Streamlining Construction Scheduling: A Success Story with SmartPM

In the dynamic world of construction, efficient scheduling is crucial for project success. Barton Malow Builders LLC recognized the need to improve its scheduling practices and turned to SmartPM. By harnessing the power of advanced schedule data analytics, Barton Malow Builders experienced a wide range of benefits that transformed its scheduling process and elevated its operational efficiency. Read on to explore eight key benefits that encapsulate the advantages gained by integrating SmartPM into construction projects:

1. Comprehensive Analysis for Continuous Improvement

SmartPM’s analytical platform delved deep into Barton Malow Builders’ scheduling practices. This analysis covered essential metrics such as schedule quality, risk assessment, past performance analysis, forecasted project completion, and project controls. In doing so, SmartPM provided valuable insights that helped identify areas for improvement and drive continuous enhancement across its project portfolio.

2. Enhanced Accessibility and Communication

Replacing cumbersome Excel reports and complex analytical programs, SmartPM’s user-friendly dashboard revolutionized how Barton Malow Builders’ scheduling department shared project information with all stakeholders–not just schedulers. This streamlined approach enabled seamless communication, ensuring that everyone–from the C-Suite to the site team–had easy access to pertinent project metrics.

3. Organization-Wide Implementation and Long-Term Partnership

Impressed with SmartPM’s capabilities, Barton Malow Builders implemented the platform across various sectors of their business. The organization-wide adoption ensured that all schedules adhered to industry best practices and company standards. The resulting long-term partnership underscored the platform’s ability to proactively identify and address schedule risks, contributing to sustained project success.

4. Streamlined Updating Process

With over 70 active projects of varying complexity, Barton Malow Builders faced the challenge of producing timely updates. Previously, the scheduling team would spend their Fridays pulling all the active schedules together and running them through an analysis program. The challenge was sending all the subsequent reports with incomplete or outdated analytics to the project teams and executives. In smaller doses, this process was satisfactory. However, when they tried to scale it up to cover the entire company, the information became lost. SmartPM resolved this issue by providing project teams with a streamlined process. Now, they can upload schedules only when the updates were completed. This has led to better overall results and improved schedule accuracy.

 “Nothing goes into SmartPM that isn’t fully updated for that month.”  

– Tom Carolan, Director of Scheduling.

5. Real-Time Project Insights & Overviews

SmartPM’s dynamic dashboards eliminated the frustration of lost project reports in overflowing inboxes. The platform ensured that reports and real-time project overviews were available whenever needed, empowering stakeholders with up-to-date information to make informed decisions.

“Our Vice President of Safety + Risk Management is a big proponent of the platform. He was running our planning group at the time, and he told us how he had never been able to have all the schedules for our entire company in front of him, where now he can quickly analyze everything going on. SmartPM gives him the ability to do that.”  

– Tom Carolan, Director of Scheduling.

6. Proactive Risk Mitigation

SmartPM’s advanced analytics enabled Barton Malow Builders to identify overly optimistic schedules through metrics like schedule compression. By recognizing warning signals and analyzing productivity, the platform clearly indicated potential risks. Armed with this knowledge, they could proactively adjust future project plans to allocate resources more effectively and mitigate risks before they become significant obstacles.

“Some metrics we looked at in the past were lagging indicators – that is, by the time we saw them, it was often too late to mitigate the problems. SmartPM provides leading indicators that give us time to adjust early and with more confidence.” 

– Tom Carolan, Director of Scheduling.

7. Fostering Transparency and Trust

SmartPM’s metrics created a positive feedback loop within Barton Malow Builders’ teams. As project members observed improved scores and reliable metrics, trust in the platform grew. This trust encouraged more productive discussions, enhanced collaboration, and promoted a deeper understanding of project schedules. Overall, this process is fostering a culture of transparency and collaboration.

“SmartPM creates a positive feedback loop,” he explained. “When our team sees improved scores, they are more apt to trust the metrics that are being produced. This not only leads to better outcomes, but it also spurs more productive discussions and better maintenance of the schedule.”

– Tom Carolan, Director of Scheduling.

8. Time = Money

By automating various time-consuming scheduling processes, streamlining updates, and delivering real-time project insights, SmartPM provided Barton Malow Builders with significant time savings.

“SmartPM helps create more time to consume the schedule, in lieu of focusing on the process to produce the schedule. It refocuses our energy on what’s needed. This leaves us plenty of time to address and fix issues.”

– Tom Carolan, Director of Scheduling.

Read the Full Story

From comprehensive analysis and improved accessibility to proactive risk mitigation and cost savings, SmartPM transformed Barton Malow Builders’ scheduling processes. These processes have allowed them to unlock new levels of construction excellence. If you’d like to learn more about how SmartPM can help your organization, fill out the form below, and we’d be happy to show you how.