Construction Viz

Project Management Perfect

Construction software

Training Made Easy with Construction Viz and Microsoft Stream

Collaboration |

If you are unfamiliar with Microsoft Stream, in a nutshell, it’s a video management service included with your Microsoft 365 subscription. To find out more, you can check out a prior post, “Microsoft 365 Stream for your Construction Videos.”

Stream home page
Stream home page

Stream isn’t just another file drop-off application. It is designed to manage videos specifically. The real value of Stream is the ability to aggregate and share all of your videos into a central location accessible from your Microsoft 365 login.

How can I use Construction Viz and Microsoft Stream to help with training project teams?

Construction Viz is an enterprise construction PMIS that can be deployed into a Microsoft 365 tenant. It allows you to leverage all Microsoft 365 services using your same Microsoft 365 credentials.

On-demand training videos can be made available as part of a Construction Viz deployment. With Stream, Construction Viz training videos can be easily uploaded and shared across Microsoft 365 Groups and Users, including guest users. Further, these videos can be accessed from within any Construction Viz Hub.

Construction Viz Links App with link to a Stream training session
Construction Viz Links App with link to a Stream training session

Want to create training videos and add them to Microsoft Stream, but you are not a videographer? Not a problem.

Microsoft has recently provided the ability to publish PowerPoint presentations directly to Stream. So, if you are a PowerPoint guru, you can easily make robust training videos from your existing presentations.

PowerPoint Publish to Stream menu
PowerPoint Publish to Stream menu

Sounds promising, but we like to use surveys and quizzes to test learning objectives.

You can add surveys and quizzes to Stream videos using Microsoft Forms. Survey results are automatically tabulated and made available within the Forms app in Microsoft 365.

Microsoft Forms quiz added to Stream training
Microsoft Forms quiz added to Stream training

What if we like to schedule and provide both in-person and virtual live training sessions?

You can live stream events in Stream! These events can be added to user calendars, and the recordings can be available for future on-demand training.

So, if you want to do video training, check out Microsoft Stream.

If you are looking for a project management information system (PMIS) that uses Microsoft 365, request a Construction Viz demo.

New Image Markup Feature for Construction Viz

Forms |

Our latest Construction Viz feature lets project team members mark up images on any device with or without internet access.

Adding images to a daily report, safety incident, or punchlist is critical to documenting work completed in the field and identifying any issues for potential corrective action. Construction Viz makes the process simple, enabling users to take photos with any device, with or without an internet connection, and attach images directly to the form. Our Media Map Component automatically plots the image and the location where it was taken on a geospatial map and adds this information to the form. Users can easily add comments, waypoints, and even measurements as a layer to the media map.

And because Construction Viz is a progressive web app (PWA), this is all done without users ever installing an app on their devices.

But what about marking up the images?  Our users told us that marking up images would be a handy feature and make Construction Viz's data capture even better. We listened. Read on to learn about his useful new capability.

Construction Viz image markup feature

We expanded our Image Uploader Component for construction forms based on user feedback to add image markup capability and further simplify the entire process. Here is how it works:

  • After users upload images, the app displays them in interactive cards. Adding metadata such as title or description can be done in a couple of clicks.
  • The user can expand the photos from thumbnails to a full-screen mode to draw directly onto the image canvas.
  • The markup tool lets users pick from a palette of pen colors, complete with erasing and undo functionality.

The updated Image Uploader Component can be enabled in any one of our apps or can be added to a custom app as needed.

This new functionality enhances the entire data collection and documentation experience by extending what's possible for field workers. Also, since Construction Viz stores all of the data to your Microsoft 365 SharePoint, your project information is available for further reporting and workflow using the Power Platform.

The image markup tool is one of many features that we have built into Construction Viz. For an overview of the other powerful capabilities built into Construction Viz, check out our features page.

Construction Viz image markup feature

We expanded our Image Uploader Component for construction forms based on user feedback to add image markup capability and further simplify the entire process. Here is how it works:

  • After users upload images, the app displays them in interactive cards. Adding metadata such as title or description can be done in a couple of clicks.
  • The user can expand the photos from thumbnails to a full-screen mode to draw directly onto the image canvas.
  • The markup tool lets users pick from a palette of pen colors, complete with erasing and undo functionality.

The updated Image Uploader Component can be enabled in any one of our apps or can be added to a custom app as needed.

This new functionality enhances the entire data collection and documentation experience by extending what's possible for field workers. Also, since Construction Viz stores all of the data to your Microsoft 365 SharePoint, your project information is available for further reporting and workflow using the Power Platform.

The image markup tool is one of many features that we have built into Construction Viz. For an overview of the other powerful capabilities built into Construction Viz, check out our features page.

Construction Viz Media Map Component

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Construction Viz Media Map Component

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Get a demo of Construction Viz today

Construction Viz is an enterprise Project Management Information System (PMIS) built by construction professionals for construction professionals. We value our client's feedback and are always looking for the most efficient ways to get the job done.

Contact us for a no-obligation consultation and demo today to learn how Construction Viz can help your team better manage your construction projects.

Construction Viz Takes the Risk Out of Risk Management

Risk Management |

From initiation through to project closeout, construction projects are subject to an endless array of risks. The Construction Viz Risk app helps you identify, manage, and plan for the factors that can negatively or positively impact your project's cost and schedule. 

Many construction organizations turn to Microsoft Excel as their risk management solution, using built-in risk registers and distributing spreadsheets via email to project teams. There are many shortcomings to this approach, including having multiple versions of files floating around, undocumented review processes, the inability to attach backup information, and a lack of mitigation processes. We've been in your shoes on projects, which is why we designed our Construction Viz Risk app to be a better long-term risk management solution.

Key features of the Construction Viz Risk app

The Construction Viz Risk app addresses all the shortfalls found in homegrown Excel and enterprise risk management solutions:

  • Set individual risk probabilities and impacts by the project within a single site.  Construction Viz can include one or more projects per SharePoint site.  Since every project can have a different set of risk factors, the Construction Viz Risk app allows you to set unique cost and schedule impact values, each with its own legend, by the project.  This feature enables you to consolidate risk management into a single site across your portfolio of projects.
  • Mobile ready. Our form technology works on any device with a modern browser. You can capture a risk on your phone while in a meeting or out in the field.  You can even enter a risk without an internet connection.
  • Track changes. The app features revision control, allowing you to create and manage multiple versions of your risk forms and track any edits by users.
  • Upload supporting documentation. Easily attach supporting information, including links to other forms and data repositories.
  • Get approvals. Route risks for review and approval via automated Power Automate or ad hoc workflows with ball-in-court tracking
  • Send to distribution. Email risks to your project team based on predefined distributions while enforcing strict permission controls.
  • Perform analysis. Perform risk analysis using configurable data grids. Create custom views for managing risks by value, ownership, status, or mitigation.
  • Communicate risks. Generate robust reports of risks and opportunities for management review and disposition.
RiskMgmt_1

Take the risk out of managing your project risks with Construction Viz

With the Construction Viz Risk app, you will be able to finally spend more time managing and less time trying to collect and track risks.  Contact us today for a no-obligation demo and consultation.

VIZualize your Construction Projects with SharePoint Spaces and Construction Viz

News |

Microsoft began rolling out SharePoint Spaces for Microsoft 365 users last year. SharePoint Spaces is an immersive, web-based platform that allows you to create and share secure and extensible mixed reality experiences.

Users can build interactive mixed reality pages inside SharePoint sites to share 360-degree images and video, 3D objects, 2D images, text, document libraries, and more. You can even play ambient sounds in the background when visitors view the site.

The functionality works best when used with a virtual reality or mixed reality (VR/MR) headset to navigate the 3D space, but this is not required. Users without a headset can navigate the SharePoint Spaces on any device with a modern browser and interact with the artifacts using their keyboard and mouse.

You can find more information about getting started with SharePoint Spaces here.

Using SharePoint Spaces with Construction Viz

SharePoint Spaces' mixed reality features provide another way to navigate, share, and visualize project data. There are several benefits to using spaces for your construction organization beyond just a shared meeting room with project content. Below is a demo of how a construction project can benefit by integrating our Construction Viz apps with SharePoint Spaces. Examples integrations include:

Stay tuned as Spaces evolves, and we continue to integrate further and build VR/MR solutions for Construction Viz.

Do you want to add VR/MR to your construction project management toolkit?

Construction Viz and our full lineup of construction project management apps for Microsoft 365 can all integrate with this new technology from Microsoft. Schedule your free consultation and demo today to learn more about Construction Viz for your organization.

If you would like expert help using Microsoft 365 to manage your construction projects, we offer business consulting and managed services at LydonSolutions.com.

Quality Management Made Easy

Quality & Safety Inspections |

Project Managers work to manage the scope, schedule, and budget of their projects. Unfortunately, quality can sometimes take a backseat to project delivery. Quality management can be further exacerbated by the lack of effective planning and management tools.  

Turnkey quality-management includes developing a quality assurance plan, planning and conducting quality inspections, identifying and correcting issues, and analyzing data to uncover areas for improvement and/or trends.  

When we approached quality management in Construction Viz, we looked at the end-to-end process to ensure that data would be captured effectively and could be easily be reported, all with the view of improving productivity and enhancing the quality of the project.  

Here is how Construction Viz helps you manage quality, from creating and managing the QA plan to analyzing results after the project is done. 

Using Construction Viz for Effective Quality Management

Create and Manage the QA Plan.  You can easily create and store your QA plan in our Document Binder app, which features simple drag-and-drop capabilities, revision control, and assignment of automatic meta data. Microsoft Office attachments open in Office Online Server so you can easily collaborate with your team in a web browser on any device.

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Plan Inspections. You can schedule  inspections in the Planner app, which features an easy-to-use, shared calendar that  syncs with Microsoft Outlook and Google Calendar.

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Perform Inspections. The QA Inspection Form app captures inspection information in an easy-to-use, mobile-ready form. Inspection criteria can be easily added and organized in the form as criteria is added and/or changed. Field images and video, geospatial location information, attachments, and approvals can be captured and emailed to your project team

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Identify Non-Complianct Issues. When you identify an issue, you don’t want to have to bounce between applications. We embedded the Non-Compliance app within the QA Inspection app, so an inspector can easily log non-compliance issues while still in the QA Inspection form. 

Analyze Performance Issues. The end step in any process is feedback. All our apps facilitate data analysis, with configurable grids and reports so that you can improve operations in the future.  

Better Quality Management with Construction Viz

Construction Viz is about choice. It is the only construction management platform designed around how you work and where you work. Contact us today to learn how we can help you better manage the quality of your projects.

Collaborate on your Projects with Construction Viz and Microsoft Teams

Collaboration |

Microsoft Teams, the company’s group chat software application, has been gaining in popularity of late. Microsoft continues to add functionality to Teams and is even phasing out Skype for Business in favor of it. As a result, many organizations are beginning to use Teams for collaboration and communication.  

Teams is also fast becoming a leading project management tool thanks to how it combines with Office 365 and SharePoint Online. When you create a new team in the application, Teams automatically generates a linked SharePoint Online site collection. You can access your team’s SharePoint site by clicking on the globe in the top navigation. 

Construction Viz, which is powered by SharePoint, seamlessly integrates into Teams, allowing you to access all your project information from one location. Read on to learn how.  

Connecting Construction Viz with Microsoft Teams 

We provide organizations looking to use Construction Viz and Teams together with several options: 

1.     Teams SharePoint Site

We can deploy Construction Viz into the SharePoint site that Teams created for you. This keeps all your team’s project data in one place and tied to your Office 365 credentials (no need to log into multiple sites/systems).

2.     SharePoint Online Site

As an alternative, we can deploy Construction Viz to another location in your Office 365/ SharePoint Online environment. Then we can add a tab in Teams linking to Construction Viz. As above, your Office 365 credentials will allow access to both Teams and Construction Viz. 

3.     Externally Hosted SharePoint

If you prefer a turnkey and cloud-based solution, Lydon Solutions can provide web hosting and support of Construction Viz. In this case, we add a tab in Teams linking to our hosted instance of Construction Viz.

Microsoft Teams

Learn More About Construction Viz 

Construction Viz is about choice and it is the only construction management platform designed around how you work and where you work. 

Contact us today to find out more about Teams and Construction Viz as well as how we can help you better manage your projects.