Collaboration is a word we use a lot around here. It describes exactly what the construction industry is all about and why effective systems for the sharing of information are so important. Think of a project, any project, and think of every stakeholder involved in that project. Now consider how much information needs to be shared between these parties, and how often that information needs referencing, revising and redistributing.

Your business is not a closed system, and therefore a closed approach to information management is not going to work. The standard yellow folder structure is designed for storage but does nothing to support the document management requirements of a live and evolving project.

Version control, check in/out facilities, modification alerts, approval processes and a document audit trail are some of the basic features we have incorporated into our core document management system. We think that these things are critical for anyone working in the industry and are always surprised by how many businesses, from small architectural firms to large contractors, manage to get by without these basics. I guess it’s a case of ‘this is how we’ve always managed’ but if everyone said that how would the world evolve? Come on, it’s time to make the next step.

When investing in business wide, integrated management software the question of ‘what the future holds’ will play an important role. If you’re looking for a bespoke solution, tailored to your business, how do you ensure it is sustainable should the organisation expand or take new direction in the future?

With a light at the end of the tunnel of recession, businesses from across the construction supply chain are gearing up for growth. Part of this will involve an overhaul of internal systems to ensure businesses can operate efficiently, with less staff overheads than during the pre-bust boom. 

A management system incorporating documents, emails, and all internal processes (from HR and Marketing to project financials) provides the required platform. Rather than a number of disjointed systems to manage business information, an integrated system will prevent duplication and present one single view of all activity. This in turn will save the business time and money as things pick up.

However, the system a business requires when things pick up is likely to look very different to the system a business anticipating growth requires. That’s why it’s important that any investment of this nature is flexible, future proof and well considered. A system like Workspace provides this scope. You start with a core system providing the standard framework for an organised, structured way of working. There are then a whole host of specialist modules that can be bolted on as the business grows. This flexible approach has been developed specifically to suit growing businesses that are not yet ready to invest all inclusively across all functions.

To find out more call us on 01159 850055 or email enquiries@unionsquaresoftware.com.

Winning a healthy stream of projects, from both new and existing clients, is key to the success of any business. In the project based world of construction, which it’s fair to say has had a tough time of it over the last few years, a steady pipeline of opportunities is critical.

So how does your organisation address Business Development? Who is responsible for this important function? What resources are made available? And how do you track progress? A successful Business Development function is unlikely to exist (especially in larger organisations) without a CRM system in place to record all relevant activity.

A CRM system, tailored specifically to the complex construction sector, will have a positive impact on every aspect of Business Development. Initially to generate interest and source opportunities, it will support the effective running of campaigns and promotional activity. Once a healthy pipeline of opportunities is established, the process, as well as all associated correspondence, can be tracked from initial contact through to project conversion. Even after winning and completing a project, a CRM system will support customer service, ensuring good ongoing communication with a view to repeat business and customer loyalty.

Unlike some of the CRM only products on the market, Workspace does all this and more. As well as tracking a project’s journey though the sales lifecycle, it stores and manages documents and emails against the relevant organisations and contacts. Replacing yellow folder structures, this organised archiving function ensures all project information is referenced and accessible by all. This enhances the CRM process by increasing response times, guaranteeing accuracy and offering the customer peace of mind

Click here to find out more or call us on 0115 9850055.

Despite the rain over Oxfordshire yesterday, Union Square Software welcomed a room full of business leaders to the ‘Integration and Joined Up Thinking’ seminar. The event highlighted the importance of integrated working at every stage of the project lifecycle, with case studies from five speakers, each leading the way in a certain area of ‘Joined Up’ working.

Malcolm Clark, Managing Director of Baxall Construction, was the key note speaker and opened the event discussing some of the current industry challenges and how these can be overcome with an integrated approach to the project lifecycle.

Robert Stearne, Business Improvement Manager at Lakesmere Construction, covered collaborative working at the Business Development end, discussing how more work can be won with instantaneous pipeline reporting and targeted CRM.

David Smith, Project Manager at John Paul Construction, looked at ways the enquiry and bid management processes can be centralised to cut costs and increase efficiency.

David Beaton, Director of IT at Midas, presented the project delivery and execution stage, addressing the importance of effective communication on site and a simplified system for QA.

Finally, Alistair Gardner, Director at Taylor Young, discussed the impact of BIM on the joined up approach and what this will mean for the industry.

The Williams F1 Conference Centre marked the backdrop of the event, and after lunch the group was given a guided tour of the Williams private F1 collection. Armed with cameras, delegates were taken through the trophy room and past an assembly of race cars from previous seasons.

Delegates represented a range of UK construction businesses, keen to hear examples of best practice from across the industry. With the opportunity to network throughout the day and representatives from the National Federation of Builders on hand to offer further advice, the seminar received great feedback from everyone involved.

For information on future Union Square events please click here.

As more and more businesses succumb to the lure of globalisation, and the geographic marketplace expands, the need for effective communication has never been more important. The construction industry is no exception and this increase in multinational strategy is driving an influx of overseas office start ups in the sector.

We speak to businesses, on a regular basis, looking to set up a second or third office. They worry about replicating their processes in a consistent way across sites, ensuring visibility of business activity and maintaining a firm level of control remotely.

Having the right infrastructure in place to support this transition, ensures information can be shared just as easily across several global offices, as it can from a one UK site.  A single portal to all ‘real time’ business information removes the physical barriers of working from different locations and ensures management has the visibility needed to track and monitor business activity.

Workspace supports a number of clients who work in this way whereby documents, emails, contacts and projects are be managed from the central web-based system. This enables the efficient running of the business around core databases and standardised procedures.

To speak to one of our clients who is already using Workspace across multiple sites contact 0115 9850055.

Pollard Thomas & Edwards Architects has been around since 1974, specialising in the housing and education sectors. With 100 members of staff working on a range of projects at any one time the need for an organised and collaborative approach to information management is paramount.

The practice currently has three main systems in place to manage business information, one for project accounting, one for CRM and one for document management. However, these disparate systems fail to integrate which often leads to duplication, inaccuracy and a difficulty in extracting information as Gabriella Gullberg, General Manager explains: “While the three separate systems work, the fact that they don’t talk to each other makes things difficult. We also feel that we are not using the project accounting function to its full potential as elements of it are separated out over the different systems and held in Excel spreadsheets.”

In order to address these issues the practice investigated the option of implementing an integrated practice management system. Gabriella, who was already familiar with Union Square’s Workspace product, having used it in a previous practice, arranged a demonstration.

Workspace is the leading document management software for architects, storing business information in one central repository against the relevant projects, organisations and contacts. With the addition of Workspace Project Accounting (a function that had not been time available when Gabriella last used the technology) expenses and resource allocation can be tracked against projects with direct integration to Sage financial ledgers. This removes any duplicated effort between systems and provides real time visibility of project profitability.

The practice is taking a staged approach to implementation, rolling out more functionality as existing systems expire. “We will start by getting the project accounting and CRM aspects up and running, and then start migrating documents once people are already familiar with the system” says Gabriella.

Once up and running Gabriella and the rest of the practice look forward to realising a number of key benefits. These include a more simple and effective method for logging drawings, an improved ability to plan resources on a project and a real time view of actual versus forecast project profitability.

At its core Union Square’s Workspace product is about document management. Storing documents in one central repository, tagged against the relevant projects, organisations and contacts, makes sharing, retrieving and archiving information simple. Specific to the construction industry, Union Square has spent the last 12 years developing and refining the technology to ensure it suits the changing needs of this demanding industry.

With a continuous drive for improvement, this week marks the launch of the Document Management System (DMS) upgrade which will roll out across existing client sites and be available as standard for new customers. This upgrade is based on feedback from existing users and is the result of a year’s investment in research and development. Key features of the new system include:

• Improved text searching
• Suggested Filters to help users refine their search
• Enhanced Email Searching
• Improved screen layout and usability

Union Square’s Product Director Peter Wakefield comments: “As well as developing new modules and additional functionality for Workspace, we are always looking for ways to improve the core product. We rely heavily on feedback from existing users as well as market research to ensure that we deliver exactly what the industry requires. This latest incarnation of the Document Searching function in Workspace provides some great new features that will help users find the documents they need faster.”

Union Square will continue to invest heavily in product development and welcome any ideas or suggestions from clients and industry professionals alike. To get in touch please email enquiries@unionsquaresoftware.com or call 0115 9850055.

SBS Architects is a 22 person Architectural practice based in central Manchester. With both a National and International presence, the practice operates across a wide range of projects, with particular focus on transport and interchange rail.

SBS Architects has made the decision to purchase Workspace mini as a way of modernising processes and improving efficiency as Gary Seed, Practice Director explains. ‘Historically, our drawings would be sent to clients in the post. However as technology developed, and email became the norm, debates began within the practice as to which emails should be manually printed and which should be electronically stored. As employee numbers began to increase so too did the number of emails, making manual printing even more time consuming’.

SBS Architects use timesheets, a document management system and the RIBA filing structure for storing drawings. However, the lack of integration between these systems makes accessing the correct information difficult. ‘When an employee is out of the office we are already able to access their information, the real problem is the time it takes to do so’, commented Gary. ‘Our key requirement is for quicker retrieval of information and the search to satisfy this led us to Workspace mini’.

Workspace mini is the leading knowledge management system for small to medium architectural practices. An off the shelf solution, it stores information in one central repository against the relevant projects, contacts and organisations, enabling the efficient running of a business around core databases and standardised procedures.

As part of the decision making process, Gary Seed attended a site visit to Triangle Architects along with four other Practice Directors. ‘It was helpful to see how another practice uses the system on a day to day basis. It certainly helped us to further realise the benefits of purchasing Workspace mini’, says Gary.

The practice recognises other significant benefits of the system, such as risk management; ‘it stores all our data which will be a great help towards building a case should anything go wrong in the future ’ says Gary. Workspace will also help SBS Architects achieve the ISO accreditation it strives for, something that Gary feels would be much harder and slower to attain without it.

SBS Architects intends to take a ‘big bang’ approach to implementation, rolling out the system to all employees in one go. ‘I’m confident about the uptake of the system as many of our employees know other users of Workspace, from outside our practice, and have received positive reports’ Gary concludes.

With Easter already upon us we’re a quarter of the way through 2012. Remember those New Year’s resolutions you made back in January? About winning more work, reducing business risk and cutting costs through efficiency. How are they panning out? Have you considered your options, made an action plan and started to realise the benefits of these endeavours?

For some of you the answer will be yes, and we’ve had a steady increase in enquires over the last few months that would support this fact. Businesses seem positive that the industry is picking up, and as a result are turning to integrated systems like Workspace to ensure they are best positioned to hit the ground running.

However, there’s still a number of you who will still be focused on my first sentence. A quarter of the way through the year already…..how did that happen? We were going to be so much more organised this year. Well it’s not too late. So it didn’t pan out as a New Year’s resolution, and you’re a bit late for lent but it’s always the right time to focus on business improvement.

The number of emails and documents flowing through today’s modern construction business is reaching critical mass. As this information multiplies daily, the need to manage it effectively is paramount. You can’t ignore it, and why wait for the next motivational milestone – September, back to school? That’s a lame one. Just pick up the phone and kick things off.

Morgan McDonnell is an Edinburgh based Architectural practice with a 15 year track record in leisure, residential and high spec office developments. Primarily involved in urban regeneration, the practice has worked on some key developments in and around the Edinburgh area. Following a tough few years in the industry Morgan McDonnell has experienced significant growth recently and more than doubled its headcount to 12 in little more than a year. This growth has brought with it the need to consolidate the business information that is spread over a number of disparate systems.

Typical of much of the industry Morgan McDonnell control their administrative processes through a mixed bag of software using outlook to manage contacts, a yellow folder structure for documents and Excel spreadsheets for all project management functions. Guy Morgan, Practice Director reflects on the issues this has created for the business: “As information filing took shape organically it became increasingly laborious to locate  data. Employees were also keeping contact records in personal Outlook accounts causing information to be duplicated several times over”.

Guy first came across Union Square, and subsequently the Workspace system, when he was invited to attend their Glasgow seminar in November 2011. “We looked at various systems some years back but after seeing workspace we feel it meets all our current requirements and has scope for integrating our project accounting functions in the future” Guy explains. The decision was made to implement Workspace mini in the New Year.

 Workspace mini is the leading knowledge management solution for small to medium architectural practices. An off the shelf solution, it stores information in one central repository and enables the efficient running of a business around core databases and standardised procedures. “We wanted something that works and is specifically tailored towards architects” says Mr Morgan.

Guy looks forward to realising a number of key benefits within the business. “By pulling together all our disparate data day to day tasks will be a lot slicker and it will be much less laborious keeping everything up to date. Finding information will be easier, time will be saved inputting data, and due to the flexible nature of the product we can add more functionality as we grow” he explains.

Workspace will be rolled out to all staff over the next few months and training is scheduled to bring everyone up to speed as quickly as possible.  ‘The implementation and training days that we have scheduled with Union Square should help other employees within the practice realise the benefits of such a system’ Guy summarises. Once up and running the practice can start to track the return on its investment through efficiency savings and more streamlined business processes.