Digitize Key Construction Processes with Autodesk Build

CAROLINA FONG GUZZY: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the session Digitize Key Construction Processes with Autodesk Build. My name is Carolina and today we'll go through our main insights to this build from Autodesk Construction Cloud. So a little bit of background on myself. I'm a civil engineer with a master's of project management, and throughout my career I've worked in different companies from construction companies in Latin America to Autodesk as a technical sales specialist where I was focused in infrastructure.

And in the last five years I've been working with Accienta in Dubai, where we guide clients through their digital transformation journeys. So today we'll discuss different topics like Autodesk Construction Cloud and Autodesk Build. In particular, we will talk about the digital transformation journey for construction and some key industry insights that can help you in your own organization's journey.

So the learning objectives for today are to become proficient in Autodesk Build key functionality, apply Autodesk Build features to your company's key processes, adopt efficient ways to collaborate between different stakeholders in a project, and avoid costly issues and mistakes on-site by leveraging live information and task accountability.

So let's start. First of all, what is Autodesk Construction Cloud? Why ACC? So previously, site and office have a history of being disconnected. There's a lack of transparency, data and information lost, and there is no proper version control because collaboration was physical. So this means that all the meetings were in person and sometimes you need to bring drawings on-site.

Different stakeholders have different versions of those drawings, so there can be a lot of errors and omissions. These paper based processes take time and resources. You need to print the drawings. You need to stamp and sign them, scan them, and then give them to all the participants in the project. But with a digital process, you can track all of these things from the mobile app and from your own desktop, reducing time and resources, and of course, decreasing the amount of errors that we get.

And also, projects and processes were not unified. This means that each project manager is prioritizing different areas and maybe the workflows in a certain project are different to others. So with all Autodesk Construction Cloud, you have the power of live data collaboration and issue resolution on the cloud. This means that you can really call the system one single source of truth where all the stakeholders are connected and have key metadata available for analysis and report. You can also add customizable dashboards, partner cards, and further integration via Forge.

So let's walk through Autodesk Build key functionality starting with Autodesk Docs. Autodesk Docs is the document management component inside Autodesk Construction Cloud. This is where you have your specific project folder structure and you can choose to replicate these and unify it for all your projects or modify per project as you wish.

Here you have different files, from documents to drawings, models, but even files that are not necessarily Autodesk native files. It could be from Microsoft Office, for example, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and many others that are crucial to the project. You can have version control, naming standards, and of course, add review workflows-- for example, approvals of specific documents-- and associate key metadata like status discipline or any other customizable attribute that you may need. I recommend you go through the handout for more details.

As well as Autodesk Docs, another module is Autodesk Build module where you have issues, forms, photos, RFIs, submittals, meetings, schedule assets, and more. This is how the homepage looks like. And again, all these different functionalities can help you to track key workflows for quality, for safety, for snagging. You can have different types of forms in the system, and of course, control everything with permissions based on role or company.

Last but not least, something that is great is that now with the Autodesk Build subscription, you also have access to the cost management module. And in the cost management module, you can track your budget and your costs and contracts with the supply chain. So think of it from the main contractor's perspective. You can also track and change orders upstream or downstream that is coming from the client or the owner or from the main contractor to the subcontractors.

So with all this information-- and if you desire to have a more robust system, you can build an integration for costs from your own ERP systems. And then you can also generate different forecasts, cash flow based on these information. Now, talking about Autodesk Build module, one of the key functionality that I want to highlight today are the Issues functionality. Here, you can create relevant issue categories and types depending on what you track in your project.

You can assign responsible parties a role, company, and a specific due date for each of the issues. And something that is super important is that you can reference other areas of the system here, like photos, files, forms, assets, RFIs, and submittals. You'll see this common thread throughout the platform, and it's one of the key value propositions from Autodesk Construction Cloud. Also, you have this account history and you can filter existing issues and report on key metadata.

So let's take a look at how this works in the system. When we are on the site, we will use a mobile device. It can be a tablet or our phone, and we can open a specific drawing and generate an issue. We simply select the issue, pin, the location, and the category and type of issue that we want to create. In this case, we're going to create a quality issue, then we'll type a short description. It could be, for example, the tiles placement.

And then you need to select a specific start date and due date. This is very important to later have the metadata necessary to filter on and find all your issues quickly. You can also assign specific watchers, and watchers will only view the issue but they are not in charge of solving it. The role who's in charge of solving it is the actual assignee.

You can add a location from the location breakdown structure, which is also unified throughout the platform, and add additional location details. Then the root cause is very important to explain why we have this issue in the first place. And this data will be very useful later on to classify everything that we're capturing in the system. Then we can also associate or reference photos and videos to our same issue and simply generate it.

So once we finish and we assign a specific assignee for this issue who will be in charge of responding to it, we will have finalized the process of creating an issue. As simple as that. Then when we open our drawing. We'll be able to see this issue and any other issues that we have created. Another functionality that is really important to talk about are the forms.

So in Autodesk Build you can create forms inside the system, or you can also use smart PDF forms. If you want to use the specific company's logo or format that is desired, you can replicate that in the system. And then it's really easy to use because you can fill out the forms directly from the mobile app-- again, phone or tablet-- or even from desktop. But on-site, we want to have that aspect of easy to use. Then create form templates that can be replicated in different projects and filter key information.

So again, let's take a look on how this works live. We simply select a specific form template from our menu. The date and ID will come automatically by the system. And then we fill it out. As you can see here, some of the information is coming automatically, like the project name, project number, date, company, et cetera because this metadata can be captured by the smart PDF form with a specific term. And we simply fill out all the other fields, add the comments, and you can also use even a signature.

Then for photos. We know that it's construction projects, we want to know the progress and we want to capture as many data and information as possible. So photos and videos are key. We can capture them, again, from our mobile device or take them with a professional camera and later on upload them in the office. That's fine as well.

But if you're using mobile devices and you have the GPS location turned on, you will have access to that map view where you can see pins of where the specific photos or videos were taken. So this is also quite useful. And the location breakdown structure that we've been talking about, it's unified so it's also available from the photos functionality. You can use a combination of auto tags and manual tags to classify photos and videos.

Manual tags, as the name says, you will simply type some category that is useful for your project, and auto tags are generated automatically in the system. And again, you can reference other areas of the common data environment like files, issues, forms as needed.

So all we need to do is take a photo or video with our mobile device, and we can add specific markups from different colors. For example, here we have the AC unit. We want to specify that it's on for some sort of test, for example, or a QA/QC check that we are doing on site, and then we can generate a specific tag. So it depends on what's important for your project. In this case, we want to classify these as AC.

And there is no limit for the tags. You can have as many tags as you want per photo or per video, but it's important to think of the data that will be useful to filter later on. And for location, we select a location from the location breakdown structure And we can reference to other areas of the system. So for example, here we are referencing this specific photo with the daily report form and a specific RFI as well.

So later on, whenever someone from the team is looking at the photo can see all these references and access the other areas in the system. Filters are quite useful, so this is where we will use all those tags, either manual or auto tag, to filter information, export reports, or even use the map view, as mentioned before.

Then let's talk about meetings. So we know that in construction projects, we need to coordinate a lot of drawings, a lot of models, and sometimes companies use an Excel sheet or other word files to track the meetings. But this is not dynamic and it's not connected to tasks for those people. So with Autodesk Build, you can add a video conference link to Microsoft Teams or Zoom directly from the platform and you can generate meeting series.

This means that you can create, for example, mock up meeting or coordination meeting and different numbers of that meeting. So 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, let's say, and you can see the entire history of the meeting series. You can assign the specific meeting items to a responsible party and also specify a due date so there's more accountability for each of the stakeholders.

And every time you generate a follow up meeting, any item that was open will come automatically and anything that was closed will remain in the previous meetings. Last but not least, you can export the meeting menu to PDF. Another functionality that is amazing in Autodesk Build is the schedule functionality. You have no idea how many times clients would ask if our platform can integrate with Primavera v6.

I'm so happy to be able to say that now Autodesk Field can import-- you can import files from Primavera v6, Microsoft Project, or ASTA Power Project. And once you have all that information coming from the native file, like the, of course, activities, predecessor, successor, et cetera, and the Gantt chart that comes with it, you can suggest relevant updates like an activity percentage complete, delay, or cost impact for the schedule manager to review.

So the schedule manager can review all the suggestions from the team and accept or decline those changes. So this is how it looks like in the system. It's really easy. You just need to import the file and then select the specific roles or companies that should have access to that schedule. It's important to note that you can have different schedules in the system with different permission levels.

So for example, you could have a schedule where only certain stakeholders in the project have access to, and you can have another schedule where all project members can view and add comments. Once you are inside your schedule, you will have the list view and the Gantt view. You can choose which one to work with or both at the same time, like in this example. You can turn on and off key metadata coming from the native file or add additional columns like the activity ID, duration, predecessor, successor, or even comments coming from Autodesk Build.

Now, if you select a specific activity, you can see the activity details. Again, all the information is coming from the native file, but what is really key here is that you can collaborate on the schedule in Autodesk Build. You can add comments. These comments will be tracked. There will be a history. And repeating what we've been saying with all the different functionality for Autodesk Build, you can also reference other files.

You can easily rename your schedule and add references for files, photos, issues, and other areas in the system that generate much more value from collaboration. Now if you select a specific activity, the user can update the percentage complete or even say if there will be a delay or cost impact on any specific item. These edits are only visible to the contributor until they are submitted to the schedule manager.

So the schedule manager will be the role that is in charge of reviewing all of those suggestions and either accepting them or rejecting them. Once they are accepted, the reviewer needs to go to the next file, make all those changes, and re-upload the file as a second version in Autodesk Build. Or if these changes are declined there will be a specific comment for that, but all the history will live in the system.

Now, let's talk a little bit about the digital transformation journey that applies to construction. We've seen the product as Autodesk Build and Autodesk Construction Cloud, but let's think about your organization's current state for a moment. So which data is key for operations and should be tracked? How many forms and checklists are key to day to day operations?

With how many stakeholders are we communicating per project? Does my organization have a standard folder structure? Can it be replicated in new projects? What are the most important issues that need to be tracked and solved weekly, and how can we digitize key workflows for seamless and efficient collaboration? So these are a lot of questions, right?

Now let's go through some of the key steps to go through a successful implementation. The first one is alignment. I do recommend that you map your key processes and set a baseline. If you can measure that baseline it will be very useful because if your target is to reduce time on a specific workflow, you can compare the before and after states or the [INAUDIBLE] to be.

And then you can look at the pain points or the areas you want to improve in your own organization versus system capabilities, so where some of these system capabilities can directly impact our current pain point. This is quite important because all stakeholder expectations should be aligned to what we're looking for in the system and the process that it takes to be successful with implementation.

Then in step two, you'll review all these existing workflows and apply the relevant changes as needed for the system. And you can test all these ideas with key stakeholders and repeat until you reach an agreement. We recommend to use a test workspace at this stage so you see the functionality in action with your own ideas and your own processes.

And then in step three, which is configuration and training, this happens when you are happy. You already tested your new workflows. You already know the output that you're going to get, and then you can train key users on the system, on the workflows, and their day to day activities. Of course, the training is different for normal users than admin because admins will be in charge of maybe further modifying those workflows later on or changing permissions in the system than the users that are more focused in their own activities and roles.

Then you can use also strategies like train the trainer where you have a champion that can help to train other resources internally or externally. And last but not least is the go-live. So go-live is really important. It will be with the final workspace. You leave the test workspace to the side, and from that day forward, all accountability and tasks should be tracked in the system.

So to wrap all of this up, let's think about a practical example of Autodesk Build. Let's say we want to use the Issues functionality that we saw previously for safety and safety infractions, in particular. The objective of digitizing this process is to decrease response time by an x percent, and this will provide a clear action plan with our role and company who are accountable for resolution.

So some of the aspects that we need to consider when we are digitizing this workflow is mapping the workflow itself, the different steps, the role and company who's accountable in each step, and which kind of information is needed. Then, of course, this will guide us to the issue permissions that we need for the specific roles in the system, the issue category and type that we're going to use. In this case, it would be safety and safety infraction.

And we need to make sure that the relevant documentation is available to those stakeholders. So the relevant files, forms, et cetera. In this example, we can have the consultant, the main contractor, and subcontractor, and these safety infractions could be from the main contractor or from the subcontractors team so we want to make sure that they are all available for these issue type.

So we know that they will need access to the safety checklist form. And also we need to think, do we want to give them permission to create issues for other companies or only their own company? These are all questions that you need to discuss to reach a conclusion in the best permissions for each workflow. And of course, reference photos that are needed for the safety infraction.

Once we have all the information in the system, we really want to highlight the power of live data, collaboration, and issue resolution on the cloud because with Autodesk Build, you have these Power BI templates that you can download and use to connect different information whether it's admin or issues or forms. It's all key metadata coming from your inputs in the system, and you can further modify these templates to your convenience.

You also have the insight dashboard in which you can add partner cards from the card library, from Smartsheet, and other partners that integrate. And there is ACC connect as well, in which it's a no code integration platform where you can either push or pull documents from Autodesk Build to other platforms like SharePoint or Box or anything that is needed. And these can be based on conditions.

So for example, you can say whenever a new safety infraction checklist is created, I want to push these specific documents from one platform to the other, for example. And if you want something more complex or more detailed, you can always use the APIs from Forge. Now what are some of the key industry insights regarding the digital transformation journey, the product, everything we've been talking about today? So first, we want to avoid costly issues and mistakes on-site by leveraging all this live information and task accountability.

With Autodesk Build, we'll have the issue categories that are relevant to us as an organization and issue types, and we'll always have task owners so there is clear accountability of who needs to do what and when. Then we have the paper versus digital workflow. So this impacts sustainability, the use of resources, and of course, time because in the end, we want to make processes more efficient by the use of technology.

But it's also key to talk about the people and the teams because you really need a strong internal team for a successful digital transformation journey. You need to either hire or train the right skills and also talk about the mindset, because in the end, a digital transformation journey is change management. So you need the right mindset and motivation in your team to make this a success.

We want to talk about one key client of ours in Dubai. Khansahab is the first construction company in Dubai, and we guided them through their digital transformation journey to start using cloud collaboration on-site. Now there are more than a hundred individual users and 30 companies on the platform encompassing different stakeholders from senior engineering staff to QA-QC, and everyone can have access to the information they need when they need it and be confident that the data is accurate and timely.

But more importantly, some of the benefits that they've captured are that time spent on snagging administration has been reduced by up to 60%. So now engineers on-site, instead of calling and following up with subcontractors for updates, they can use this time to engage in more interesting tasks, value creating tasks because now everything is tracked by the system.

And if anyone wants to know the status of a specific issue, they can visualize it directly from the system. And one of their comments is that working with someone like us, like Accienta, is really a game changer because when you have a partner that is expert in the construction industry as well as the technology, the learning curve is much more efficient and you can decrease the time to train your teams and adopt the tools and just get going with your project activities.

Thank you for attending the class today. I hope that you enjoyed it. Please take a look at the handout and if you liked this class and you found it useful, recommend it to other peers and colleagues in the industry. Thanks again.