Company Updates

We built our new lineup of Construction Viz Apps for SharePoint and Office 365 on React, an innovative technology used by industry-leading disruptors like Facebook, Netflix, AirBNB and Dropbox. Here’s why.

Our new Construction Viz Apps for SharePoint and Office 365 will radically change what you expect from your construction project management software. You no longer have to settle for expensive and bloated software packages full of features you don’t need and will never use.

Construction Viz Apps let you select exactly the construction project management features you need—such as project status tracking, forms, GIS mapping, scheduling and more. Install the apps into your SharePoint 2013/2016 or Office 365 environment in minutes. You can use each app as a fully standalone solution or combine them into a powerful, feature-rich suite. There’s no steep learning curve, and it is simple to customize the apps to fit how you work.

Like I said, a radical departure from the status quo.

Helping make all this possible is React, a powerful technology at the heart of innovative web applications from companies like Facebook, Netflix, AirBNB and Dropbox.

How React Supercharges the Construction Viz Apps

But wait (you may very well ask). What does a technology that powers social media, streaming video, and vacation rentals have to offer construction project managers?

The answer is flexibility, scalability and speed.

React is a modern, open-source library of JavaScript components optimized for building user interfaces (UI). The technology was originally developed by Facebook and Instagram. That says a lot right there. Every time one of Facebook’s or Instagram’s two-billion-plus users logs in, the newsfeed processes dozens of data points to create a completely custom experience in real time. A big part of what makes this possible is React and the extremely efficient way it handles UI updates (e.g., the virtual DOM).

Another reason React is so powerful is its structure of reusable components. These components can be anything from small UI elements (e.g., a button, form, or menu) to entire features. Once built, these components can be used again and again, making a React codebase simple, modular, and easy to maintain.

So what does React bring to our Construction Viz Apps? Lots.

• You can just buy the construction project management features you need now and add more later. Thanks to React’s component-based structure, each app works independently and can be combined with other apps for added functionality.
• You can save money. The streamlined nature of coding in React enables us to keep our prices down to begin with. Plus, you buy only what you need, not some huge package.
• You are always up to date. Because React is modular, we can update and add features quickly without affecting other components. So fewer bugs. Faster fixes.
• You have incredible flexibly to customize your tools out of the box. This means your construction project management software will fit how you work and not the other way around.
• You can work anywhere. Since React was built by Facebook and Instagram, it’s optimized by design for mobile devices, ensuring that each Construction Viz App is fully mobile responsive.
• Lots of data? No problem. React was designed for web applications serving millions. This enables our Construction Viz Apps to handle massive data sets with ease while keeping the user experience snappy.
• Integrations with enterprise applications like P6 and ArcGIS are a breeze. React makes it simple to interface with other systems, adding to the already impressive extensibility of SharePoint.
• Forget the learning curve. We’ve used React to create a simple and consistent UI that carries across all the apps. And we’ve improved the administration and setting options, which makes it easier to configure elements of your SharePoint experience.
• You are future proof. Construction Viz Apps are built on two modern technologies—React and SharePoint—which are supported by two technology goliaths, Facebook and Microsoft. You’re in good hands going forward.

Construction Project Management Software Designed for You

Our new Construction Viz Apps are gamechangers. No other solution gives you as much flexibility and control – not to mention how much money you will save by buying only what you need. Get a solution built on the latest technology and designed for you and how you work.

Contact us for a free consultation and demo to see the future of construction project management.

We have integrated the powerful features of Office Online Server into Construction Viz. Now you can edit documents right from your mobile browser and collaborate in real-time with your team.

We built Construction Viz on top of Microsoft SharePoint 2016 so that our users can take advantage of the power and reliability of the Microsoft ecosystem. This means our clients not only get the best construction project management software tools out there, but they also benefit from everything Microsoft adds to their flagship products like Office, OneNote, and more.

The latest example: We’ve integrated Office Online Server with Construction Viz and the power of SharePoint 2016. The integration enables Construction Viz users to view and edit Office documents right from their mobile browser. It also lets them collaborate on documents in real-time on any device.

Let’s take a closer look at each new feature.

Native Cross-Browser Access to Documents on Mobile Devices

Thanks to our integration with Office Online Server, Construction Viz users can now view and edit Microsoft Office files – including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and OneNote documents – directly in their native mobile browser.

Construction project teams spend a lot of time in the field. This feature lets remote team members access and edit project documents on their mobile devices without installing other apps.

No More Check-in, Check-out Editing

SharePoint includes document collaboration by default. But it can be a cumbersome process:

• You had to checkout and download a document.
• Then you made edits in your Microsoft Office desktop application.
• Finally, you uploaded the document and checked it back in to SharePoint.
• The next user then repeated the above steps to make their edits.

Not anymore. Our integration with Office Online Server now enables multiple users to simultaneously edit documents – either directly in their browser or using their local Microsoft Office application. Office Online Server and SharePoint track all changes made by users, so it is easy to see who made which edits and roll back to earlier versions if necessary.

This new collaborative editing feature is a huge timesaver allowing teams to simultaneously work together on project plans, procedures, specifications, presentations, and other communication documents. It also makes it much easier to collaborate with users across your organization – just invite them to edit the document.

And the collaborative editing feature also takes advantage of the native mobile browser support discussed above. Collaborators can thus view and edit the document on any device without installing any other software or apps.

See the screenshots below for a preview of how the new collaboration features enabled by Office Online Server work.

New options to edit in your Microsoft desktop application or in the browser:

Multiple users simultaneously editing the same document:

Viewing the edit activity for a history of changes by user:

Bringing the Power of Office Online Server and SharePoint 2016 to Construction Viz

The feedback from users after we integrated Office Online Server into Construction Viz has been great. It’s an eye-opening experience to see edits from multiple users show up in real-time in a document you are editing. We are excited how far this technology has come and how it will change the way team members collaborate in the future.

We look forward to hearing your experiences with Office Online Server and how it has made your team more productive in the comments below.

See what Construction Viz can do for you

Find out more about Construction Viz by visiting our microsite, or contact us to schedule a free consultation and demo.