AVAIL’s clean interface gave them confidence that adoption by younger, tech-savvy users would be high. It was also important to management that the interface be simple, so that they did not burn fee training people on another complex software system that risked low adoption. Because AVAIL allows firms to maintain their data on their own file servers (providing visualized “links” to their data), AVAIL passed the test. On the management side, there were a few requirements that needed to be addressed before adoption could occur: namely vetting security concerns.

With all of the firm’s files broken out into multiple servers and endless file folders, reckoning with the inconsistencies felt like a game of whack-a-mole: what resources were available to guide Junior Team members through the drawing and modeling process? Were they optimally organized and accessible? What data was duplicated, overlapping or inconsistent? The firm needed a system to help them recognize and address these gaps and indiscrepancies, and their current CMS (Windows File Explorer) was not adequate. Middle-management recognized that a more critical appraisal of the firm’s production resources was needed. The design studio included a Fabrication Shop, meaning that any lack of consistency in their 3D models also affected the relationship between the two sides of the company. Project Architects and Job Captains were at odds over best practices from one project to another, signaling to management that the issues were more than just casual errors. The Studio Director was increasingly concerned over drawing sets that were subpar: incorrect title blocks, inconsistent line weights, incorrect drawing conventions and deviations from Project Standards were persistent.

PRIOR TO AVAIL IMPLEMENTATION, THE 25-PERSON DESIGN-BUILD FIRM WAS STRUGGLING TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT, ONE THAT WOULD SUPPORT DESIGN AND DRAWING PRODUCTION HOLISTICALLY.

Bluebeam error collection was modified