Construction Viz News Archives

I was cleaning up my office over the weekend and found an article in ENR that I wrote back in 2017 announcing Construction Viz to the world. Little did I know what the future would hold. If you ever have a dream, think the challenge is too hard, and want to give up, I hope this article helps inspire you.

Rewind to 2017 and the launch of Construction Viz

“The only time you should look back in life, is to see how far you have come.”
— Kevin Hart

Until 2017, when I wrote this advertisement article for ENR, we had been strictly developing and hosting SharePoint-based solutions for the construction industry. With Construction Viz, our goal was to create a flexible app-driven platform that we could host or deploy into a client’s SharePoint. We wanted to use the latest and greatest technology and speed up the development and implementation times.

We knew SharePoint, but this was new ground.

In the first iterations of Construction Viz, we built custom JavaScript and Angular components connected to SharePoint lists and libraries. At the time, we had to deploy client-side code into SharePoint sites for the functionality to work.

Going out of the gate was a little rough since we were developing a completely new system while still managing our existing SharePoint clients. We didn’t know where this whole thing would go, but we knew we needed to move away from custom SharePoint development and hosting and into more of a product for Microsoft 365. In 2017, Microsoft 365 started picking up steam with Teams and the Power Platform. We knew Microsoft 365 would be the future, and we needed to change our approach.

Fast forward five years

“Don’t look back unless you can smile; don’t look ahead unless you can dream.”
— Irish Saying

While we had many ups and downs over the years, we stuck it out with Construction Viz for Microsoft 365, which has paid off! We have deployed Construction Viz for our clients on muti billion-dollar programs across many construction sectors.

So, how did we get here?

Bet on our people

Everyone on our team brings a unique skillset from technical architecture, UI/UX, front-end and back-end developers, and product managers. Everyone played a significant role in the direction of the product. The key was to listen to everyone and let the best idea win. The teams managed themselves; they took ownership of the product and were vested in its success.

Stayed nimble

There have been many challenges along the way that make you want to throw your hands up, like when Microsoft restricted deploying code into Microsoft 365. It literally stopped us in our tracks. We had to completely change our deployment model and fast. Construction Viz’s code now runs in the cloud in Lydon Solutions’ Azure data center while the lists and libraries are deployed into SharePoint. It seemed like a curse at the time, but now, the entire solution can be deployed into a client’s Microsoft 365 or SharePoint on-premises or hosted in our Azure environment.

Allowed for continuous improvement

We continually leverage the latest and greatest technology to compete with the larger companies still stuck on ten-year-old technology. We switched our client-side code to React JS, which has provided many needed benefits and made the entire solution a progressive web app (PWA) so a user on any device with a modern browser can access Construction Viz online or offline. We also created a portal to manage projects and programs across a portfolio.

Focused on time to market

Our clients want products quickly, so we needed to remove as many barriers as possible. We needed to scale the solution so deployments could happen the same day. We built a deployment model that could run with a single line of code and include diagnostics to ensure successful implementations.

Offered an attractive price model

Other vendors charge exorbitant prices for project management information systems (PMIS), which were still on old technology and resisted any product changes. We changed our pricing to a per-user/month model based on the applications selected so that clients weren’t paying for a bloated system where they might only use 5%.

The Future of Construction Viz

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards.”
— Steve Jobs

Having an IT company that provides services and products means that you have to be ready to adjust to market conditions. Today, clients want solutions now and don’t want to wait.

Our roadmap for Construction Viz includes a marketplace to purchase our applications online. The game plan is to offer an affordable suite of apps that can deliver 80-90% of the market need. Clients will be able to buy apps using a credit card and deploy them into their Microsoft 365 tenant themselves. A touchless Construction Viz deployment model will allow clients to take advantage of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem they have already purchased.

Stay tuned…

If you have Microsoft 365, it’s a no-brainer to leverage your investment to manage your construction projects. Unfortunately, most organizations don’t have the time or resources to build even small construction-specific solutions in-house, never mind a complete project management information system (PMIS).

Construction Viz makes it easy to manage projects in Microsoft 365

Construction Viz is a powerful and flexible construction project management software solution optimized for YOU and your workflows. We designed it to include everything you need to manage your construction projects, including document management, dashboards, reports, forms, workflows, and more.

Construction Viz features include:

Can be delivered as a hosted solution or deployed to Microsoft 365
Extensive catalog of construction applications for any size project
Powerful reports and dashboards
Responsive on any device
Offline capable
Built-in integration with Microsoft 365
Full construction document management

Construction Viz is available in the cloud, on-premise, or as à la carte apps for Microsoft 365 and SharePoint.

What makes Construction Viz different from every other PMIS on the market?

Construction Viz is an enterprise PMIS for Microsoft 365. It has all the features you need to manage your construction projects at less cost than competitors because it can be deployed into your Microsoft 365 tenant.

Construction Viz is all about providing organizations with the ability to choose where and how they want to work.

Construction Viz gives you the power to decide each of the questions below.

Where do you want to work?

Construction Viz empowers you to work where and how you prefer:

Construction Viz can be deployed to your Microsoft 365, on-premise SharePoint, or hosted in Lydon Solutions’ data center. We can even deploy your uniquely configured solution to other Microsoft 365 tenants (owners, contractors, etc.).
Want to work offline without an internet connection? Not a problem. Because Construction Viz is a progressive web app (PWA), the entire solution can go offline.
Want to work entirely in email or Microsoft Teams? We can extend the functionality of Construction Viz using adaptive cards, so you don’t even have to log in to the application.

What features do you want in your PMIS?

Construction Viz lets you decide which features you need:

Unlike most PMIS systems, where you only use 10% of the product but pay 100% of the cost, Construction Viz is app-based, so you only pay for the apps you need.
We have a full suite of construction apps for any size project, from an owner to a contractor across any sector.
Want a custom solution? We have you covered. Construction Viz is a framework designed to adapt to your processes. All our apps are configurable and customizable to your needs and are extendable with Microsoft 365 services such as Power Automate.

What if you are already using Microsoft 365 and SharePoint?

If your organization already uses Microsoft 365 and SharePoint, Construction Viz can take your project management practices to the next level:

Already have a solution and only need a few apps? No problem. You can pick only the ones you need from our list of robust construction applications.
Want to leverage what you have developed in SharePoint or the Power Platform? Also, not a problem. We can bring your prebuilt functionality into Construction Viz.
Aren’t ready to deploy in your Microsoft 365 just yet? Again, no problem. Start with a hosted deployment, and we can move to your Microsoft 365 when ready.

Sounds great. Where do I start?

You can submit a free consultation and demo request here.

If we seem like a good fit, we’ll move into the Formulate phase of our FOCUS Methodology. As part of our FOCUS Methodology, we’ll evaluate your current Microsoft 365 infrastructure and determine the best approach. Construction Viz might not be the best fit at this time, and that’s OK. You might just need a tune-up of your Microsoft 365 with redesigned SharePoint project templates, or maybe a couple of Power Automate Flows, Power Apps, or some Power BI reports. Either way, we are here to help.

If you still aren’t ready, you can join our newsletter in the footer below. We mail out helpful Microsoft 365 tips and tricks, updates on Construction Viz features, and Microsoft 365 and Construction Viz news each month.

Construction Viz Then, Now, and Tomorrow

Rewind to 2017 and the launch of Construction Viz