sphaugh
2004-02-05, 02:09 PM
Lets face it. Paper sucks. By the end of the project I'm currently working, I'll have several file drawers full of correspondence, flat files full of drawings that are obsolete, submittal data & samples out the yin-yang. In all, it'll take a small pickup truck to haul it someplace to be archived. And this is not a big job.
One thing that'll cut down on this stuff is digital project management. I've got some contractors running Meridian Prolog Manager - very cool for that profession but not quite right for Architecture practice. Ditto Constructware, others..
I've done some searching after my initial hopes of coming up with a way to do this in-house - and have pretty much concluded that we just need to take the plunge (financially and mindset-wise) to a hosted ASP model. I'm getting demos/info from the following:
Project-websites.com
Buzzsaw.com
Bricsnet Project Center
But I'm looking for some testimonials from firms not as big as Ellerbe Becket and HOK. I know the cost is significant but probably not as bad as typical fedex charges for a large job - so feasibility is evident, IMHO. Plus, we can put it in our contract and essentially charge the client for this as a front end expense.
Most concerning to me is collaboration during design, but also for Construction Admin services. The big contractors who have made the plunge into solutions like Prolog Manager have done themselves a huge favor in terms of organization & paperwork, but the fact that they maintain a closed database for RFI's, Submittal logs, PCO's, etc has me concerned. I don't want to be scanning their [immediately old] logs in or worse, re-typing RFI's when this info could all stay digital and up to date if the GC/CM's apps could talk to the Architect's apps.
Has anyone felt my pain & found a solution?
One thing that'll cut down on this stuff is digital project management. I've got some contractors running Meridian Prolog Manager - very cool for that profession but not quite right for Architecture practice. Ditto Constructware, others..
I've done some searching after my initial hopes of coming up with a way to do this in-house - and have pretty much concluded that we just need to take the plunge (financially and mindset-wise) to a hosted ASP model. I'm getting demos/info from the following:
Project-websites.com
Buzzsaw.com
Bricsnet Project Center
But I'm looking for some testimonials from firms not as big as Ellerbe Becket and HOK. I know the cost is significant but probably not as bad as typical fedex charges for a large job - so feasibility is evident, IMHO. Plus, we can put it in our contract and essentially charge the client for this as a front end expense.
Most concerning to me is collaboration during design, but also for Construction Admin services. The big contractors who have made the plunge into solutions like Prolog Manager have done themselves a huge favor in terms of organization & paperwork, but the fact that they maintain a closed database for RFI's, Submittal logs, PCO's, etc has me concerned. I don't want to be scanning their [immediately old] logs in or worse, re-typing RFI's when this info could all stay digital and up to date if the GC/CM's apps could talk to the Architect's apps.
Has anyone felt my pain & found a solution?