REMINDER Check in on the COLLABORATE mobile app Improving the Unifier User Experience Prepared by: Chad Brady Project Executive Foresee Consulting The Importance of QA/QC in Configurations & Upgrades Accommodating the Casual User & the Power User Leveraging Alternative Technologies Unifiers Future in Construction Session ID#: 200120
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The Importance of QA/QC in Configurations & UpgradesAccommodating the Casual User & the Power UserLeveraging Alternative TechnologiesUnifiers Future in Construction
Session ID#: 200120
Chad Brady, LEED AP Project Executive Foresee Consulting Phone: 702-818-3520 [email protected] http://www.4cteam.com
Background Degree in Construction Engineering w/EIT, North
Dakota State University Foresee Consulting 1 Year Mortenson Construction 16 Years Duke Construction 2 Years Project Manager on many complex projects
Notable Construction Projects Sioux City IA – Perry Creek Water Diversion & Outlet
and Reconstruction Mpls MN – U of M Walter Digital Technology Center Memphis TN - FedEx Forum (Grizzlies Basketball Arena) Mpls MN – Walker Art Center Expansion Duluth MN – St. Mary’s Duluth Clinic 1st St Building St. Paul MN – Wilder Center
Agenda■ Next steps after the initial implementation■ User experience as the key to success■ “Simple” change management■ Alternative technologies to improve the user’s experience■ Unifiers Future in Construction
Next Steps – after the initial implementation
Phases of an implementation, Self Evaluation, Think outside the box – avoid the “Status Quo” mindset, Must have vs. nice to have – prioritize
ImplementSelect Maintain
Implementation Phases
On‐Going
ImplementSelect
MaintainMaintain
Stabilize ImproveEvaluate
Implementation Phases
1 Year 1 Year On‐Going
PrototypeGather Requirements Configure Pilot Deploy
Improve
Implementation Phases
■ Figure out what’s important to the users and the “Business”■ Process map from cradle to grave – SIPOC
▪ First, figure out what’s actually done in the process, not what should be done▪ Understand who ALL the players are and what they do
■ Understand the scenarios and find the gaps■ Refer back to the Critical Success Factors and goals of the
original initiative.
■ Identify must haves▪ Keep an open mind – don’t get stuck in the status quo▪ Separate out the nice to haves▪ Weight and prioritize them – let the users vote to determine this▪ Don’t forget the low hanging fruit – nailing these can have a significant effect
The Must Haves■ Simplify the Workflows or Add New BP’s■ Consolidate or Eliminate BP’s■ Expand user base to include more external users■ New Workflows■ New Forms■ Eliminate Fields■ Add Fields■ Minimize or Add Dynamic Data Sets (DDS)■ Remove auto-creates■ Add auto-creates
■ Remember – Automated DOES NOT always mean Efficient and Intuitive
The User Experience – the key to success
User Knowledge curve, Remember the casual vs. power user, Intuitiveness vs. Complexity
Workforce Experience with Technology■ Paper & Pencil■ Fax■ Cell Phone■ Computers■ Tablets■ CADD■ BIM
The comfort level that users have with technology in the work place, varies significantly from one end of the spectrum to the next, regardless of position or age.
■ Suppliers■ Foremen■ Superintendents■ Field Engineers
■ Project Managers■ Construction Executives■ Owners■ Designers
Capitalize on the Power of Unifier
■ Links via portlets & dashboards■ Graphical dashboards■ Links to step specific documentation
“Simple” Change Management
Importance of QA/QC in configurations and upgrades - don’t take upgrades/updates for granted, Utilize the testing environment(s), Be methodical/meticulous/systematic/comprehensive
Quality Assurance & Quality Control
■ Quality Assurance - to ensure what will be configured meets the customers needs
■ Quality Control - to verify what was configured meets the design requirements
Keep it in Perspective
■ Is Unifier a mission critical application?
■ How important is change management?
■ How important is testing?
■ Do you want a place for end users to submit their requests?
■ Are there certain things where you need leadership approval?
■ Who are all the players that need to be involved?
■ Does this need to be included in a much larger change management process?
Utilize the Testing Environment(s)
■ You get Prod and uStage, but if you want a place to really test:▪ Development – for a sandbox environment, the ‘Playground’.
▪ Training – a place you can train your users as well as external users on what is currently in production
▪ Testing – with integrations it is best to have a separate environment where you can keep the upgrade testing running concurrently
■ Refresh your non-Prod environment(s) often.▪ Facilitates troubleshooting when you have more recent data to look at
where you can see what something looked like before a config push or a change in data.
Test, Test, and Test . . .
■ Don’t rely on the software developer to have tested everything
■ Don’t rely on only yourself to have tested everything – more eyes the better
■ Take a methodical approach to your testing – have a thorough test plan
■ Be meticulous in how you test – leave no stone unturned
■ Test systematically through the entire process from the users perspective – especially where integrations are concerned
■ Ensure you are comprehensive – Multiple testers and multiple scenarios is critical
Leveraging Alternative Technologies - improving the user experience
Don’t fall into the shiny ball trap, What are your gaps, Addressing the Easy vs. Effective
■ Bluebeam■ Box■ Native Mobile Apps■ Sharepoint■ BIM 360 Field & Glue■ Word Press/You Tube■ UPK■ Web Development■ Etc.
Some Alternative Technologies
Unifiers Future in Construction
Necessary Enhancements & Needed Functionality
Enhancements – Must Haves■ Key Functionality Currently In EXP & PCM■ Needed User Interface Improvements■ Other User Experience Improvements
▪ Improved Smartform & Custom Print Functionality▪ Native Mobile Apps▪ Reporting Improvements▪ Workflow Improvements▪ Improved Request for Bid functionality
■ Interoperability with Other Systems▪ Email consolidation/integrations▪ BIM & VDC Integrations▪ Tie to Social Collaboration Sites▪ Environment to Environment Communications
Key Functionality Currently In EXP/PCM■ Easy process to manually 'Generate' individual or groups of
records and select assignees in real time■ Can print the screen of a filtered/sorted/grouped log view■ There is a tight connection between the project level contact and
licensed user database■ Can add companies & users to the global directory from the project
level■ Letters module has a tight integration to Word■ Able to send record creation/update data between different
instances■ Has Cost & Revenue Mark-ups as well as Multiple Budgets■ Built-in procurement & bid management modules are available■ Can access records directly from the dashboard and take action■ Able to delete records
Needed User Interface Improvements■ Provide browser neutrality■ Update to current navigation standards of design■ Capitalize on HTML 5 Functionality
▪ Browser based drag and drop of attachments▪ Drag and drop web page layout▪ Ability to embed HTML scripts & widgets into standard dashboards▪ Enable HTML based custom dashboards and include integrations to data in
Unifier (similar to SWF today) and other systems
■ Provide improved navigation for selecting projects■ Project level search across all modules■ User definable Log views - Sorts, Filters, Layouts, etc.■ Enable Maximize/Minimize of any window■ Eliminate redundant pop up windows
Other User Experience Improvements■ Improved Smartform & Custom Print Functionality
▪ Ability to include smartform in email notifications▪ Support drag/drop and pasting of clipboard images into smartforms▪ Usable Pickers, DDS, pull-downs and other form functionality on smartforms▪ Able to include Logos & other images on custom prints & smartforms▪ Added setup function for limiting selection of certain custom prints & by step
■ Native Mobile Apps▪ Support for disconnected data access▪ Granular mobile app rather than all inclusive, align with smartform technology
■ Reporting Improvements▪ Ability to format UDR’s with logos, margins, fonts, etc▪ Dataviews and UDR’s based on record permissions
■ Workflow Improvements▪ Publish path improvements on workflow & non-workflow business processes▪ Workflow selection redundancy
■ Request for Bid Improvements▪ Ability to modify the scope on the fly▪ Ability to efficiently issue addendums to the bid documents▪ Allow for changing the bid date
Interoperability with Other Systems■ Email Consolidation/Integrations
▪ Provide a unified email mailbox within Unifier (currently separate umail and mailbox folders)
▪ Merge the mailbox with the users email DB▪ Implement a project calendar that would interface
with the same users mail DB■ BIM & VDC Integrations
▪ Direct connection of the Unifier business processes to the model
▪ Allow references between Unifier and the model▪ Enable clash detection to be captured & managed in
Unifier■ Tie to Social Collaboration Sites
▪ Allow for discussions on certain subjects/records▪ Capture discussion and incorporate it into the record▪ Provide the ability to invite others to the discussion
without login credentials■ Customer’s/Designer’s Systems
▪ Unifier to Unifier would be a good start▪ Then add other popular systems
Document Storage & Management■ Improved attachments & Document Manager navigation/search/layout■ Neutral solution for document markups■ Simultaneous document markup functionality■ Ability to download documents with markups■ ‘Combine to PDF’ functionality – from various file types■ Dynamic save/update/upload of documents■ URL based Document Manager – with relative path functionality■ Ability to share documents with non-users■ Real time syncing capabilities between the DB and users devices■ Document Manager integrations with other CMS’ – Folder to Folder
integrations with same folder structure■ Document permissions also based on record permissions if auto-published■ Include other attributes in log for attachments on a record■ When moving a document or adding attachments, allow versioning if it
already exists■ Allow renaming of documents
Improved Task Management■ Incorporate Project Superuser concept and ability to propagate project
access from the company or intermediate shell levels■ Provide the sender and record editors the ability to add assignees
& CC’s to a sent record■ Incorporate a permission set to allow users to take control of a
record and advance it (needs to be more dynamic than proxie)■ Allow more than one proxie to a user and be project specific■ Ability to share records with non-users via URL
Take-Aways
Take-Aways■ Next steps after the initial implementation
▪ Phases of an implementation, Self evaluation
■ User experience as the key to success▪ User knowledge curve, Think outside the box – avoid the “Status Quo”
mindset, Must have vs. nice to have – prioritize, Remembering the casual vs. power user, Intuitiveness vs. Complexity
■ “Simple” change management▪ Importance of QA/QC in configurations and upgrades - don’t take
upgrades/updates for granted, Utilize the testing environment, Be methodical/meticulous/systematic/comprehensive
■ Alternative technologies to improve the user’s experience▪ Don’t fall into the shiny ball trap, What are your gaps, Addressing the Easy
vs. Effective
■ Unifiers Future in Construction▪ Necessary enhancements & needed functionality
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