Superintendent Mario Lewarne has a faster way to clarify design details with trade partners working onsite at UNR’s Palmer Engineering renovation. He sends them to the Clark/Sullivan (C/S) Construction app. No more hauling out a massive set of architectural drawings and debating what they mean. Trade partners, inspectors, consultants and owners have access to updated design details and clarifying documents at their fingertips when they walk on the job. “You can’t believe how much time it saves and how much easier it is to clarify what the design team intended for us to build,” says Lewarne, a 24-year construction veteran who loves field technology, “The benefits have gone far beyond what we could have imagined.”
Trade Partners Adapt
“I thought the app was very useful to have up-to-date plans and to be able to schedule inspections electronically from my phone,” said Trade Partner Bo Waller of Waller Inc. The app, developed by the C/S IT team, can be easily accessed from a mobile device like an iPhone, Android device, or tablet at any time. Because it is responsive, it will shrink or grow in size to match the screen size of the device being used. “After using it on our phones, we are now looking into getting iPads for our crews,” said Waller.
Simple Yet Secure
The app features simple installation with no need for usernames or passwords, which can result in roadblocks when sharing information with others. The app does not replaced the secure project dashboard, which is used on every C/S job as a portal for the architect and design consultants to collaborate, update and clarify design, schedule and record. Rather, the C/S IT team developed the app to allow trade partners and inspectors to review select, relevant information on the dashboard without being able to change content. By not requiring login information, field teams can share the information more fluidly and effectively. “In the past, we’ve required everyone to have their own login credentials and we would get calls all day about them not working or being unable to access project information,” said C/S IT Manager Todd Miknus. “As a result of making the app easily accessible and intuitive, we have had less support calls about issues.”
Field Efficiency
With an easy to access app, we can quickly bring our field operations up to speed. For example, inspectors and trade partners are able to familiarize themselves with the project drawings and clarifications before even setting foot on the site. Or, team members can simply pull out their phones right where they are to access the project drawings rather than tracking down the printed copies. This leads to less wasted time and increased preparedness onsite. “We have received nothing but praise for our app,” said C/S Superintendent Larry Cabodi, who is seeing the efficiencies on his Solano Auto-Tech job site. “Our team members find new ways to use it to save time and heartache daily. It’s an awesome tool to help keep our teams informed and maintain the highest level of quality, production and safety.”
Integration
Our developer created the app to work with our cloud-based file sharing system so that the app would show the same folders and files. This means that our users do not need to install additional programs or be trained on a new system to effectively use the app. “It was really important to us that the introduction of this app didn’t just become another program that project teams would have to learn and adapt to,” said C/S Web Developer Ryan Burns. “Our goal was to integrate our existing platform into the application so it would be an easy access point for all team members to collaborate efficiently.”
The app is currently being used on the Palmer Engineering Renovation, Solano Auto-Tech, Mable Barron Renovation, Claudia Landeen Renovation, and McClatchy Performing Arts Modernization projects and is expected to rollout company-wide in the coming months.
