Centralized collaboration for faster issue resolution

The Challenge

Prior to Procore Design Coordination, Ross resolved specialty contractor clashes by sending numerous CAD files out to field teams with highlighted clashes for them to identify within the model, while the tracking and management of the clashes took place in Excel. With no way to easily distribute coordination issues to all subcontractors, it was nearly impossible to keep trades accountable for resolving their clashes in an efficient manner.

The Solution

Solution 1

Procore’s Coordination Issues tool provided a centralized system of record where VDC, Design, Operations, and Field teams could combine forces collaboratively.

Solution 2

Project issues were organized and labeled within the 3D model for ease of search, placing a richly contextual, detailed visual of the issue a single click away.

Solution 3

Clashes were immediately elevated to actionable RFIs, and the process transparently coordinated between VDC, Design, and Operations.

Faster Clash Resolution

Issues that took an hour and a half are now resolved in minutes.

Cut Meeting Time in Half

Coordination meetings dropped from one hour to a quick half hour.

Visibility is Accountability

Reporting dashboards keep trades accountable for resolving their clashes.

From Spreadsheet to Virtual Walkthrough

Ross Wilkie arrived at Walsh Brothers a fresh-faced VDC Engineer, and was confronted with an incredibly detailed spreadsheet which, depending on the project size, could be up to 100 rows long. "It was… extensive. And I said, ‘There has to be a better way do this for every single project’. I was looking for a much more streamlined way to manage the processing and distribution of information".Around that time, one of Walsh Brothers’ directors attended Procore’s Groundbreak construction technology conference and enthusiastically reported back on a new Design Coordination product. Ross was interested, to say the least. "So of course our group started looking into it, and a week later we had a trial—and the rest is history."

Straight Dash to the Clash Saves Cash

Much has been made of BIM technology. But a detailed 3D model of the project is only as helpful as the real-world solutions it provides. Chief among concerns at the design stage is simply making sure the pieces all fit. Specialty trade features (such as ductwork and electrical, for instance) found to clash in the virtual building model are a gift to the later build, as discovery allows these structural contradictions to be worked out before a single wrench is turned. But it’s a process.Where it was once necessary to laboriously roam the model in search of a referenced clash, Procore’s Coordination Issues Tool organizes and numbers the issues, putting you one click away from a detailed, context-rich visual of the issue in question. Ross Wilkie explains. "Many of the subcontractors now have Navisworks® Manage, which enables you to have the Coordination Issues Tool right in the model. Clicking on the issue jumps right to that location, so they don’t have to spend time flying through the model. Six issues which used to take an hour and a half to resolve now get resolved in 30 minutes."

Faster Model Sign Off

Procore’s Coordination Issues Tool simplifies the Clash-to-Issue task in the model. Clashes can be turned into actionable issues on the spot, immediately elevated to RFIs, and the process transparently coordinated between VDC, Design, and Operations. It comes down to accountability, and getting formerly siloed experts to collaborate and have visibility into the health of the project. 

Ross states, "It ends up giving accountability, because everyone knows what the issues are. No one can say, ‘Oh, well, I didn’t see that.’ You get a notification in your email and everyone can see it. And the dashboard shows, ‘Okay, we have 86 items total, 24 are closed.’ That’s great for our project team. When the owner asks, ‘Why is it taking longer than we anticipated,’ nobody’s just sitting there against the firing line. Now you can actually answer that question."