Advancing project management for improved workflows

The Challenge

With rooms full of drawings, Grove Project Management Inc. was looking for ways to digitize vital project information and refine workflows. It began searching for an all-encompassing software solution that would help reduce paper clutter but still be flexible when handling other aspects of project management.

The Solution

After trying an interim solution that was “a mishmash of things” and lacked the inspection and project management capabilities Procore has, Grove chose Procore as its construction management platform. The company quickly took advantage of its suite of features, including the management of drawings, meetings, punch lists, and RFIs.

The Results

• Rooms full of drawings and files have been replaced by a single platform accessible from anywhere
• To facilitate faster RFIs, questions from the field get answered quickly, keeping projects on schedule
• Teams can access technical support in minutes via Procore's chat feature

Overwhelmed By Paper

Grove was founded by Michael Stuart, who has been developing and building mid-rise condominium projects for 20 years. The company operates in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area.

“We started using Procore fairly early on before it exploded in terms of the number of people using it,” says Stuart. “We were looking for something that was going to be all-encompassing, a single platform for everything that we do. And Procore really was the best solution that we could find.”

Before Procore, Grove relied on paper and file folders to manage its projects. It was a disjointed system, a blend of emails, paper, and documents stored online.

“It just didn’t flow easily. Procore has really made such a huge difference to our workflow and ability to access information quickly, which has been key to the success of our projects.”

The company’s custom condominium projects revealed the limits of its previous system. “For a 90-unit condo, we’d have 90 different folders. That’s a lot of paper, rooms filled with drawings.”

Procore’s Drawings tool has been a real game changer. New drawings automatically get synced across devices so when field personnel check their tablets, they’re looking at the most recent set. This saves time and reduces costly rework and errors.

Speaking The Same Language

Stuart found the onboarding process painless and appreciated that Procore understood construction and the language general contractors use.

“As we were talking through our workflows, one gentleman, in particular, had a background in construction and knew exactly what we were talking about. We were able to speak in the same jargon we use day to day, and it put our minds at ease.”

On the technology side, Grove’s staff found Procore easy to pick up. “We have a fairly young group, so getting them to use smartphones and tablets and laptops more was not a problem at all.”

Subcontractors who might be less comfortable with technology were able to ease their way into using the platform. “Years ago, we’d ask them to submit invoices through Procore, and we would get deer-in-the-headlights looks.” In those situations, Procore made it easy to bring information into the platform from emails. More recently, Stuart has noticed he’s not encountering the same reaction as before. “We’re definitely finding that people are more familiar with Procore than when we first started using it.”

Greater Visibility, Faster Resolutions to Disputes

Having project information accessible from any device at any time has made for greater transparency, good client relationships, and the ability to quickly solve disagreements in the field.

Stuart uses the reporting tools to check what’s happening on every project at a high level and whether any issues might require his involvement.

Grove’s developer clients can also drop into Procore and see where projects stand. The platform’s unlimited user model allows all project stakeholders to be invited to collaborate on one platform, whether they are Procore customers or not.

Contract disputes, if they happen, can be cleared up on the spot. Before Procore, project managers would need to go back to the office and look through files. Sometimes, they would get sidetracked while in the office, and it could be days before it was determined whether something was included in a contract, and the situation would be resolved.

“We keep all of our contracts in Procore,” says Stuart. “It saves us a lot of time. If there’s a question about what’s in a contract, the project manager can pull it up right then and resolve the issue immediately.”

Technical Support In Minutes

With so many powerful features, people sometimes need help performing new tasks in Procore.

“I’m still learning to this day about all the new integrations and new things Procore has to offer,” says Stuart.

Technical support has always been easy to access for him and his team. “I don’t think I’ve ever waited for more than a couple of minutes for a response on the chat. It’s been great for our employees if they’re having trouble figuring out a workflow. We’ve been encouraging them to get on the chat and get things answered. So far, the feedback from them has been excellent.”

Procore has facilitated better communication for everyone, whether Stuart wants to check on a project, a subcontractor has an RFI, or a member of the Grove team needs technical assistance.

Stuart says clients have noticed a change as well. “They could see that things were operating much smoother and that there was much more transparency.”