The Art Of The Possible Part 1: An Overview
During a recent podcast entitled “The Art of the Possible,” ProjectReady Founder Joe Giegerich and Head of Development Shaili Modi-Oza discussed the pressing issue of siloed data and its impact on productivity, collaboration, and risk in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. The duo explored the evolution of integration capabilities and the role open APIs have played in breaking down barriers between different systems and improving interoperability as a means to enhance communication and productivity.
This podcast sheds light on the need for Collaborative Project Information Management (CPIM) and highlighted best practices for successful integration initiatives. As the industry moves toward an Integrated Data Environment (IDE), the potential for streamlined processes, increased efficiency, and reduced risk becomes a reality.
The Challenge of Siloed Data
The AEC and project owners are confronted with the persistent challenge of making sense of information scattered and stored across various systems like SharePoint, Autodesk, and Procore. In the past, the inability to consolidate and easily access data and information and connect workflows across different platforms resulted in poor communication, lack of collaboration, reduced productivity and increased risk of working with outdated information.
For years, studies by reputable organizations like McKinsey and KPMG Dodge Analytics have attempted to alert the AEC of the consequences that result from data silos, including findings that reveal more than half of professionals on a project spend their day on tasks such as managing email and searching for project information.
Without a doubt, true integration of systems, teams, and organizations on a project is necessary. Fortunately, as technology continues to evolve and expand, developers are uncovering solutions that are finally driving meaningful results. Finally, whether you prefer BIM 360 document management, SharePoint libraries, or others … a true collaborative project information management solution exists to bring all preferred solutions together.
The Evolution of Integration
During part one of “The Art of the Possible” podcast, Modi-Oza explained that even as recent as a few years ago, integration opportunities were greatly limited due to the fragmented nature of what the industry refers to as Common Data Environments (CDEs) and their distinct features and APIs. However, today, we are now seeing a concerted effort by industry-leading platforms like Autodesk, Procore, and Microsoft to introduce tools that enable interoperability.
According to Modi-Oza, APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) have become key enablers for the purpose of allowing seamless access to data and functionalities across multiple systems.
Driving Integration Demand & Improved Construction Document Control
Discussion during this episode emphasized that today’s integration efforts are being directly driven by customer demand (particularly among owners, construction managers and program managers). As project stakeholders recognize the need for collaboration and a Single Source of Truth at the project level. The importance of integrating systems arises from the fact that not all project participants exclusively use a single platform. Interoperability among different systems becomes crucial to ensure smooth communication and information sharing. This realization continues to push industry leaders to embrace open APIs and prioritize compatibility of their systems with other platforms on the market.
AECO Software Integration in Action
As the industry’s only truly agnostic integrated data environment, ProjectReady continues to work toward a solution that will ultimately bring all systems and information together. By leveraging improved APIs from Microsoft, Autodesk, Procore, Bluebeam, and others; ProjectReady is making it possible for teams to improve the way projects are provisioned and secured across systems, instantly synchronize documents, utilize comprehensive cross-platform document control functionalities, and more.
Parity across systems like Microsoft, Autodesk, and Procore continues to advance and by tapping into these advancements, ProjectReady can offer AEC professionals and project owners a solution that allows users to easily collaborate regardless of their preferred platform. Furthermore, being able to consolidate information and work across different systems on a project, users gain a consistent and intuitive user interface – eliminating the learning curve and burden of having to work inside a network of disparate systems that, without ProjectReady, are notorious for not working well together, which frequently results in rekeying of data and information and other headaches.
Best Practices for Integration Of Procore, BIM 360, SharePoint, & Others
“The Art of the Possible: Part 1” concluded with a discussion around best practices for integrating systems using open APIs, emphasizing the significance of defining clear objectives, understanding available capabilities, and designing user-friendly interfaces and workflows.
The user experience emerged as a crucial factor, with successful integration relying on seamless collaboration and intuitive access to data. Additionally, integration best practices should align with existing initiatives and business continuity goals.
In future episodes of “The Art of the Possible” podcast, focus will shift toward exploring what has, in fact, currently possible as that we learned in our journey with ProjectReady – creating an integrated data environment that drives maximum value on AEC projects. By leveraging integration capabilities and breaking down data silos, industry professionals gain greater control over profitability and risk reduction.
Click the button below to listen to “The Art of the Possible: Part 1” now. If you have questions about the discussion or would like to learn more about ProjectReady and the integrated data environment, email us at info@project-ready.com.
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