InSite (magazine of the IT Construction Forum) - July 2007

From the ground up

The use of advanced collaboration tools on a large project is often determined by main contractors or clients, but what benefits do collaboration technologies hold for smaller projects that don’t require such substantial systems?

After a slow start, collaboration technologies are now taking the construction industry by storm. Whether it is an on-demand web-based collaboration tool or project extranet, the ability to share access to project documentation and drawings has a number of high profile construction companies and clients singing the technology’s praises.

An independent survey carried out by the Network for Construction Collaboration Providers (NCCTP) recently found that 96% of those interviewed had experienced benefits from using collaboration tools. Several advantages were seen as substantial by more than 80% of users, particularly the round-the-clock availability of documents, drawings and other project data, the reduced risk of losing these important documents and drawings, and an improved audit trail.

The effective use of collaboration technology is increasingly important across projects of all sizes, with many project managers impressed by the high level of visibility that these tools can provide across projects, enabling potential problems and risk factors to be highlighted early in the process. With the tools, project team members have access to the right versions of drawings, eliminating the risks of working from incorrect versions which can include costly mistakes, missed targets and potential legal disputes.

Those working on large-scale construction projects have long seen the benefits of collaboration technologies. With its use often dictated by the main project contractors or by the client themselves, it is the overall size of the project team that necessitates a central repository for project drawings and documentation.

Now, however, companies working on smaller projects with a much reduced project team, are also discovering the benefits of collaboration technologies.

These small projects tend to lack the budget of large-scale developments, yet both clients and contractors are finding that email is no longer a suitable format for exchanging fullscale drawings, as well as documents and project data. FTP (file transfer protocol) sites, too, are no longer providing the necessary results, as there can be no guarantees that team members have downloaded the latest specifications or drawings. As a result, clients and construction companies working on smaller projects are turning to dedicated entry-level collaboration solutions.

Instant access

“With a couple of projects at the early design and feasibility stages, we couldn’t justify a full collaboration tool,” says Carol Boreham, project administrator for global airport company BAA. “We simply required a few folders in which people could drop drawings so they could be shared with project team members.”

BAA, one of the world’s leading airport companies, was keen to increase awareness and acceptance of collaboration tools amongst its project teams but wanted a simple, entry-level tool for early stage and small construction projects. After trialling several options across its portfolio of developments, the company settled on Asite’s Workspace tool.

Workspace is a hosted, on-demand system that provides a secure repository for project data. “On small projects the design can change very quickly, and project managers and stakeholders often want to see drawings immediately,” says Boreham. “Workspace gives us a common place to access this information so that everyone involved in the project can see changes or see who last worked on a document.”

The tool is currently being used on a major redevelopment of Edinburgh airport that includes redevelopment of the check-in areas, departure lounge and car rental areas as well as some airside redevelopment. It is also being implemented on a project to relocate the fuel farm at Glasgow airport to accommodate new railway lines.

BAA felt it was important to implement a collaborative working tool right at the beginning of the project to set the tone for the project and ensure all project team members understood how BAA wanted to work. “It was important to get buy-in from all project team members, but at the end of the day, we wanted to ensure people were working on the right versions of drawings and that we had a full audit trail for documentation,” explains Boreham.

It was this ability to provide instant access to current documents, as well as the latest programme and cost information, that persuaded Inverness-based professional services consultancy Synergie Scotland to choose BIW Technologies’ collaboration platform for use on smaller projects such as its contracts with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

“Our agreement with HIE was an ideal opportunity to pioneer an innovative ICT solution to manage projects across the Highlands, which were using the NEC form of contract,” says Synergie Systems managing director Ian MacGillivray. As a result, HIE expects to see a significant increase in the use of web-based collaborative technologies across its projects.

Hosted solutions

Synergie Systems and BAA are not the only companies to think an increase in web-based collaborative technologies will be seen across smaller projects. Vendors, too, are reporting an increase in uptake of web-based technologies.

Web-based collaboration tools are available on-demand and are simply accessed via an Internet connection. All project data and documentation is securely hosted on servers held by the service provider. Team members, therefore, can access essential project data at any time of the day or night, without having to install an expensive software programme and pay additional fees for upgrades and training.

These web-based tools can provide a more affordable collaboration option for small projects that lack a significant IT budget at the beginning of the design and build process. The any-time, any-site access to project data provided by hosted collaboration tools is also beneficial on smaller projects, believes Paul Wilkinson, Head of Corporate Communications at BIW Technologies. “One small construction business owner we work with, for example, sometimes uses the same computer his daughter uses for her homework if he needs information for an emergency repair in the middle of the night.”

The increased uptake in web-based collaboration tools on smaller projects has come about as businesses have seen the benefits of using advanced collaboration tools when they have been part of the project team on a large-scale contract, believes Steven Yeomans, Collaboration Consultant at multi-disciplinary consulting engineering practice Buro Happold. "Conversely, a full solution isn’t always applicable for smaller projects, and complex applications can become inhibitors rather than facilitators of efficient collaboration.”

Yeomans says it is important for project teams to determine their specific requirements in the early stages of a small project, then source a tool with the right ability to suit. "Advanced systems are often unnecessary and can be overkill,” he cautions.

BAA’s Boreham agrees. “Before implementing an entry-level collaboration tool, make sure it fits your requirements. Decide what you want from the tool and don’t be swayed by vendors trying to push more advanced tools than you require. As with anything, the system can often be tweaked to fit with your project requirements,” she advises.

Asite and BIW Technologies are IT Partners of the IT Construction Forum.

(PDF of original article also available here)