Lydon Solutions

Construction Project Management Software Solutions

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How Adaptive Cards Can Turbocharge Your Construction Project Management Processes

How-To |

Wouldn't it be great to get more of your project management workflow done in Microsoft Outlook and Teams without needing to log into other enterprise systems? Adaptive Cards technology enables you to do just that by providing an open, lightweight, and flexible framework to integrate user experiences into other applications, including Outlook, Teams, and more.

Technology is changing at a fever clip, and construction organizations are having to adapt to survive. Owners, contractors, and construction management organizations are all scrambling to implement the latest whiz-bang IT solution for managing their projects. Unfortunately, project managers and users are often left having to learn and navigate many different systems and processes on top of just trying to do their job. So how can you move the technology forward without leaving your team in the technology wake?

Adaptive Cards are a JSON-based and platform-agnostic way to deliver app data into a native UI. We use it to extend the functionality of Construction Viz, our turnkey construction project management solution, into Microsoft Outlook and Teams. With Construction Viz and Adaptive Card technology, organizations can collect data from users via email (e.g., filling out an RFI or managing approvals) without requiring them to log into another system. We also leverage Adaptive Cards to enable Construction Viz users to share dashboards and reports via email or Teams, again without needing the recipient to log into any other system.

Check out our blog describing how Construction Viz takes advantage of Adaptive Cards. You can also learn more about Adaptive Cards here and here.

Adaptive Card approval embedded in Email from Construction Viz

Why Adaptive Cards matter for construction projects

The number and complexity of systems in construction will only continue to increase. Adaptive Cards take away the training, double-entry, errors, and inefficiencies that can come with multiple systems and new technologies. It allows your team to focus on what is essential for them to do their job and provide the data you need to manage your project's success.

So, no matter which systems house project-related data at your organization, you can flatten the IT learning curve by using Adaptive Cards to provide your end-users with a streamlined and simplified way to get their job done.

Learn how Adaptive Cards can streamline your projects

Find out more about our Adaptive Card technology by submitting a free consultation request.  If you prefer a turnkey project management solution powered by Microsoft 365 and SharePoint, check out Construction Viz and our extensive lineup of construction apps.

Picking the Right Construction Project Management Software

How-To |

This is part one of four in a series of blogs called Tips on Deploying Construction Project Management Software for Your Organization.

If you are a construction organization, I would assume that IT is not your strong suit. Nor should it be. You need to focus on construction. You probably already know that trying to navigate the IT landscape can be both intimidating and frustrating. While there are many construction project management platforms on the market that all provide very similar functionality, by doing some up-front planning, you can improve your chances of selecting and successfully implementing the best solution for your organization.

Below are seven lessons that I have learned from years of deploying construction project management software for enterprises. Hopefully, these tips will help make your selection process a little easier.

Seven Tips for Selecting a Construction Project Management Solution


1. Define the problem statement. What specifically are you trying to improve by implementing new technology? Check with subject matter experts within your organization to determine what is working and what is not. Then formulate a problem statement that includes a cost-benefit analysis by filling in the blanks of this statement: "If we do X, it will save us Y and improve our offerings by Z." It is incredible how many companies looking for a new software platform do not perform this most basic and crucial step.

2. Develop "as-is" requirement documents. I have written about the importance of "as-is" requirements in the past. In brief, to understand what you might need tomorrow, you must thoroughly understand how your processes work today. Prepare business requirement processes, flow diagrams, risk areas, data dictionaries, and reports based on how you currently do business now, not how you would like to in the future. Hire a third-party consulting company to challenge the robustness of your processes and identify where technology will help improve them. The exercise of uncovering how you do things is critical. You might find that you do not know your processes as well as you would have liked. Also, you might have tools already at your company that can provide what you need with little to no modifications, or maybe your processes do not lend themselves to an upgrade in technology.

3. Do not be made to feel inadequate because you use Excel to manage projects. Be aware that using Excel to manage projects does not mean you are behind the times. In my experience of over twenty years in project controls, Excel is the de facto standard to manage projects regardless of what enterprise software companies claim to use. Believe it or not, teams use Excel to run multi-billion-dollar projects and programs and have done so for decades. Do not be too quick to throw out your Excel files unless you have evidence of problems. Also, if you are using SharePoint, know that you can turn your Excel files into a web-based project management system. Contact us to find out how.

4. Avoid looking at software products until you complete steps 1-3. One of the biggest mistakes companies make is starting to evaluate project management software systems on the market before knowing: 1) what they already have and 2) what they need. When we founded Lydon Solutions, we worked with multiple sizable companies that could have upwards of twenty construction project management systems deployed across the organization. These companies were paying for all these tools but under-utilizing them because these expensive software platforms never actually solved the core problems. Nowadays, we see even smaller companies with the same dilemma. Do not be fooled by the software salesperson and all those pretty charts. Focus on how and if their software can solve your specific problems.

5. Decide your level of involvement. Evaluating, planning for, and implementing the right construction project management software for your organization is a big undertaking. Even if a vendor tells you their product is an off-the-shelf solution and you can hit the ground running day one, they are glossing over the setup, configuration, and training that will be needed to get the system working for your team. If your organization intends to manage the entire selection and deployment process internally, then make sure you know your IT group's experience level and availability to deploy and support the selected solution. If you do not have that internal team, then you need to understand the level of external support required and the associated costs. Also, beyond just administering the system, you will need management oversight to support the deployment. We recommend designating at least one sponsor, a senior manager or executive who is ultimately responsible for the successful implementation of the system. You will likewise need at least one subject matter expert (SME), someone who knows your business processes and can be available from the beginning to help with the rollout of your new solution.

6. Change is inevitable, so plan accordingly. There is not any construction project management software system out there that will not need to be "tweaked" at some point after implementation, either through configuration or custom code, to address changes to your company or projects. Make sure you have the budget and resources to support such changes. Also, ensure that whatever software you are considering allows for your required company-specific modifications and does not force you to change your business processes to fit how the system works.

7. Pilot a project. Way too many times, I have seen the mistake of companies trying to roll out an enterprise project management system across the entire organization without doing a pilot first. In my experience, enterprise software implemented organization-wide in this top-down fashion will either likely fail, end up costing two to three times more, or both. I encourage companies to start small with a pilot program with minimal functionality, get the win, and then expand. This approach minimizes your investment, obtains crucial buy-in from your team, and if you have a subpar experience with a vendor, you can write them off before making too large of a commitment.

Get Help with a Construction Project Management Software Solution for your Team


I hope the above lessons that I've shared can help you find the right construction project management solution for your organization. As you can see, more up-front planning on your part is needed before you put a request for proposal (RFP) out on the street or start inviting companies to provide software demos. Stay tuned: we will be providing more tips on assessing the right technology framework and managing a successful implementation of construction project management solutions in future posts.

If you have any questions or are looking for a project management software solution for your construction organization, reach out for a no-obligation consultation with our team. Good luck!

Construction Viz: Looking Ahead for 2018

Company News |

2018 promises to be an exciting year for all of us at Lydon Solutions. We will be building on the success of Construction Viz – our flexible, subscription-based construction project solution powered by SharePoint 2016 and SQL 2016 – with some very exciting new announcements for the coming year.

As we look forward to 2018, we cannot help reflecting on our past years to see the trajectory of where we are heading. Here is a brief look back – and a preview of the awesome new offerings we’ll be introducing next month.

Our Mission to Build the Perfect Construction Project Management Software Solution

2009 – Pioneering SharePoint as a Construction Project Management Solution

We founded Lydon Solutions in 2009 as a woman-owned business enterprise with the mission of offering the best tools for managing construction projects.  Our experience deploying many systems over the years convinced us that SharePoint is the ideal foundation for a construction project management information system.  SharePoint’s flexibility and extensibility have made it the most widely adopted platform in the enterprise. However, no one was using its full potential to manage construction projects. We set out to change that.

Our initial development was rudimentary.  We started delivering solutions using out-of-the-box tools like Microsoft InfoPath and SharePoint Designer and subcontracting hosting to another company.  This approach got us into the market quickly and helped us hone our skills, understand the software industry, and build the foundation of how to deliver complete solutions.  Our offering worked well for our clients who were just starting to understand the benefits of a web-based construction project portal.

Market conditions soon changed. We found that our clients wanted more:  More functionality, more reporting, and more dashboards. They also wanted a single point of contact for support issues.  Out-of-the-box offerings began to lose their appeal since they lacked the flexibility and scalability to build into more robust solutions.

2012 – Extending SharePoint with Client-Side Development and Custom Features

We responded to the limitations of an out-of-the-box approach by incorporating client-side development, creating a set of standard forms, adding robust reporting, and incorporating third-party tools as needed for dashboards and custom functionality.

We also began offering our own SharePoint hosting as early adopters of the Microsoft Azure cloud platform to give our clients a complete one-stop solution. There was little information available about doing what we needed to do in Azure when we implemented our data center in 2012.  Our clients were just starting to embrace the cloud as well – so it was unfamiliar territory for all.

Our innovation to meet our customers’ emerging needs paid off.  SharePoint combined with client-side enhancements delivered via our dedicated hosted environments worked well and proved popular for our construction-industry clients over the next several years.  We learned a lot in the process about end-to-end solutions from requirements to hosting.

Market conditions shifted once again. Our customers wanted sites implemented faster.  There was no time or money for spinning-up dedicated environments.  They also wanted complete solutions with complex reporting, integration with line of business applications, and responsive sites and forms for mobile users.

2016 – Launching Construction Viz as a Cloud-Based Project Management Solution

Meeting the demand of our clients for faster deployment of mobile-responsive project sites with robust features required a new approach.

We responded with a new product offering, Construction Viz, where we combined SharePoint 2016 and SQL 2016 for the best of reporting, integration, custom forms, and GIS mapping into a software-as-a-service platform.  Construction Viz is a complete end-to-end solution configurable to each customer’s needs.  It is the culmination of seven years of continuous development that has resulted in the best of the best we have to offer.

But we are not the type to rest on our laurels. Many in the construction industry are now adopting Office 365 with SharePoint Online and moving their businesses to Microsoft Azure.  Our customers told us that they wanted to have a solution wherever they want, whenever they want, and pick as much or as little of a solution as they want. We listened. Which brings us to our exciting new offering for 2018.

Taking Construction Viz to the Next Level in 2018

In February 2018, we will be supplementing Construction Viz with new custom bundled SharePoint applications that our clients can deploy themselves.  These client-side apps are a complete package that include forms, logs, reports, search, and more. Customers can add Construction Viz Apps in minutes to their own environments, including on-premise SharePoint 2013 or 2016 as well as Office 365 SharePoint Online.

Clients now have the ultimate choice:

1. They can use Construction Viz as a fully hosted or on-premise construction project management solution.

OR

2. They can take advantage of our new apps to add specific functionality from Construction Viz into their own environment even if they use Office 365.

Construction Viz truly is project management perfected for your needs!

It has been quite a journey to get where we are.  Market conditions, customer needs, and iteration after iteration has brought us here.   If you want to use SharePoint to manage your projects, which most companies do, look no further. Lydon Solutions has you covered with Construction Viz and our new application offerings.

All of us at Lydon Solutions are looking forward to 2018 and wish you all a very happy new year.  Thank you for some great years – and we cannot wait to take Construction Viz to the next level with you going forward!

See What Construction Viz Can Do for Your Team

Find out more about Construction Viz by visiting our microsite, or contact us to schedule a free consultation and demo. Join our mailing list below to be the first to hear about the launch of our upcoming Construction Viz Apps.

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