Construction projects are complex, requiring seamless coordination across teams, clear documentation, and efficient workflows. STACK’s Build & Operate platform brings all these elements together, ensuring that office and field teams are always on the same page. We’ll share top tips and tricks to help streamline project management, enhance communication, and improve documentation for project success.
Issue Tracking: Keep Every Detail Accounted For
Identifying and resolving issues efficiently can mean the difference between staying on schedule and costly delays. With Build & Operate, issue tracking is structured and transparent:
- Instant Reporting from the Field: Reports are generated in the cloud and can be requested directly from the mobile app. Once requested, a downloadable link is sent via email, allowing easy sharing and printing.
- Mark Issues Directly on Drawings: Use the issue markup tool to pinpoint concerns right on the plans. Whether it’s a mechanical issue or a safety observation, simply select the issue type from a predefined (or customized) list.
- Assign and Track: After documenting the issue with photos and notes, assign it to the appropriate team member. Set a priority level and due date and even track cost or schedule impacts.
- Workflow Transparency: Once assigned, the recipient acknowledges the issue, progresses it through “In Progress” status, and documents completion with required comments and before-and-after photos.
- Verification and Closure: The originator reviews and either closes the issue or requests further documentation, ensuring quality control and accountability.
With accurate documentation, Build & Operate helps contractors avoid payment disputes and ensures that all work is properly recorded.
Layers: Organizing Markups for Clear Communication
One of the biggest challenges in construction is ensuring that everyone is working with the same information. The Layers feature in Build & Operate allows teams to manage markups efficiently:
- Controlled Access: Define which users can read or write on specific layers, ensuring that each trade only interacts with relevant information.
- Trade-Specific Markups: Create dedicated layers for concrete, roofing, electrical, and more, limiting visibility to the appropriate teams and reducing on-screen clutter.
- Standardized Documentation: Apply layer settings across all drawings in a folder, ensuring consistency throughout the project.
- Exporting As-Builts: When exporting final documentation, users can choose which markups to include—whether public annotations, trade-specific layers, or individual markups.
By leveraging layers, teams can eliminate confusion, maintain organized records, and generate accurate as-built documents with ease.
Shop Drawing Workflows: Centralized Document Management
Traditional shop drawing approvals often involve lengthy email chains, creating delays and miscommunication. Build & Operate streamlines this process with:
- Centralized Requests: Submit shop drawing requests directly within the platform, including key specifications and discipline categorization for easy filtering.
- Assigned Responsibilities: Designate subcontractors or team members to submit drawings, ensuring accountability.
- File Attachments & Approvals: Attach shop drawings directly to the workflow, avoiding lost email threads and improving document control. Additional approval forms and files can be added to maintain a complete record.
- Real-Time Status Tracking: Monitor the progress of shop drawing approvals, ensuring that documentation is accessible to everyone who needs it.
With all drawing documentation in one place, Build & Operate helps teams avoid approval bottlenecks and keeps projects moving forward efficiently.
Bonus Tip from STACK’s Award-Winning Trainers
Pace yourself with onboarding, walk before you run. The features described can seem to be a lot to implement all at once. Start with organizing markups using layers, then move to document Issues and Inspections, and finish with streamlining communication between the field and the office with workflows. The process works great and will maximize adoption by your field teams.
STACK Build & Operate isn’t just another plan viewer app—it’s a comprehensive solution designed to streamline issue tracking, enhance collaboration through layers, and simplify shop drawing workflows. By leveraging these features, contractors, owners, and project managers can reduce miscommunication, ensure proper documentation, and improve project efficiency.
