Construction managers will learn how to use SharePoint online out of the box tools to manage all their critical project data. We will show in the video demonstration how to:
The Benefits of SharePoint and Office365 to Construction Managers?
We will give you step by step instructions and you can watch the steps in the video below:
We like to create a nice SharePoint site for the construction team, where they can easily manage all their projects. A good intranet page for the company can be used as the starting point for construction projects. On the screen below you see a link on the home page to all the Projects. This links to a site for both estimating to track pending jobs and construction managers to track active projects. This example is built in SharePoint online with a communication site template.
When you click on Projects image, you link to the Work log site here:
Sales, estimating, and bidding can work on all prospective projects here. You can create a new project data list in SharePoint. Manage key metrics that drive business such as
To get there Click the New Project Setup link:
That links you to this SharePoint List of all pending projects or New Construction Projects. Use this information to coordinate and plan team resources and who will be key resources on the projects. When resources are scarce and teams are busy, it is not easy to find the right leaders for all the work coming up in the pipeline.
We demonstrate here all the data we track for a construction project. You configure any data your company needs in your SharePoint List. From the navigation bar you can do the following items with the project data:
1. Search all the construction jobs, by data field
2. Log a new job
3. Quick Edit allows you to edit all the project data all at once. Many users love this feature.
4. Flows – allows you to make “code-less” workflows in SharePoint Online, so no real code needs to be developed
To start a new construction job clink the New Button. See the form pop up below you fill in:
For Construction these are some recommended data fields you may want to track. You may add more or less, depending on how much info you like to collect. Typically we want the “minimum” amount needed so we don’t slow down or over burden the construction teams with data entry and data management. Just the key metrics to make sure we are:
Does this article seem like a lot of work? If you want us to walk you through it in a meeting, click the Get SharePoint Help button and Contact Us
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Outlook Email is a great way to quickly share project information. SharePoint can send a “notification” email to anyone you want when you “trigger” that notification within SharePoint.
In this video demo, estimating sold a project and wants to notify construction teams about the new job. We walk you through a series of emails where we:
If you Click Save from the New Project Set Up Form this triggers Office365 to send an email notification.
The first email that goes tells management of the new job.
There is a Link to all the information about the project. See the sample email here:
All I have to do is click “confirm” button to respond from within my email inbox.
I get a confirmation message from SharePoint and it also sends me a confirmation email that lets me know that it was responded to.
Now estimating and construction know that the hand-off took place, we have record of it, and the next step is to schedule a kickoff meeting. You also get a confirmation email so you know for sure that they got your response and accepted the new project:
The estimator can meet with the construction project team to go over all the information on the job and collaborate on project planning.
Once you are assigned to the project, if anyone other than yourself edits any of the data, we set up a notification that will alert you to any changes so you don’t need to have a meeting or loose any changes, you are always notified, in real time, and fully in the know of all information about your project. See a sample notification about changes to information here:
Part of the workflow is to move the pending projects from Estimating over to Active projects on the Work Log for construction. We actually move all the data over to a new data SharePoint List called WorkLog. The project is also still back on the New Project List where you can delete it or treat it as an archive. Once it is active you want to notify all the construction team and they can click a Link back to the project to get all the information they need stored in one place in SharePoint. You can access the list from the Home Page under Manage Your Projects:
The image is linked to the Project Dashboard Work log of all active construction jobs on this new list here:
From this screen the construction manger can assign key resources to the project. We show here how to hand-off and assign the resources of:
As you assign people they get this email notification automatically.
Now the Project Manager can see all the data they need about the project, as well as the date it was logged. The PMs can now take over and do what they do best and start to manage the scope, schedule and budget of the project. As they plan the work and “work the plan” The team enters updates to the budget, forecast and actual hours, etc. If they click the link in the email they go straight to the source of the information in SharePoint so everyone is on the “same page” with project information. We demonstrate how we set up a workflow that will notify the team members by email if there are any edits to the project information. This keeps everyone in synch, singing off the same song sheet, using the most up to date information. This is where the magic happens because SharePoint can elimiante a lot email and coordination meetings since everyone has accurate, up to date information, available from their phones, laptops, and any device, from any where. Here is a screen shot of what the Link in the mails goes to. A screen of all the project information in SharePoint.
Construction Management in the 21st Century using some simple tools in SharePoint and Office365 were shown in the video demo. We showed how to automate many of the hand-offs, email notices, and sharing of information through the construction job life cycle. The benefits you will receive may include:
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