S. M. Wilson & Co. Drives Workflow Efficiency by Standardizing on Autodesk Build

S. M. Wilson & Co. (S. M. Wilson) has built its reputation on creating amazing client experiences through trust, integrity, and open communication. With gaps in its previous construction management software, S. M. Wilson needed a holistic solution to connect key office and field workflows. By adopting Autodesk Build within Autodesk Construction Cloud™, S. M. Wilson increased transparency across project teams, saving time, money, and energy.

A New Project Management System for Greater Collaboration

S. M. Wilson specializes in projects that vary in size, but non collaborative construction management solutions from multiple providers made it difficult to share project data across teams. This created inefficiencies, potential for rework, and overall frustration.

“The entire project team from architects to engineers to trade partners need to work in unison to solve problems,” says Jamie Berzon, Construction Technology Manager at S. M. Wilson & Co. “We look at technology as a way to enhance tasks and streamline processes to allow our teams to focus on more value-added areas of the project. The software we were using for project management wasn’t as collaborative, and we had difficulty getting buy-in. We want technology to be transparent and easy to use; our teams shouldn’t have to struggle.”

With the availability of Autodesk Build, S. M. Wilson decided to centralize all of their workflows within one solution to streamline construction management activities. With a connected construction management tool that’s scalable across projects, S. M. Wilson could support speed, efficiency, and collaboration across its projects.

“We loved PlanGrid for its sheets and accessibility to drawings but were using a different project management software that was cumbersome and clunky. When Autodesk acquired PlanGrid, we said, ‘Let’s keep an eye on this.’ And as you started to develop Autodesk Build, we were 100% bought in.”

– Mark Patterson, Chief Information Officer

Connecting Teams with a Holistic Construction Management Solution

Contracted on two fast-paced $100 Million school projects, S. M. Wilson adopted Autodesk Build to expedite the speed of answering RFIs and approving submittals. With Autodesk Build as its collaborative construction management technology, S. M. Wilson’s project teams have visibility into the status of RFIs and submittals to work quickly, which is critical for these two fast-paced projects to be completed on time and budget.

“Autodesk Build makes everybody accountable because you can see the latest status of a deliverable in real-time. So if something is delayed, you can see why and address it before it becomes an issue,” says Patterson.

Building on their familiarity with PlanGrid, the team quickly transitioned to using Autodesk Build due to its ease of use, accessibility, and intuitiveness.

“Our Superintendents love technology as long as it makes sense. They are bottom-lined people, and learning technology can’t interfere with getting the project done,” says Berzon. “Autodesk Build is easy to navigate, driving efficiencies for our teams.”

Autodesk Build complements how S. M. Wilson and their partners want to work. With the ability to instantly access a drawing or RFI from the field, teams can have more impactful conversations around issues and manage more RFIs. With Autodesk Build, the team can address five RFIs in the time it would’ve taken to manage one.

“Autodesk Build is easy to navigate, driving efficiencies for our teams.”

– Jamie Berzon, Construction Technology Manager

Saving Time by Driving Workflow Efficiency with Autodesk Build

“Autodesk Build impressed us; it’s everything we want in our construction management system with data easily accessible in one place,” says Berzon.

With an interconnected construction management solution, all project documentation, from RFIs to meeting minutes to submittals, are referenceable and can be linked together to drive efficiencies. This capability is beneficial on complex projects where multiple stakeholders need to review an RFI as it increases collaboration and keeps stakeholders—whether the architect or engineer—informed. With insight into an RFI coming from the field, the architect or engineer can follow the conversation and send an answer to the field more quickly.

Storing project information in one place eliminates confusion and increases visibility into what’s happening on the jobsite for greater collaboration across teams. For example, S. M. Wilson’s superintendents are using Autodesk Build for their drawings, daily logs, and safety audits and are excited about the flexibility of the schedule tool. The ability to search for critical items or activities, or create a custom monthly timeline of the project, gives more visibility into the project and further connects teams and activities.

“We want them to have that knowledge at their fingertips. So that schedule tool is one of the most exciting features in Autodesk Build. Going from a static piece of printed paper to being able to look at your next three weeks and develop those three-week lookaheads easier is crucial and makes our teams smarter builders,” says Berzon.

“Autodesk Build brings teams together. With one solution, we can standardize across our projects and make it easier for teams to complete high-quality projects on time and budget,” says Patterson.

“Autodesk Build brings teams together. With one solution, we can standardize across our projects and make it easier for teams to complete high-quality projects on time and budget.”