Back in 2013, Structure Tone Organization started a search for a complete field solution. Their intent was to improve their document management and punchlist processes. The superintendents and field staff were spending 50% of their day in the jobsite trailer and/or the office due to paperwork. This meant that 3-4 hours of their day were being taken up with tasks other than building.
The firm had other software in place for project management and drawing edits, but they needed something with simple mobile usability. The trailer-time problem persisted until they found PlanGrid.
PlanGrid was the perfect complementary field tool. The company uses the app to distribute drawings to jobsites, view plans onsite, and assign/complete punchlists. PlanGrid is also their central hub for all project documents in the form of attachments. RFI’s, submittals, schedules,
and reports for consultants are attached to their PlanGrid projects for easy mobile access and instant references.
Structure Tone Organization has now secured several aspects of their field operations. The company feels confident that their field always has the current set of drawings. Hyperlinked RFI’s ensure they can pull up the latest information from anywhere, plus, they can view approved submittals without having to switch applications or flip through pages. This successful field workflow has been swiftly adopted by each company, but it did not happen overnight.
PlanGrid has now been used across Structure Tone Organization on more than 4,000 projects. After three months of the initial pilot, the users were already saving three hours per day. These results have been replicated time and time again across the org. Now, subs, owners and consultants are collaborating on their PlanGrid projects as well.
PlanGrid has also had a significant impact on their printing budget. Although they still keep one paper set of plans in the trailer, its importance has been severely minimized. In addition, the working relationship with the app has been key: their internal team has made recommendations to PlanGrid, and PlanGrid has updated features as a result.
The company continues to improve its processes as additional PlanGrid features are released, most recently leveraging the product to better assist in RFI management beyond document attachments. They are also working with PlanGrid and their other software partners to evaluate integrating data amongst their systems to reduce data entry, and create a greater value proposition for all of their staff across their application ecosystem. To ensure everyone is getting the full benefit out of PlanGrid, Structure Tone Organization also has initiatives to
experiment with different training approaches.
Project managers, superintendents, engineers, operations managers and executives are all using the app as needed. Anybody that can benefit gets a license, since PlanGrid has proven itself as a provider of total efficiency. The company continues to build record-breaking structures, like their newest Philadelphia skyscraper, and they always bring PlanGrid to assist.
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