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Construction Project Management Software Solutions

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Jumpstart Your Projects with These SharePoint Construction Templates

Microsoft Tips |

Have Microsoft 365 SharePoint Online but don't know where to start building your construction project sites? Check out this post to find out more about our SharePoint construction templates to quickly start managing your projects in Microsoft 365.

Our Three Most Popular SharePoint Construction Templates

Lydon Solutions has been delivering SharePoint-based solutions to the construction industry for 15 years. Over that time, we have developed many unique sites for managing construction projects based on our experiences as project managers and project control managers. Because companies and organizations new to Microsoft 365 might not know where to start building their own SharePoint sites, we created several custom SharePoint construction templates to help jumpstart the process.

In this post, we will discuss three of our most commonly requested customizable SharePoint construction templates: Leaning Center, Reporting Center, and Document Approval.

Learning Center SharePoint Construction Template

Learning Center SharePoint Template

Summary: We designed the Learning Center SharePoint template to make it easy for users to find training materials and schedule training sessions quickly.

Why: Construction projects are typically supported by matrixed organizations, each with its own required training and materials. Our goal is to bring them all together into one site where users can find the training they need for the project.

Highlights: The site is visually organized by training topics that allow users to further drill down into specific documents and videos. Also included is a training calendar to access/sign up for training sessions.

Reporting Center SharePoint Construction Template

Reporting Center SharePoint Template

Summary: The Reporting Center consolidates all of your Power BI reports into a central location.

Why:  A project/program can generate many reports that may need to be shared with the teams. We designed the Reporting Center as the reporting hub where users can access all reports across the project/program based on permissions.

Highlights: This site provides dashboards of critical KPIs, highlights a project/program status report, provides an easy way to share reports, and includes the ability to email reports to a distribution.

Document Approval SharePoint Construction Template

Document Approval SharePoint Template

Summary: The Document Approval site to provides an easy way to upload and approve documents.

Why: Projects need an easy way to receive and approve project documents. Also, they need email notification when a new file is uploaded and approved.

Highlights: This site can include several workflows, such as extracting attachments from emails, AI to read files and assign metadata to SharePoint columns, sending email notifications of receipts and approvals, and electronic approvals sent via email and Teams approvals. The ability to approve documents is based on permissions and is as easy as clicking the approval icon next to a document.

Streamline Your Construction Projects with Expert Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Solutions

Elevate your construction project management with our proven Microsoft 365 and SharePoint expertise. From customizable templates to full-scale enterprise solutions, Lydon Solutions has empowered dozens of organizations to master their multi-billion dollar project challenges.

Ready for streamlined success? Fill out the form below for a no-obligation consultation, or explore https://www.ConstructionViz.com for an advanced enterprise solution. Let's take your project management to the next level together.

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Lydon Solutions Reaches the 15-Year Mark!

Company News |

Lydon Solutions has reached a significant milestone of 15 years in business as an IT services and product company supporting the construction industry!

When you take a step back and think about it, you realize it’s a significant milestone for any business considering:

  • One-third of all new businesses exit in the first two years.
  • Half exit in the first five years.
  • Only one-quarter of businesses survive to 15 years.

Many factors are involved in sustaining a business for this long. Still, I believe the most important thing is having a great team that drives innovation, provides second-to-none customer service, and is committed to delivering the best products and services possible.

While there are days when you want to pack it in, there are always moments that keep you coming back and restore your focus. Also, working with my wife is a rare opportunity, and working from home helps balance my professional and personal lives.

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Manage Your Construction Projects in Microsoft 365

Construction Viz is a powerful and flexible construction project management solution optimized for YOU and your workflow. For maximum flexibility, the solution is available in the cloud, on-premise, or as à la carte apps for Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft 365. Learn More >

Observations for Other Entrepreneurs Based On 15 Years in Business

As the years pass, you tend to take stock of ideas and lessons that have helped you on the journey. Here is a short list of observations that might help other entrepreneurs or those who are looking to get the most out of their careers:

Innovation. To compete, companies and individuals need to embrace technology. Technology is changing faster than ever, and if you don’t leverage it to your advantage, your competition surely will, especially with the emergence of AI in all aspects of the technology and business worlds.

Solve problems. If you are in the consulting space, everything comes down to whether or not you can solve your client’s problems. Some higher-end consulting companies provide great PowerPoint presentations, and they do win work but don’t keep work. If you want to stay around long-term, listen to the client and solve their problems.

Diet and Exercise. There is an enormous amount of stress in our daily lives, much less starting and managing a company. It’s easy to get off track with bad habits, and you are no good to anybody if you can’t operate at 100%. The best thing I have found is to stick to a healthy diet and set a regular exercise routine. Working out in the morning ensures you get it done and provides peace of mind that you have accomplished something every day.

Cycles. When you start a company and have some success, you will naively think it will never end. Unfortunately, your company might end up in a bit of a slump. A life tip my dad always said to me was, “Keep a level head through the ups and downs. Don’t get too high, and don’t get too low.” Business cycles can and will inevitably occur, and you have to ride the waves and always be mindful of why you took this path in the first place. Make sure to plan for the worst and save for the downturns.

Enjoy the ride. While it is often hard to see the forest through the trees, every once in a while, take a step back and admire what the team has accomplished. To think we started the company by building custom SharePoint sites for construction and now have a product, Construction Viz for Microsoft 365, built on React as a progressive web app that stands up against some of the largest PMIS solutions available, is crazy to me. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? We have accomplished a lot, and I’m very proud to work with a fantastic, hard-working team.

Thanks for continuing to read our posts and articles and subscribing to our Lydon Solutions and LinkedIn newsletters.

Team recognition 2014
Construction Viz 1.0
Teambuilding 2018

Surface Duo: Microsoft Thunk Differently

Reviews |

As rumors are circulating regarding the end of the Microsoft Surface Duo Phone, I wanted to provide my perspective on owning the device for several years. I can hear the naysayers now. Microsoft phones are destined to die. I understand the skepticism of a Microsoft phone, but I’m writing this article to make the case that the Duo was a revolutionary device, full stop. Read on to find out how the Duo could have upset the mobile phone market.

I’ve been around for some time now, both in construction and IT. This year, Lydon Solutions will be 15 years old! Not only have we provided IT software solutions to the construction industry, but we have also provided hardware and support on some occasions. Over the years, several phone-like devices have completely changed our lives and, believe it or not, eventually led to a device like the Duo.

  • Palm Pilot (1996). The first real smart device without being a phone. Taking notes, adding tasks, and managing contacts on a handheld device was huge. I remember having one of these hanging from a belt clip😊. The Palm Pilot undoubtedly helped me be more productive and less forgetful.
  • Blackberry (1999). One of the most productive communication devices. Everyone had flip phones until this little device came out and changed the email game. The tiny keyboard for your thumbs and the wheel for scrolling was the perfect tool for reading and composing emails. It was the king of smartphones until Steve Jobs showed up.
  • iPhone (2007). Changed the game completely. The touchscreen interface and the iTunes app store changed the landscape forever. The iPhone was the first true smartphone you could use to take notes, send emails, listen to music, take photos, and more, thanks to a store full of apps. The iPhone is still the heavyweight champ for the most popular smartphone.
  • Surface Duo (2020). Yes, I have this device on the list. What the Duo did was change the form factor of mobile phones. So, instead of a single screen, you could now multitask. That might seem minor to the average iPhone user who uses their phone for Facebook, taking photos, and listening to music, but for a business user, it was huge. At any point in time, you could be in a Teams meeting and work in a browser on another screen or update an Excel file on one screen while sending out an email on another. This multi-screen smartphone is a significant productivity enhancement that will be copied in the future.
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Why the Microsoft Duo Was Not a Success

I know what you are thinking, so if it was so revolutionary, why would it go the way of all Microsoft Phones? Here are my thoughts on why it never took off:

  • Late to the game. Apple and Samsung dominate the cell phone market. This device might have gained better traction if it had been released five years earlier at the height of the Surface laptop craze.
  • Wrong market. Microsoft has a history of failed attempts to cater to the consumer market instead of the business market. Yes, the Duo can play games like a mini Xbox console, take photos, and access your social media app, but that’s not what makes it shine. It’s a productivity device.
  • Android OS. This OS is a pro and a con for the Duo. While Microsoft did not want to get caught in the same trap as previous Windows phones where no apps were available at launch, having an Android OS made it feel disconnected. Microsoft already had a great mobile OS platform, and Windows was being built for any device, so the choice of Android might have been a turn-off.
  • Buggy. When it was first released, some updates were needed for it to be usable. This can be expected with a first-to-market device, but the odds were already against Microsoft because of its past attempts to enter the mobile market, so this had to be perfect.
  • Clunky. While it was designed to be a small notepad, it didn’t fit in your pocket. Also, the camera wasn’t great, and it was awkward to trigger it to be outward-facing. The Duo also suffered from subpar hardware compared to other devices on the market.
  • Price. The Duo was a premium device for sure, but it was more expensive than any other phone.
  • Marketing. While Microsoft announced the device at a Surface event, it was not further promoted, especially in the business space. In fact, many AT&T stores did not even know what it was when I went on the hunt to find it.
  • Updates. Microsoft was very slow in releasing enhancements, and the Android OS updates were delayed. Microsoft has committed to three years of updates, and as of September of 2023, Microsoft is no longer releasing OS updates or security patches for the first Duo and only has another 12 months of advertised support for the second-generation model.

In summary, the Duo was revolutionary. It needed a few more iterations and much more marketing to get it to become a true business smartphone. Unfortunately, it seems to be going the way of Windows Mobile, which is a shame. With the Surface Duo on life support, which company will swing for the fence and develop the next revolutionary mobile device? And at this point, can only Apple or Samsung make it? I hope not. Could this device or some iteration of it be the future? And if so, could Microsoft have another crack at this with Copilot AI integrated with a Duo? I can only wish.

Keep Your Construction Data Safe with Microsoft 365 Permissions – Part 2 

Tips from the Field |

In part 1 of this three-part series on Microsoft 365 permissions, we discussed Microsoft 365 admin roles and application-specific permissions. Part 2 of this series will focus on Microsoft SharePoint Online permissions management. SharePoint brings another level of permissions management to Microsoft 365 applications, which is why we are keeping this topic separate.  

Think of SharePoint as the database for Microsoft 365 applications. Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Planner, and Microsoft Lists store data in SharePoint lists and libraries. You can thus extend the default permissions from the app level through the underlying SharePoint site permissions.  

This article will discuss SharePoint permission levels and groups and how you can modify them to help manage overall project permissions. 

Structure of SharePoint Permissions

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To understand permission controls within SharePoint, you must first understand SharePoint permissions levels.  

SharePoint Permission Levels

Permission levels navigation link from the advanced permissions settings
Permission levels navigation link from the advanced permissions settings

Permission levels enable users to perform specific tasks. Permission levels are assigned to permission groups or can be assigned to a user directly (not recommended). The permission levels that we typically see on construction projects are the following:

  • Full control - Enables users to view, add, update, delete, approve, and customize items or pages on the website. This level is typically reserved for just the SharePoint admins since this level could delete entire pages and libraries. 
  • Read – Enables users to view pages, list items, and download documents. This level is suitable for managers and external stakeholders viewing but not modifying data. 
  • Contribute - Enables users to manage personal views, edit items and user information, delete versions in existing lists and document libraries, and add, remove, and update personal Web Parts. You typically assign this level to users who add and upload data. This level is most common for construction team members sharing files and forms. 

You can create and modify permission levels from the advanced permissions settings menu if you are a site owner or have full-control permission.  

Default Permission Levels 
Default Permission Levels 

Lydon Solutions typically adds a custom permission level to projects, and we name it “Contribute No Delete” to accommodate external contractors. This custom level allows users to upload but not delete records, which is handy when sharing files between internal and external stakeholders.  

Uncheck "delete items” in the permission level settings to create a new “Contribute No Delete” level. 
Uncheck "delete items” in the permission level settings to create a new “Contribute No Delete” level. 

SharePoint Permission Groups

Permission groups are containers where you can assign a permission level and users. You can add a permission group to an entire SharePoint site, and its permission level would be inherited across every artifact (list, library, folder, and record) in the site. Alternatively, you can break inheritance and assign a different permission level to a group or user for individual SharePoint artifacts.  

As with any other Microsoft 365 application, there are default permission groups available: 

  • Site owners – Site Owners can manage site permissions, add and delete artifacts, edit site settings, and change site themes. This group has the Full Control permission level assigned in SharePoint.  
  • Site members – Site Members can add and delete records in lists and libraries. This group has the Contribute permission level assigned in SharePoint. 
  • Site visitors – Site visitors can see site content but not edit it. This group has the Read permission level assigned in SharePoint. 
SharePoint Default Permission Groups 
SharePoint Default Permission Groups 

These default permission groups are automatically assigned to every artifact on the site and will be added to every new artifact you create. This means that while site visitors cannot edit content, they can still see everything in the site, which might not be ideal if you share the site with external users and have sensitive documents on your site.  

For sites with external contractors, you will want to create new named permission groups and possibly a new permission level to control project permissions. You can add new permission groups from the advanced permission settings. 

Advanced permission settings – Create a Permission Group 
Advanced permission settings – Create a Permission Group 

Also, instead of every user having access to all of the content on the site, you will most likely want to break inheritance (permissions) for specific artifacts. To change the permissions for each artifact, go to the library settings menu, select permissions, and click Stop Inheriting Permissions. 

Library Permission settings – Stop Inheriting Permissions 
Library Permission settings – Stop Inheriting Permissions 

At this point, you should have a general idea of permission levels and groups. Please be aware that most projects have different permission levels and group needs, but here are a couple of examples of what you might have on a construction project for owner-project managers and external contractors: 

Owner-Project Managers: 

  • Permission group name: Owner Project Manager. 
  • Permission level: Contribute. 
  • Assigned: Site level. 
  • Scope: Project Managers can add and delete list items and documents across the entire site. 

External Contractors: 

  • Permission group name: Contractor. 
  • Permission level: Contribute No Delete. 
  • Assigned: Contractor Document Library. 
  • Scope: Access to only the Contractor Document Library to upload files but not delete anything. 

This article is just the tip of the iceberg regarding SharePoint permissions. SharePoint permissions can get pretty complex, and you might end up with a spiderweb of assigned permissions. If you need help with permissions or just setting up your projects in Microsoft 365, you can reach out for a free one-hour consultation here. 

For Part 3 of this series, we will be covering file sharing. While this is the easiest way to assign permissions at a folder or file level on a case-by-case basis, we wanted to get the concepts of permissions management in Microsoft 365 out of the way first. Stay tuned. 

Keeping it Simple: Cost Report Using Microsoft 365 Lists

How-To |

Many construction organizations have transitioned to Microsoft 365 but might not leverage all the applications included in their subscription. Microsoft Lists is an often overlooked application that can provide unique features for tracking project deliverables such as issues, asset management, action items, and even a simple cost report. Read on to learn how to build a simple cost report using Microsoft 365 Lists.

What is Microsoft 365 Lists?

Lists is a Microsoft 365 application that allows you to create a configurable data grid, with multiple views, that can be shareable with your team members. Lists is a modern application that stores its data behind the scenes in good old-fashioned SharePoint lists. Within Lists, you can view all the lists from all the SharePoint sites you can access. The benefit of having the separate Lists application is that users don’t have to go to every SharePoint site to create or find the needed list.

Let’s create a cost report!

Let’s create a simple cost report list to demonstrate how easy Lists is to use.

Navigate to the Lists app in Office.com, click New List, and select a Blank List.

You can name your list “CostReport” and add some basic theming.

Select where to save the list. You can save your list to an existing SharePoint site or My Lists, which is saved to a SharePoint site that is automatically created for you, and you can get to My List directly through OneDrive. For this exercise, select My Lists to save your data. Note: If you intend to extend the functionality of this simple cost report, I recommend choosing a SharePoint site to save your data instead of My Lists.

Create Columns

Once you create the list, you can begin creating columns. Note: The title field is automatically created. Consider using cost code/WBS name as the title.

For your cost report’s actual cost code field, you could create a column and name it CostCode. Select “choice” as the field type and add each corresponding WBS/cost code identifier choice.

For each financial column of your cost report, create currency columns:

To calculate fields such as budget or forecast variance, create calculated columns. Calculated columns are not readily apparent from within the Lists “create a column” menu. You have to select “see all column types” and click next, which then navigates you to a SharePoint list settings create column menu

From the SharePoint list settings “create column” menu, select calculated for the “type of information in this column” and select currency as the “data type returned from this formula.”

Formulas allow you to select columns that you have previously created in your list and add them to a calculated column. Here is a list of common formulas you can use for a calculated column.

You are going to want to create your variance columns using calculated fields.

Once you create all the columns you need to track your project costs, click New to add records for each row of your cost report.

From the SharePoint list settings “create column” menu, select calculated for the “type of information in this column” and select currency as the “data type returned from this formula.”

While every cost report for every project can be different, we created a simple cost report so you understand how it can be built and customized.

Sample of a simple cost report:

  • Title = WBS/code description text field
  • CostCode = choice field
  • Budget, commitment, spends, and forecast are currency fields
  • ForecastVariance and BudgetVariance are calculated columns
    • ForecastVariance = PreviousForecast-Forecast
    • BudgetVariance=Budget-Forecast

Going outside the box

If you are looking for something a bit more complex than a simple cost report using Lists, you could extend the functionality further by incorporating other Microsoft 365 applications into your solution. For example:

  • Integration from your financial systems for commitments and spends using Power Apps and Power Automate workflows.
  • Standardized WBS/cost codes across cost reports using SharePoint site columns for consistent reporting.
  • Build Power BI reports for slicing and dicing the cost report data.
  • Automatically save cost reports by period and compare variances between periods using Power Automate to copy the list and update the PreviousForecast column.

We hope this simple cost report exercise provides an easy way to spin up a straightforward tracking tool for your project. If you need help customizing Lists to your specific project needs or need help with Microsoft 365, you can contact us for a free consultation.

If you need a more robust solution for Microsoft 365, you can request a demo of Construction Viz, our enterprise construction management solution that can be deployed to your Microsoft 365 tenant.

Visualize Your Project Data with Microsoft Lists Calendar View (constructionviz.com)

Let Microsoft 365 Syntex AI Read and Organize Your Construction Images for You

Microsoft News |

Photos are heavily used on construction projects to document progress, identify defects, visualize site conditions, capture safety incidents, and even celebrate milestones. Hundreds, if not thousands, of images are taken throughout a project. Once taken, those images then need to be categorized and stored. What if you could drop off images and have Microsoft 365 Syntex read your images and categorize them for you? Read on to find out more.

What is Microsoft 365 Syntex?

Microsoft 365 Syntex is an AI solution that can find, organize, and classify documents in your SharePoint libraries, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive for Business, and Exchange. Rather than clicking and manually sorting through hundreds or thousands of files, Syntex extracts, analyzes, and categorizes the data for you. Syntex can be used in many different scenarios, such as:

  • Generating repetitive business documents like contracts.
  • Extracting data from business documents using models for searching and indexing.
  • Extracting printed or handwritten text using optical character recognition (OCR) for searching and indexing.
  • Image tagging, where AI scans images and provides image tags.

In a prior post, we covered Use AI to Manage Your Construction Projects with SharePoint Syntex, where we created several AI models and extracted data from PDF files. In this article, we walk through the new image tagging feature and how it could be used with construction images.

Syntex Image Tagging Set Up

To set up image tagging, you will need to set up your Azure subscription to link to Microsoft Syntex.

Once Syntex is set up, make sure to show the image tag column in the SharePoint document library you intend to use for dropping off images.

Using Syntex to tag images

When you drop off images in a SharePoint document library, Syntex image tagging will automatically run through all of your images using AI. You can set Syntex to run on new files only or new and updated files. It can take up to 24 hours for Syntex to provide image tags to the images.

Image Tags assigned to a construction image

There are currently 37 image tags that Microsoft uses to categorize and update the image tag column. You can also add your own tags. These image tags are great for searching and filtering since they are managed metadata that can be used across sites.

Search by Image Tag filters Documents

Wrap up

Microsoft 365 Syntex is a leading-edge solution that could save project teams a ton of time in categorizing and organizing project images in the future.

Currently, the number of image tags available for Syntex to assign is very small, so its value is limited without manually adding tags. The number of image tags may increase in the future and with new AI models, you may be able to train Syntex to perform a deeper analysis of the images and extract more relevant data, such as buildings being constructed or the type of equipment being used in the image.

For now, we recommend getting familiar with how it works and keeping an eye on this space. As Syntex AI improves and the image tags available expands, this new Syntex feature could significantly benefit your projects.

To learn more about utilizing Microsoft 365 to manage your projects or need general support, you can request a free one-hour consultation here. If you are looking for a turnkey construction project management system in Microsoft 365, click here.