents from the report Harnessing the Data Advantage in Construction, shared that having access to data was essential to accurate project decision-making. When asked what the greatest risk was to project decision-making, 43% said “time constraint/urgency of decision”.

The quality of project data needs to improve if project leaders are to make critical decisions in the field quickly and autonomously. Accessibility is also important for  distributed teams, especially those out in the field. The ability for a team to obtain quality data across devices and locations is essential to the success of a job.

To improve the transparency and accessibility of quality data on a project, industry professionals should consider adopting connected and cloud-based construction technologies that ensure project information is always up-to-date, accurate, and accessible across devices, locations, and project phases.

4. Usability

Let’s say you have consistent, clean data that can be accessed universally across team members’ devices and locations. Oh, and that data transparently provides up-to-date information about a project. What more could you want? 

Usability. Usability is a major factor in whether this data can actually be put to work to solve real problems you might face on the job. Good data can be used to inform work decisions as well as to solve both present and future issues that may arise on the job.

To help support your project staff over data management and analysis, make sure you have a formal data strategy in place. This framework will help to alleviate burdens on busy supervisory staff, and improve data consistency moving forward. Formal data strategies combined with data-rich environments could reduce the number of delayed or poor decisions, saving the industry $50 billion annually. 

Furthermore, adopting solutions with advanced analytics and machine learning can provide insights for both today and the future that can improve project outcomes. According to McKinsey & Company, quality data “increases in usefulness and generates a competitive advantage as it increases in analytical richness” or, put another way, data that does the work of enhancing the quality of available information in the most efficient way possible—on its own. Moreover, companies that use machine learning and other advanced tools like predictive analytics and simulation modeling are best positioned to make the most effective data-driven decisions throughout the entirety of a project.

5. Connectivity

The final attribute of good construction data is connectivity — ensuring that information does not live in silos and shares a common access point among team members. Most projects involve a constant flow of information that originates from multiple stakeholders and takes a variety of formats. Back in the days of paper documentation, data connectivity was nearly impossible, and miscommunication was common. Even now, when more projects than ever are digitized, construction professionals are facing connectivity issues regarding the data they gather and use during a project.

To avoid the risk of siloed data, which can lead to communication issues, all project information systems must interoperate, with common access to critical information and documentation across the entire workstream. One way to achieve this is through integrated construction technology, which helps different data systems communicate and work together. This integrated approach to data is vital to connecting and automating workflows to improve project efficiency.

Download the Data Strategy checklist

Don’t settle for less than high-quality data. High quality construction data can save time, improve teamwork, and greatly contribute to a project’s overall success. Spotting the difference between good and poor quality data, and ensuring that the information you’re using for a project is consistent, clean, transparent, accessible, usable, and connected might sound like a heavy lift.

Nevertheless, adopting a formal data strategy can make a huge difference when it comes to promoting a good project outcome, a happy team, and an efficient work process. What’s more, putting quality data standards in place through advanced analytics and other innovative construction technologies can set you up for success not just now but also in the future.

Start building managing your data more profitably with the 4-step process revealed in our latest report, Harnessing the Data Advantage in Construction, made in partnership with FMI. Download the data strategy checklist here.

The post 5 Attributes of High Quality Construction Data appeared first on Digital Builder.

Tayla Matthews

www.cmcconstruction.net

The Ministry of Justice has unveiled plans to build two new prisons on land around an RAF air base in Essex.

New Category B and C prisons, each containing 1,715 inmates, are being proposed to be built at Wethersfield air base in Braintree.

They will each follow the new standardised designs, consisting of seven separate house blocks each rising to four floors with 240 inmates in each block.

Each prison will also have support buildings. These will include a reception area, kitchens, workshops, a visits hall and offices.

Wethersfield air base double prison plan

In local community consultation papers, newly-appointed prisons minister Victoria Atkins said: “We believe that, following detailed feasibility work, land next to Wethersfield air base would be a good location for two new prisons as part of the prison estates strategy.

“Our plans, if successful, would bring many benefits to the local community, such as hundreds of jobs during construction, careers within the prison sector and an increased spend in local businesses.”

If a decision is taken to proceed, planning permission will be sought next year.

The Government has committed to creating 18,000 additional prison places by the mid-2020s’, through a combination of building new prisons, as well as extending, refurbishing and maintaining existing prisons.

Four are planned as part of the Ministry of Justice’s £1bn New Prisons Programme.

These will be delivered by a framework of preselected contractors: ISG, Kier, Laing O’Rourke and Wates.

Earlier this month, MoJ submitted plans for a major new prison in Lancashire adjacent to HMP Garth and HMP Wymott near the town of Leyland.

Other prisons in the pipeline include Full Sutton, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, another new category c prison planned on land adjacent to HMP Grendon and HMP Springhill in Buckinghamshire.

 

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.cmcconstruction.net/?p=868

Tayla Matthews

www.cmcconstruction.net

Met Police and officers in Romania arrested 13 men on Tuesday morning in a series of raids as part of a major investigation into human trafficking.
Following the raids 54 men and one male juvenile have been safeguarded.

The investigation was launched by detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command in August 2019 after intelligence highlighted a Romanian organised crime group (OCG) operating between Romania and the UK.

Romanian adult nationals have been recruited and trafficked to the Kingsbury area of north London to work on building sites as unskilled labourers.

Four warrants were executed in Harrow and Brent. Cash and a firearm were also seized.

The males were found housed in multi-occupancy addresses with mattresses covering the whole floor space. Occupants were found sleeping in extremely cramped conditions. They are now receiving support from specialist officers.

Eight men have been arrested in London for human trafficking. They have been taken to a north London police station.

A further five men were arrested in Romania where gold and around 250,000 Euros were seized from the OCG.

Those arrested are aged between 22 and 49 years old. They have been arrested for a variety of offences, including causing another to complete forced or compulsory labour and human trafficking contrary to the modern slavery act 2015.

Detective Constable Dec Wilson, from Central Specialist Crime, said: “These arrests in the UK and abroad are the result of working closely with our partners in Romania for the past 18 months, to identify those involved in the human trafficking and labour exploitation.

“This Eurojust Joint Investigation Team should serve as a warning to other organised crime networks that the Met is committed to working with international law enforcement to target those committing modern day slavery offences in London.

“We need the public’s help as they have an important role to play in recognising and reporting modern slavery. If you suspect someone may be a victim of modern slavery, report it. You will always be taken seriously, and protection and support is available.

“Often those affected do not see themselves as potential victims of labour exploitation and many will have been coerced into this life to make money for an organised crime network.

“We believe there are victims of modern slavery in every borough across London and the public may encounter them every day, possibly without realising.

“As well as being exploited for labour, victims have been found working in construction, domestic servitude, agriculture, cannabis factories and in places you use yourself, such as car washes, barbers and nail bars.”

Police said their enquiries are continuing.

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.cmcconstruction.net/?p=860

Tayla Matthews

www.cmcconstruction.net

Accounting is a critical aspect of any business. But when it comes to the complex nature of construction, accounting is a whole different beast. Along with processing payroll and managing standard accounts payable and accounts receivable, the accounting team is also tasked with a number of other tasks including tracking and processing commitment changes. Because of this, accounting and the project team rely on each other to ensure information is accurate, so the project budget stays on track.

But with both parties working from different locations and typically using disconnected software to manage cost activities, they’re faced with the time-consuming task of duplicate data entry, tedious processes, and communication bottlenecks. Information silos between these essential collaborators need to dissolve, and luckily, it can by connecting the field-facing construction management software with the back-office accounting programs. 

hh2 Cloud Services seamlessly connects accounting and the field 

Integrations between disparate systems can be complex and rife with issues that make it expensive to maintain and support. This is especially true if an integration is proprietary and not built on a robust, scalable, and proven platform. Thankfully, hh2 Cloud Services stands apart from proprietary point-to-point integrations by bringing seamless integrations between construction ERP systems and independent software developers using their Universal Construction Model (UCM). And with this, they are bringing together Sage 300 CRE and Autodesk Build. 

Dennis Stejskal, Director at Sage Construction & Real Estate Division NA shares, “We are excited to come together with hh2 and Autodesk to deliver an industry-leading integration between accounting and operations. We believe we can help construction teams be more successful through this partnership by increasing collaboration and data visibility between field-facing teams and accounting.”

Benefits of hh2’s Sage 300 CRE + Autodesk Build integration

Bringing the field and accounting department together at last

• Leverage a single source of truth by removing data silos
• Guaranteed data accuracy as the integration continually syncs information between Sage 300 CRE and Autodesk Build
• Reduce the risk of liability issues stemming from manual processes, human error, and inaccurate data
• Gain clear visibility into the status of items with easy access to real-time data as entered by both accounting and field teams
• Keep processes running smoothly with increased data transparency
• Reduce decision making time with efficient and accurate data exchange between departments
• Enable field teams to accurately forecast with actual cost data flowing in from accounting

Learn more on October 7 at Autodesk University

Want to learn more about this integration? Register at no cost for Autodesk University 2021 to join the virtual industry talk, ERP Integration for Autodesk Construction Cloud, on October 7, 2021.

Register Now

The post Where Accounting Meets the Field: Sage 300 CRE and Autodesk Build appeared first on Digital Builder.

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.cmcconstruction.net/?p=857

Tayla Matthews

www.cmcconstruction.net

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) aren’t just buzzwords, and these tools are no longer reserved  for construction technologists like BIM and VDC managers. These technologies have come a long way in just a few short years and these days, they have practical use cases that owners and builders alike can benefit from at every stage of the project lifecycle. 

Angel Say, CEO and Co-Founder of Resolve, and Dr. Mani Golparvar-Fard, CTO and Co-Founder of Reconstruct Inc., join the podcast to explain what’s possible with AR and VR in construction. They also bust some myths and share practical tips on implementing AR and VR. 

Specifically, we covered:

• How AR and VR have evolved over the last few years
• Where these tools fit in the project lifecycle 
• Getting started with AR and VR yourself 
• Potential advances in the technology we may see in the near future

“It’s actually some of the less technical end users who stand to benefit the most from VR and AR.” —Angel Say

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:

The difference between AR and VR

Before diving into the episodes’ key takeaways, it’s worth exploring how Angel and Mani view AR and VR, particularly when used in construction. 

“When I think about these two technologies and what they represent, it really boils down to bits and atoms. Bits meaning those ones and zeros in computers, and then atoms being the building blocks of the physical world,” says Angel.

According to him, virtual reality (VR) is “all about full immersion.” You wear a device on your head, which then uses sensors and a computer to hijack your senses and make you believe you’re somewhere else. “It gives you these superpowers,” adds Angel. “I could put on a headset and teleport from my home office to an unbuilt building.”

On the other hand, augmented reality (AR) is all about “augmenting the world around you, meaning you’re taking bits and you’re overlaying them on the atoms in front of you,” says Angel. 

“And so that could be metadata about pipes that you’re looking at or it could be, ‘Hey, I want to bring a piece of equipment into my home office so that when I get to the site I know what I’m dealing with.’”

Mani weighs in, saying that AR in particular has evolved quite a bit over the past five years. 

“In the earlier days, it was all about augmenting someone’s view live. But for all kinds of practical reasons, we realized that you can also augment any form of reality capture data. If you have access to a static image from a cell phone device or if you have access to videos that are being provided from job sites and you’re augmenting that with planning information, that’s a form factor of AR.”

3 Takeaways on Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in Construction

After discussing the fundamentals of AR and VR, Angel and Mani shared their thoughts on the myths surrounding the two technologies, as well as how they can be applied in construction. They also discussed the steps an organization can take to implement AR and VR. 

Here are the key takeaways from the conversation.

1. AR and VR are more affordable and accessible than you think

Angel and Mani had a lot to say when asked about the common myths and misconceptions about augmented and virtual reality. 

For starters, they dispelled the Hollywood depiction of AR, which usually involves people swiping virtual elements in the air. 

“There’s a misconception that you would be able to visualize all kinds of information at the right point in time,” shares Mani. But this isn’t the case, as AR involves processing a lot of details, hosting information on the device, and filtering data. 

Angel adds, “People always talk about Minority Report as the quintessential example of augmented reality. It’s like swiping through things in the air. We’re quite a ways away from that. It looks a little different today.”

There’s also the view that AR and VR are tools that would only benefit folks working in virtual design and construction. However, this is far from the truth. 

“One common misconception that’s more industry-specific is that VR and AR are going to help BIM and VDC teams the most, and I think it’s quite the opposite. Because BIM and VDC teams spend so much time in 3D tools like Revit or Navisworks, they’re pretty good at what they do. They’re really good with 3D controls, and it’s actually some of the less technical end users who stand to benefit the most from VR and AR,” remarks Angel. 

Another myth worth busting? AR and VR are expensive. That may have been the case several years ago, but these technologies have become more accessible and far less expensive over time. 

As Angel points out, “Now you have VR headsets that are under $500, which is the cost of a tablet. Anybody can unbox it and jump into a virtual environment on their own with minimal help. And that starts to really democratize the use of the technology.”

2. Why AR and VR are a big deal in construction

AR and VR have practical applications that would benefit every stage of a project, from preconstruction all the way to handover and even building operations. 

“All of these technologies — AR, VR, AI — are really augmenting people’s workflows. This is especially true in construction because the industry has already moved towards having so much rich data in BIM, which they’re using to coordinate and produce drawings. It’s so much rich data that we can feed into these technologies to help people be more productive,” explains Angel. 

On the owner’s side, a key benefit of using AR and VR is they help mitigate the loss of information when a project is being brought to life. 

AR and VR “provide the opportunity for the owner to see the end product with a level of detail that matters to them,” explains Mani.

He states, “if we can provide the owner with an opportunity to verify the work by contrasting the scope of the work that was promised from that VR model versus the reality that they’re looking at, we have yet another opportunity to make sure owners are benefiting from it.”

These technologies can also play an important role in helping owners maintain and operate their buildings.

According to Angel, “We hear from a lot of owners that BIM assets end up on hard drives and they don’t get touched until maybe you need to hand them off to a new engineer contractor working on a retrofit. But there’s so much value that you can be tapping into [with AR and VR] even after construction.”

Angel adds that most of the teams running buildings and facilities won’t get a lot of value from BIM assets since these folks don’t specialize in Revit and Navisworks. This is where VR comes into play, as it allows users to view the information in a way that they can understand and engage with.

“With VR, you put on a headset and you can walk through a BIM file. Operators can then start to leverage that asset for procedure simulations, onboarding of the employees — and in the world of remote work — making sure people know what a site looks like before they visit. And so you really start to multiply the ROI of BIM beyond the construction lifecycle,” says Angel. 

3. How to getting started with AR and VR

Mani and Angel offered some of their top advice from organizations that want to get started with AR and VR. If you’re looking to implement these technologies in your projects, keep the following steps in mind.

1 – Determine the exact problem you’re trying to solve

Before investing in AR and VR, make sure you know your objectives and understand your end users. By getting clear on what you want to achieve, you’ll be able to figure out the role of technologies in your projects. 

2 – Assess whether you have the right type of data to tackle the problem you’re trying to solve

In order for AR and VR to work, your data needs to be able to support these technologies. 

That’s why Mani recommends conducting a self-assessment “in terms of how mature your data is” to be able to support AR and VR capabilities. “Depending on what problem you want to solve, you need to make sure your files are at a certain rate of maturity per model discipline, which is really hard to see even these days,” he adds.

3 – Set your KPIs

You need to measure the success of your AR and VR initiatives, so think about the KPIs you need to hit.

Aside from metrics that tell you whether a project is completed on time and within budget, Mani says you also need to design KPIs that measure the impact that AR and VR have on the personas using the technologies. 

“Make sure you understand how many personas are being touched by that product and data,” he says. 

4 – Acquire the right technology

The next step is to get the devices needed to power AR and VR. 

Virtual reality, in particular, requires an investment in headsets, and Angel recommends providing a headset to every stakeholder who needs it, instead of having everyone share just one or two devices.

“It’s a lot more empowering if you can buy a headset and assign it to someone even if it’s just for the length of the project. That way, when they have 20 or 30 minutes to review the model, they can jump in and do it as opposed to having to go and check it out from the IT or the BIM or VDC team,” says Angel.

In addition to headsets, you should also ensure that you have tools that will enable you to leverage your BIM assets and other project data. A common data environment (CDE) like BIM 360 or Autodesk Build can make this process easier.

5 – Run a test pilot

When you have the plans, KPIs, and tools in place, it’s time to put them to the test. Mani recommends going through an experimentation phase that involves using AR and VR in a given project and measuring the results. 

You could even work with the AR/VR vendors in designing a pilot. “Engage your team so they would help you measure performance against those KPIs,” says Mani.

6 – Develop a case study

Be sure to document everything that transpired during the testing phase and take note of the results. Use the information you’ve collected to create a case study for your company. 

“Once you have that case of study formulated, you can start sharing that and use that as an internal sales tool in your organization, to bring everyone up to speed,” says Mani

When implemented correctly, this case study can increase trust in the new technology and drive adoption. 

Listen to the Full Podcast Episode

Hopefully, the takeaways above help you better understand AR and VR and inspire you to utilize them in your projects. And if you need more info on augmented and virtual reality, listen to the full episode of Digital Builder on the following platforms:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Stitcher
• Google Podcasts
• or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The post Digital Builder Ep. 19: 3 Takeaways on Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in Construction appeared first on Digital Builder.

Tayla Matthews

www.cmcconstruction.net

Contractors are being invited to bid for a £25m coastal defence scheme to save large parts of Cardiff from floods.

Cardiff Council is planning to replace existing defences along the mouth of the Rhymney River, due to erosion and growing risks of flooding from climate change.

The plans include putting 100,000 tonnes of rock on the coastline, raising the riverbank behind and raising embankments next to a highway.

Tayla Matthews

www.cmcconstruction.net

Autodesk releases new product enhancements for quantity takeoff and design review workflows to increase collaboration and mitigate risk during preconstruction

San Francisco, Calif. — September 23, 2021 – Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) today announced that more than 350,000 projects across the globe are using Autodesk Construction Cloud to power more effective preconstruction workflows, including document management, bid management, quantification, model coordination and design collaboration. The company also announced a series of product updates, doubling down on its commitment to unify the construction process and empower teams to build better.

Owners, general contractors and specialty contractors alike, across all industry segments around the world, turn to Autodesk Construction Cloud for their preconstruction workflows. DeAngelis Diamond, Windover Construction, Inc. and Granger Construction are three such companies using Autodesk Construction Cloud to supercharge workflows for bid leveling and risk mitigation, model conditioning, quantification, design collaboration, model coordination and more:

• DeAngelis Diamond – a national construction management firm specializing in commercial, multi-family and healthcare construction with offices across Florida, Tennessee, Alabama and Michigan.
• Granger Construction – a Michigan-based construction management firm specializing in education, commercial, industrial, healthcare and the public sector.
• Windover Construction, Inc – a full service, employee-owned firm that provides comprehensive preconstruction planning, estimating, design-build, virtual design and construction management service in the education, healthcare, commercial, senior living and hospitality spaces.

“Mistakes made in preconstruction become exponentially more expensive when they are discovered in the field,” said Zac Hays, head of preconstruction product at Autodesk Construction Solutions. “Autodesk Construction Cloud arms preconstruction teams with best-in-class solutions to help mitigate risk and reduce rework, whether it’s reducing the total number of RFIs, increasing collaboration between the design and planning phases or using machine learning and predictive insights during the bidding process within BuildingConnected.”

“Any contractor knows that risk mitigation during the preconstruction phase is one of the most critical factors to success, and a big part of that is bid leveling,” said Brett Diamond, CIO and principal at DeAngelis Diamond. “BuildingConnected not only gives us access to a robust network of specialty contractors, but also makes collaboration with our estimating team seamless and provides valuable insight into our historical bidding data. Combined with TradeTapp’s machine learning and AI technology to evaluate and mitigate risk, BuildingConnected allows us to reduce our rework, stay on time, on budget and be more nimble and efficient as an organization.”

Autodesk Construction Cloud is a cloud-based construction management solution that offers an end-to-end platform to manage every phase of the building lifecycle, from design and plan, to build and operate. For the design and plan phases of construction projects, Autodesk Construction Cloud supports:

• Bid management and qualification – bidding teams can access the largest real-time construction network with an easy-to-use platform that streamlines the bid and risk management process, while utilizing machine learning to help identify, quantify and provide risk mitigation insights.
• Design Collaboration — multi-disciplinary teams can update designs in the same place, at the same time. With controlled package sharing, team WIPs, issue identification and design change notifications, teams will always be up to date with the latest design content.
• Model coordination – designers, engineers, BIM experts and trades can easily contribute to model coordination using automatic clash detection, clash grouping and tolerances, an issues solution that connects tools like Navisworks and Revit to the cloud and an aggregated model that can be reviewed by discipline, relevant sections or a first-person walk through.
• Model conditioning – teams can easily add custom data to a given model and classify and organize project data, turning a design into a construction-ready model that can be easily broken down into relevant scopes for downstream activities.
• Quantity takeoff – estimating teams can perform 2D and 3D quantification workflows from a common data environment to increase collaboration, speed and accuracy during the estimation process.
• Document management – Autodesk Construction Cloud provides a common data environment that helps teams organize, distribute, and share files on a single, connected document management platform, ensuring all team members have access to the information they need. 

New Takeoff API allows users to leverage quantities from Autodesk Takeoff externally

Autodesk Takeoff has released a beta API that allows estimating teams to leverage quantity takeoff data and project information directly from Autodesk Takeoff and integrate it into existing solutions. With this new API, teams can now extend the life of takeoff data to inform project decisions and power downstream workflows while breaking down barriers and providing added flexibility.

“Along with being able to visualize our takeoffs in both 2D and 3D, Autodesk Construction Cloud’s common data environment gives our team a big advantage when it comes to quantification,” said Amr Raafat, vice president of VDC and technology at Windover Construction. “Knowing that our team is working from the most up to date information, from a single source of truth, allows us to enhance our collaboration and deliver more accurate and complete quantity takeoffs.”

Autodesk BIM Collaborate adds functionality to better identify design and constructability issues

Autodesk BIM Collaborate, a solution that enables project teams to easily manage coordination and design review workflows from the cloud, has also announced new updates that will help teams be able to quickly identify and resolve design and constructability issues throughout the building lifecycle. These updates include:

• A new clash tolerance filter, which allows individuals on the project team to check their work using dynamic clash tolerance filters—making it easier to focus on larger clashes at first, while getting more detailed as you go.
• Issues in Design Collaboration for architects, engineers and BIM experts to identify 3D issues in the design phase—adding relevant issue details, assignments, comments and due dates to be resolved in Revit or passed on to the coordination phase. 2D issues are also available for digital markup of 2D sheets with shapes, text, measurements, photo references and issue pins during design review.

“Information siloes between general contractors and trades have historically been a massive challenge for those of us working in preconstruction,” said Darrah Leach, VDC Manager at Granger Construction. “Building a bridge between the two with collaborative features allows us to work not only cross functionally, but with partners outside of our own organization. This helps connect us in ways that simply were not possible before and, at the end of the day, helps us speed up our delivery time. Autodesk BIM Collaborate acts as that bridge between project partners and allows us to work in lockstep as broader team.”

Assemble now supports publishing directly from Autodesk Docs

In line with offering a model conditioning solution that allows BIM and VDC Managers to organize, customize and share model data with key stakeholders for downstream workflows, Assemble users can now publish Revit models directly from Autodesk Docs and BIM 360 Docs to Assemble without using Revit or any publisher add-ins. This greatly reduces duplication of efforts by leveraging the common data environment and helps ensure everyone is working from the latest project documents.

“As technology pushes the envelope of what’s possible in construction, preconstruction has truly become a secret weapon that allows teams to improve their margins, speed up delivery times, reduce risk and deliver projects with more precision,” said Jim Lynch, senior vice president and general manager, Autodesk Construction Solutions. “Autodesk Construction Cloud delivers a suite of preconstruction products that are bound together by a common data environment – making collaboration seamless and breaking down siloes that lead to costly mistakes and rework. We’re excited to be powering the future of preconstruction and look forward to continue delivering on our promise of building better, together.”
About Autodesk

Autodesk is changing how the world is designed and made. Our technology spans architecture, engineering, construction, product design, manufacturing, media and entertainment, empowering innovators everywhere to solve challenges big and small. From greener buildings to smarter products to more mesmerizing blockbusters, Autodesk software helps our customers to design and make a better world for all. For more information visit autodesk.com or follow @autodesk.

Media Contact

Paul Chalker
Autodesk
[email protected] 

Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, Assemble, Autodesk Construction Cloud, BIM 360, BuildingConnected, Navisworks, Revit, TradeTapp are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

© 2021 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

The post Over 350,000 Projects Turn to Autodesk Construction Cloud for Preconstruction Workflows appeared first on Digital Builder.

Tayla Matthews

www.cmcconstruction.net

When it comes to data in construction, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is, construction professionals recognize the value of data and are collecting a tremendous amount of information. In fact, research from FMI Corp shows 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are produced daily.

The bad news? The vast majority of that data — 95.5% according to FMI — goes unused in the E&C industry. And for the data that does get used, “bad” data may contribute to over $1.8 trillion in global construction industry costs. That’s a startling figure to come out of the recently released report, Harnessing the Data Advantage in Construction, made in partnership between Autodesk and FMI.

So while data can be powerful when generating insights, failing to harness it properly can do more harm than good. For a single contractor doing $1 billion in annual revenue, our research shows that bad data could cost them upwards of $165 million yearly. With so much on the line, you can see how good insights, based on good data, are a practical necessity.

Issues like wasted time and diminished productivity often arise. In fact, research shows that 13% of construction professionals’ working hours are devoted to looking for project data and information.

This tells us that while we have a lot of data, we don’t have much insight.

But don’t worry, there’s hope. If your construction firm is data-rich but insight-poor, know that there are a number of actions you can take to effectively leverage all the information you have.

Let’s explore the data issues that construction pros are facing and how to address them.

Data Challenges in Construction

Data overload and difficulty with connecting data points are two of the biggest challenges we face today.

A good question to ask yourself is, “What’s so bad about ‘bad’ data?” The problem is that when it gets used, it harms insights, enables poor decision-making, and opens you up to unnecessary risk. A downstream consequence of poor decision-making is the often understated erosion of trust in the same data you need. This directly impacts your team’s ability to make decisions confidently with data in the future.

Our research shows that data has actually doubled in the last three years alone, yet only about 55% of organizations have a formal data strategy in place to make good use of all that data. For the other 45%, as you can tell, making confident decisions with bad data is not only risky, but costly.

Travis Voss, Leader of Innovative Technology at Helm-Mechanical shares, “The two skills that will be paramount in the future are understanding how to connect and relate data from disparate sources.” In other words, to get to those high-value insights, how do we connect disconnected data?

More expert insight comes from an Autodesk University session in 2020. Manu Venugopal, Group Product Manager at Autodesk, says that most of what’s collected is stored in data silos, making it even more difficult to derive insights. 

It’s no surprise then, that Forrester found that while 74% of firms want to be more “data-driven,” only 29% are successful at turning data into insights and actions. 

“Unless we break down the silos, we can’t fully leverage all this data and get insights from it,” said Venugopal.

Recognizing the Difference Between Data, Analytics, and Insights

There are three key components to effective data utilization: data, analytics, and insights. Overcoming the challenges mentioned above starts with understanding these three things, and making sure that everyone in the organization shares the same definition of these concepts.

Only then can you effectively determine the tools, people, and processes you need to collect, analyze, and draw conclusions from data.

Let’s look at these components individually in the context of the construction industry. 

Data refers to quantitative and qualitative measures collected in raw form. In construction, this could be things like the number of defects, safety incident rates, time spent dealing with change orders, observations on the jobsite, etc.

Data collection specialists and data engineers are usually the types of professionals in charge of handling these measures. People in these roles clean, aggregate, and enter the information to be analyzed. 

Analytics, on the other hand, involves processes and technologies that help translate the raw data into formats that people can understand — typically reports and dashboards. Effective data analytics requires a robust construction platform as well as data analysts who can help with inspecting and transforming data into the best format. 

Then we have insights, which are the meaningful realizations and actions that the organization implements based on data and analytics. While there are official roles designed for deriving insights (one example is the role of insight analysts), extracting insights from data and analytics is something that many people in the organization can do. 

For instance, field managers and general contractors who regularly monitor metrics like incident rates, rework costs, or waste can use all that information to come up with processes that improve profits and productivity on the jobsite. 

Key Pillars to Move from Data to Insights

Now that we’ve covered the fundamentals of data, analytics, and insights, let’s discuss how construction firms can put all of the above to good use. Here are the pillars of effective data management and analysis. 

Digitization. With so many metrics and data points to be collected and analyzed, it’s simply impossible to do things manually. That’s why the first pillar of moving from data to insights is digitization.  

Do note that going digital isn’t simply about replacing pen and paper with technology; it’s about reimagining your processes to make data collection and sharing more efficient. 

As Venugopal put it, digitization “isn’t just about moving off of paper although that’s an important first step. It’s about enhancing the way information is shared, often in ways that weren’t even possible before and leveraging connected devices in the office and field to expand access to project information and help everyone make faster and better decisions.”

Workforce upskilling. With so much riding on the quality of your data, having a workforce with data skills may give you a healthy competitive edge.

Digital transformation is inevitable in the construction industry worldwide. How and when you choose to embrace it will affect your team’s ability to make great data-driven decisions when they count most.

Workflow integration.You may be using digital tools, but if your systems and workflows aren’t integrated, becoming more data-centric will be an uphill battle. 

So, strive to run your workflows on a tightly integrated system. Connected construction workflows open up several benefits, including higher levels of efficiency, reduced risk, and better collaboration. 

As such, your construction platform should enable the smooth data transfer from one project phase to the next and enable all stakeholders to be in sync.

Open and connected data access. See to it that you’re using an open platform that allows you to quickly find, access, and retrieve data. This openness is critical, particularly in a fast-paced environment where you need to get your hands on the right information ASAP.

Closely related to this is having connected datasets. Your workflows should be linked so that any updates or changes to your data are automatically synced across your systems. This way, you’re able to access the right information at any given time. 

Flexible visualizations. Raw data by itself is hardly useful. Your team should be able to view data in a user-friendly format — hence the need for visuals like graphs, tables, and reports. 

The manner in which data is presented can make all the difference, so get yourself a system that supports user-friendly and flexible visualizations. There are data platforms that offer templates or pre-built dashboards for things like resolution workflows, RFI management, etc. 

The best-in-class solutions come with configurable visualizations that let you tailor your reports to fit your needs. This flexibility is essential because there are many cases when you need to slice and dice the information to fit a specific project or situation.

Streamlining intelligence. Data-backed insights are the bedrock of good business decisions, so you want to optimize your data analysis for success. While team members can certainly put their heads together to gather intel, it doesn’t hurt to use technology to automate your data efforts. 

Adopt construction technology that uses AI and machine learning to provide real-time and automatic insights from the data you’re capturing. The right solution, said Venugopal, can help “flag any riffs, improve the accuracy of your workflows as well as help standardize and structure the data” — ultimately streamlining your operations and helping you deliver projects quickly, and in the most cost-effective way possible. 

Data and insights go hand-in-hand in construction

The future of construction will be a lot more insightful. In order to thrive, your firm needs people, processes, and tools that can help you unlock the valuable insights within your construction data. 

To do that, start by making sure that your organization understands the ins and outs of data, analytics, and insights. It’s important to establish the key pillars discussed above so you can have a solid foundation on which to build and implement your initiatives. 

If you’d like to learn more about how to turn data into insights, learn more about Autodesk Construction Cloud to find out how our platform keeps your workflows, teams, and data connected at every phase of construction. Additionally, if you’d like to learn why a formal data strategy may be the game changer you’ve been needing, download Harnessing the Data Advantage in Construction, a report made in partnership between Autodesk and FMI.

The post You Have Data — But Do You Have Construction Insights? appeared first on Digital Builder.

Tayla Matthews

www.cmcconstruction.net

The Latest Across Autodesk Construction Cloud Unified Platform, Autodesk Build, Autodesk BIM Collaborate, Autodesk Takeoff, BuildingConnected, BIM 360, and Assemble 

We spend a lot of time listening to customers so we can build the products and incorporating the features you need most. Our team has been hard at work, and thanks to your feedback on the user experience, I’m excited to share over 35 new feature releases and enhancements across Autodesk Construction Cloud products. 

From ensuring project schedule detail is always visible no matter where you are, to faster resolution of design discrepancies with deeper issue tracking, the latest product updates within Autodesk Construction Cloud can be found below.

Jump to releases by product: 

• • Autodesk Construction Cloud Unified Platform
  • Autodesk Build 
  • Autodesk BIM Collaborate
  • Autodesk Takeoff
  • BuildingConnected 
    • BuildingConnected Pro 
    • Bid Board Pro
    • TradeTapp 
  • BIM 360
  • Assemble

Autodesk Construction Cloud Unified Platform

* = features on both Autodesk Construction Cloud Unified Platform & BIM 360

API | App Gallery 

The App Gallery allows Account Admins to easily connect Autodesk Construction Cloud platform products with third-party apps such as augmented reality tools, jobsite cameras or scheduling applications. The App Gallery allows users to explore and discover a range of integration solutions that leverage the Forge open platform for seamless data flow. 

Administration | Limit Project & Template Creation to Account Admins 

Autodesk Construction Cloud Unified Platform users can now limit the creation of new projects and new project templates to only Account Admins. This restriction creates more control, improves standardization, and ensures the unnecessary creation of duplicate projects or project templates. 

Administration | Product Display List in Project Admin & Members Pages 

Project Admins will now only see the products they have purchased as options to assign to members. This will avoid potential confusion of which products or licenses are available to use. Additionally, Account Admins will have the option from this screen to purchase or add additional products. 

Administration | UI Updates to Project List Page 

Users can now see additional links to other Autodesk Construction Cloud products in the top of the project list page. The addition of these links will help teams save time with the ability to easily access other Autodesk Construction Cloud products like BuildingConnected and TradeTapp. 

Document Management | Search Reviews and Transmittals by Name 

You now have access to a new search bar at the top of the Reviews and Transmittals pages. By inputting a keyword in the search bar, users will be able to search through all Reviews and Transmittals to quickly find what they’re looking for. 

Document Management | Hypermodel Viewing and Alignment 

Users will now get a better understanding, and visualization, of their 2D drawings and 3D Models with hypermodel viewing and alignment. Users can choose 2D drawings to position on top of a sectioned 3D model to align and seamlessly navigate between. 

Document Management | Holding Area Update 

Previously, files in the Holding Area were split into batches based on upload group with a time/date stamp. The Holding Area will now show all files in a single list and will be sortable by columns so Admins can easily review, edit, and approve. 

Document Management | Custom Attributes Enhancements * 

You now have better document control with custom attribute enhancements. For example, Custom Attributes with text fields now have character type and character limit constraints. In addition, Admins have the ability to edit custom attributes that already have data associated with them. 

Dashboards | Additional Partner Cards 

Both Autodesk Construction Cloud Unified Platform and BIM 360 users will now see new partner cards for Google,  Airtable, Join.BUILG , Stevenson Systems, Embneusys, Field Control Analytics, Lambertsson, OpticVyu, ProgressCenter, ProNovos, Quickbase, Safe Site Check In, SignOnSite, StructShare, TopBuilder, and WakeCap. 

Autodesk Build 

** = features in both Autodesk Build & BIM 360
*** = features in Autodesk Build, Autodesk BIM Collaborate & BIM 360

Schedule Tool 

Autodesk Build’s Schedule Tool is now available for all Autodesk Build users! Schedules uploaded from Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, and ASTA Powerproject can be imported to a Build project and displayed in a Gantt chart or calendar view.  

Create custom views that display desired schedule items with the filter function, allowing users to look three weeks ahead or behind the current schedule. Share the schedule with field teams so they can comment on specific activities and link references to each activity item. References include photos, files, sheets, assets, and issues. Users can also integrate Schedule with Cost in Autodesk Build to improve budgeting and planning for schedule-related costs. 

Get all the details on the new Schedule Tool in this blog post [coming soon]. 

Data Connector | Forms Data & Power BI Template

Coming early October. Autodesk Build users can now extract Forms data using the Data Connector as well as leverage a new Power BI Template. This will help improve visibility into how teams are using forms, an overview of the status of forms, and highlight any issues that need to be addressed.  

Data Connector | Updates to Document Management & Assets Power BI Templates ** 

There is now a new Document Management Power BI Template that includes formats for both csv and compatibility with the Power BI Connector tool. Additionally, there is a new Asset Power BI Template that is compatible with the Power BI Connector tool. These templates help teams start to create custom dashboards that align more to their company KPI’s while using easy out-of-the-box options.  

Templates | Adding Form Templates from Account Library 

Account Admins will now see the ability to add a form template directly to a project template. This can be created within the account level library. This expands on the standardization capabilities ensuring that teams are always inputting the right data via the most up-to-date templates.  

Meetings | Microsoft Teams Integration *** 

Autodesk Build and BIM Collaborate users will now be able to add a Microsoft Teams meeting link directly from the meeting. This helps to enable more collaboration between project teams as users can now choose between Zoom and a Microsoft Teams collaboration toolsets. 

RFIs | Email mechanism for project team members

Coming early October. Project team members can now reply to RFIs directly from the email notification, without logging into the platform. If a team member has a ball-in-court, their response will be noted as the official response and the RFI will automatically move to the next step in the process. This increases collaboration, streamlines the process, and helps improve the response time for RFIs.  

RFIs | Enhanced References

Autodesk Build users can add additional references including submittals, forms, assets, and schedule items. When referencing RFIs in other tools, such as Issues, users will be able to search and filter across all RFIs, making it easy to connect workflows within Build. 

RFIs | View and edit custom fields on mobile

Autodesk Build users can now view and edit custom fields, within RFIs, directly from their mobile devices. 

RFIs | Quick List Action / Three dot menu 

Autodesk Build users can now perform quick RFI actions from the RFI menu within the RFI log. These actions include: duplicate RFI, sending a reminder email to the RFI ball-in-court, and exporting the RFI. 

Submittals | View linked markups on mobile 

Autodesk Build users can now view linked submittals directly from markups on their iOS and Android advice. This ensures that all team members, especially those in the field, have access to important project documents. 

Cost Management | Connection to Locations** 

Autodesk Build and BIM 360 Cost Management users can now connect a location to budget and change order items. This feature allows teams to see how much money is allocated to specific areas in the building, and have a location-based view of changes. This provides a powerful way to track patterns to mitigate risk and potential cost overruns. 

Cost Management | Cost Payment Applications Custom Approval Workflows** 

Autodesk Build and BIM 360 Cost Management users can now utilize the decision-based workflow engine to create custom workflows to automate the internal review and approval process of cost payment applications. 

Forms | Forms Tab UI Revamp on Mobile 

Coming soon. The Forms tab UI will be revamped to offer a more convenient experience to mobile users. With this improvement, finding and quickly editing form drafts becomes easier for the field team. The update includes a new “At a glance” view and searching and filtering options. 

Photos | Locations

Users will have the ability to add a location to a photo. Linking jobsite photos to predefined project locations will help teams further standardize the way they collect and organize their data. 

Learn more about this month’s product releases specific to Autodesk Build in this blog post.

Autodesk BIM Collaborate 

Design Collaboration | Design Issues 

Design issues in Autodesk BIM Collaborate help teams communicate and resolve design discrepancies in 2D and 3D by detailing the who, what, and where—all in the same environment where design packages are created and reviewed. 

Issues in design collaboration use the same communication solution as is used in coordination workflows, field workflows, and the Revit add-in, making it easy to assign and resolve issues in whichever tool is necessary to get the job done. 

Upfront issue communications create higher quality designs and have a cascading effect on downstream workflows, making the job of the BIM manager and the project manager all that much easier. 

Get all the in-depth details on the new Design Issues feature in this blog post [coming soon].

Design Collaboration | Team Content Folders 

Each team on a project can now define which folders they’d like to see in their team space. The team content folders will only show the selected sub-folders for quicker access to the most relevant models, sheets, and pdfs. Permissions can be assigned for each team folder as well as creating an exclusive coordination space for that team’s models is quick and easy. With fewer files to load, teams gain speed and efficiency in the package creation process 

Autodesk Takeoff 

File Compare 

Users can now compare PDF versions directly in Autodesk Takeoff without the need to run the compare in Autodesk Docs. This helps streamline change management and creates a smoother takeoff process. Users can either compare files side by side or use the overlay option. 

BuildingConnected 

BuildingConnected Pro 

Updated Look and Feel

Coming soon. Users can now experience an updated look and feel with new typography and colors in BuildingConnected Pro. Product functionality remains the same. 

New Proposals API Endpoint 

For users that use BuildingConnected Pro’s API, there is a new API endpoint available for proposals submitted. Information such as line item descriptions, unit costs, total cost, and revisions are available to use. 

Bid Board Pro 

Updated Look and Feel

Coming soon. Users can now experience an updated look and feel with new typography and colors in Bid Board Pro. Product functionality remains the same. 

TradeTapp 

Expanded Auto-Renewals 

Users can now configure vendor auto-renewals to send based on qualification status expiration, financial statement expiration, and/or certificate of insurance expiration. 

BIM 360 

Reports | Display Asset Detail in Checklist Report 

Coming early October. The Checklist Detail Report in BIM 360 will now include details about assets that are referenced back to a checklist. This will give users access to any relevant asset data so they can save time by addressing issues quickly during inspections.  

Reports | Checklist Report Filter Enhancement 

BIM 360 users will now see a new “Updated” filter option for the Checklist Detail and Checklist Summary reports. This allows users to select a timeframe for showing checklists that have been updated within a specified time range. This also gives users the ability to create more relevant reports with more specific data. 

Checklists | Offline Checklist Creation

Coming early October. BIM 360 mobile users will be able to create a checklist even when their phone doesn’t have an internet connection. Thanks to this feature, even if field teams need to work on sites with no internet connection, they can still start filling out checklists which will sync up to the cloud once they are back online. 

Checklists | Filter by Creation Date 

BIM 360 users can now filter checklists based on their creation date by using the new “Created On” filter. Thanks to this new filter, project members who need to review checklists created within a certain time frame, can quickly find what they are looking for. 

Checklists | Attach Document from Local Drive 

Coming soon. Similar to RFIs and Issues, BIM 360 users will be able to attach a document from their local drive to a checklist as well. The document will be stored as an attachment to the checklist only, it won’t show up among the project files. 

Submittals | Reporting and Submittal Enhancements 

All BIM 360 users will now be able to create reports and filter submittal items by sub-status and due date, increasing transparency and connectivity. Users will also be able to export search results and leverage the new XLSX export format within the submittals overview tab. 

Assemble 

Model Publishing Enhancements 

Assemble users can now publish Revit models directly from Autodesk Docs and BIM 360 Docs to Assemble without the need of Revit add-in. This greatly reduces duplication of efforts by leveraging the common data environment. It also helps ensure everyone is working from the latest project documents. 

Stay in the Know for More Autodesk Construction Cloud Product Updates 

The post 35+ New Product Updates for Autodesk Construction Cloud appeared first on Digital Builder.

Tayla Matthews

www.cmcconstruction.net