Optimizing growth and collaboration for better outcomes

The Challenge

A rapidly expanding business comes with its own challenges, and as HMS’s portfolio grew and diversified, the company had the opportunity to expand its workforce.

As a result, HMS quickly learnt that it would need to better manage processes and governance, and optimise its way of working to ensure it could tackle any job, large or small, at the high standards it had set itself. This was also vital to HMS’s ongoing focus on achieving locally-driven impact in the North West.

John Barrow, Construction Director for HMS, explains, "As our work ramped up, we knew the team had to grow. However, the bigger you get, and the more projects you have, the room for error increases. We needed to ensure we had the right level of control and collaboration in place to best serve our clients and communities."

The Solution

A unified platform was vital to ensuring HMS could grow its operations and workforce, while still delivering extraordinary work to customers and local communities. "At HMS we’re not just looking to build and improve buildings, but to change lives and make a lasting impact on communities. We needed a tool that could help us continue to achieve these ambitions," Barrow explains.

Offering real-time visibility into HMS’s broad range of construction projects, Procore enables the team to improve efficiency, quickly identify and address any issues, and ensure greater collaboration.

Barrow says, "We needed a platform that would give us clear insight into the complete project journey. It had to be user-friendly––we’re a people-driven organization, and we required a tool that everyone could use. We’re in the process of implementing Procore and we’re seeing the benefits straight away."

These benefits could help HMS achieve its longer-term goals, Barrow adds, "We want to innovate how we deliver, whether that’s through green agendas, or new methods of construction. We want to be part of how the Torus group achieves its aspirations. Procore can help us do that."

The Results

• Better decision making through real-time visibility of project performance, leading to actionable insights based on data
• Integrating program software with Procore gave HMS clear visibility into roles and responsibilities, enhancing accountability
• Procore connects all construction information and teams on a single platform, driving project efficiency for HMS

The Story

HMS has seen rapid growth and achieved an annual turnover in excess of £70m, and the company’s goal is to deliver results and generate profit that can be invested with impact. Since 2011, HMS has gifted £14 million to projects and organisations working to transform communities and neighbourhoods.

Barrow explains, "We always ask ourselves how we can contribute to the communities we serve. We look at employability, and deliver job opportunities in these areas, offering apprenticeships, and involving local schools. It’s not just about building properties. It’s about the area, the people, and capturing that community spirit."

To achieve its growth ambitions and continue to contribute to communities in the North West, HMS has to deliver exceptional work across a range of increasingly complex projects.

"No two projects are the same––we’re currently refurbishing an old fire station, for example, which is a listed building," Barrow says. "We’ve also got a site that’s 15 units and two bungalows. They’re all very different, and we needed a solution that could help us deliver on any and all projects."

Barrow explains that one extremely complex project was a game-changer for HMS. "The amount of drawings and transactions moving between the teams told me that we needed a solution. I knew that we would be able to better tackle these difficult projects if we had a single platform to manage them."

HMS adopted Procore, which would also improve collaboration among its growing workforce, and ensure clear insight into roles and responsibilities so that projects could be delivered more efficiently.

"Procore’s ability to deliver visibility into the complete project cycle, from pre-construction to handover, was extremely appealing. Also, the platform’s flexibility allows us to adopt our own processes, and manage every project with the same principles and governance across the board. This helps us diversify our offering."

Executive Dashboards driving better decision making

Procore’s Executive Dashboard has delivered a vital resource for Barrow, and is now his first port of call when assessing the progress of a project. He explains:

"I can look at my dashboard and quickly identify problem areas on a project, rather than hunting around for what I need to focus on next. This visibility is helping me better channel my efforts, and focus on key issues that I might otherwise have overlooked."

With HMS workers providing updates on site, in real-time, using their mobile apps, teams can quickly address anything that could be deemed a commercial risk to the business.

Barrow adds, "Using these dashboards to get a holistic view of projects is extremely useful not only for myself, but for contract managers and site managers. Enabling people throughout the organization to quickly pick up on risk areas is invaluable."

For HMS, the ability to integrate and view programmes with Procore was essential, ensuring the entire team always had access to the latest, most up-to-date information, without having to fire up Microsoft Projects.

It helps, too, to ensure the data provided is accurate. "Another great thing about viewing programmes in Procore is that the information is locked in the system so there’s no risk of someone tampering with it. It’s key to ensuring we have a clear, accurate understanding of how a project is running."

Ease of use that enables growth

A platform with a wealth of functionality is important to a growing business, but this functionality will mean little if it’s difficult to use. This was a vital consideration for HMS:

"Ease of use was a key driver for us adopting Procore. We needed a solution that wouldn’t get in the way of our growth. It couldn’t overburden staff with complexity––they had to be able to pick it up and use it. This was definitely the case with Procore, which is extremely user friendly."

Barrow also notes that the level of support HMS received made the adoption even smoother. "The Procore team helped us every step of the way, and ensured we were equipped with the expertise to get up and running quickly and efficiently."

The future of HMS and Procore

While HMS’s use of Procore is in its infancy, Barrow already describes an enthusiastic response within the business:

"Everything the software offers gives us the chance to improve our processes and functionality. Once-laborious tasks are now more efficient––snags, for example, are a logistical nightmare, but they’re becoming much easier. We can already see the difference Procore will make."

As for other areas HMS will look to optimise, Barrow describes design management as a key focus. Previously, resources like drawings and RFIs were captured and shared manually. With Procore, this process becomes digital, with workers able to access updates quickly and efficiently, wherever they are.

"Design management is one of my big ticket items," Barrow says. "I want to ensure that when we get to sites on design and build contracts, we have greater control and access to these documents. Procore will help us better coordinate all of that information with the many consultants involved, and drive more efficient collaboration on our projects."

Procore’s ability to deliver value through data is also something HMS will continue to tap into, according to Barrow, who outlines plans to more fully embrace Procore Analytics in the future:

"We focus on corrective action and constant improvement, and if you don’t have access to the right data it becomes difficult to achieve that. In the longer term, we’ll look to Procore Analytics to enhance our reporting and deliver these improvements in the business."

As for the future, Barrow is clear that success rests upon HMS maintaining and building upon its customer-first reputation. He concludes:

"For us, it’s not about building something and walking away. It’s about being involved from start to finish, speaking with customers and communities, and ensuring they get exactly what they want.

"Bricks and mortar mean one thing, but the people who live in the bricks and mortar mean something else. We need to ensure we are pushing the boundaries of customer service. Procore can definitely help us do that."