improvements in project management , reduction of costs and faster and more efficient project delivery . Other improvements from C4R and BIM360 are discussed below :
1 . They provide a holistic view of the project by multiple stakeholders – Cloud-based collaboration tools provide all project stakeholders with a holistic view of the project instead of an isolated view of one particular element by individual team members . This bird ’ s eye view of the project enables team members to collaborate and communicate to help to deliver coordinated models .
2 . They provide real-time , two-way communication – The C4R tool has an integrated ‘ Communicator ’ which allows real-time communication , access to information on projects uploaded to the cloud and collaboration with project members on active projects .
3 . They provide seamless collaboration – Collaboration tools help to connect project teams and provide centralised access to BIM project data , therefore keeping all members informed about project updates . By using C4R , architects , consultants and project managers can upload their Revit to the cloud and link their projects using BIM 360 Team , allowing access to project team members to view , make changes and communicate using the integrated Communicator .
4 . They facilitate efficient coordination and interference analysis – Collaboration tools , in combination with clash-detection programs , facilitate efficient coordination and clash detection to help reduce costs that may be otherwise incurred for re-work . By using C4R in combination with BIM 360 Field and BIM 360 Glue , synchronised coordination of changes , real-time feedback and updates of project information ensure coordinated models are clashfree and construction ready . This reduces the time spent and cost incurred on resolving coordination conflicts on site .
5 . They reduce costs and increase project management efficiency – There are features in both collaboration tools which facilitate the measurement of efficiency and productivity of teams . By increasing project transparency and coordination , they help to reduce errors , deliver projects faster and decrease costs otherwise incurred due to re-work .
6 . They provide access to the best-suited resources and facilitate remote project management – they enable teams to work remotely and collaboratively using cloud-based , collaboration and work sharing tools . With remote access and project management , there is the opportunity to procure the best-suited resources and capitalise on cross-border team procurement to facilitate on time project delivery within budgetary requirements . Remote project management also translates to lower expenditure on IT infrastructure .
Cloud-based , collaboration and work sharing tools such as C4R and BIM 360 provide AEC companies with a sophisticated solution to address project management challenges by facilitating cross-border collaboration , seamless coordination and open , two-way communication between project stakeholders . They also enable cross border resource and team procurement with little added effort , sometimes making substantial fee savings in the process .
As AEC firms are considering the adoption of new technology to facilitate effective project management , reductions in cost , increased efficiency and faster project delivery of AEC projects , cloud-based , work sharing and collaboration tools could be the best possible solution available to AEC firms that need to respond to the increasing requirement for faster BIM-based project delivery within budgets .