Algeco is the leading market supplier of portable and modular buildings across the UK and Europe. With over 60 years of experience and a network of UK branches alone, they provide innovative, high-quality solutions for a wide range of applications, including office accommodation, classrooms, healthcare facilities, and retail space.

Before

• Lack of formal electronic document control system
• Servers full of loose documents

After

• A clear audit trail of project information
• One single source of truth
• Enhanced project permissions and controls

Challenge

Previously, although they did store project documents on an internal server, Algeco had no formal document control system in place. Although they were lucky enough to have avoided seriously mismanaged data or breaches, there was always the possibility that this could happen. Then came a framework for DFA schools. Part of the requirement for this framework contract was that there was an EDM platform in place for the duration of the contract, with sufficient privileges, permissions, and controls. This led Algeco to begin to search the market for a solution that would not only serve those requirements but to be intuitive to use.

Solution

After choosing Viewpoint For Projects for the DFA framework project and experiencing an EDM platform, Algeco decided not to go back to how they previously worked – Viewpoint For Projects was a mainstay.

Workflows and Permissions

Jo Gibbs, Document Controller for Algeco, found the workflows and permissions to be an essential part of how Algeco goes to work. Her philosophy with creating workflows is to keep them as secure as possible, but not to overcomplicate it. That’s the beauty of Viewpoint For Projects, those workflows can be adapted and changed to fit Algeco’s current way of working, or even a certain contract requiring a bespoke permission.

Having those parameters in place means that information is only disseminated when it needs to be. As Jo explains, “they know that the documents are there and it stops people viewing information at certain points when we don't want them to look at it.” This brings peace of mind to project information, with no longer having to worry that a document ends up on the wrong desk or in the wrong inbox. It also speeds up the approvals and reviewing processes by efficiently distributing information across teams and having a process in place for checks, updates, and sign offs.

Centralised Information

Algeco is often working with multiple teams, from clients to subcontractors, so using Viewpoint For Projects means they can give all parties access to the information they need to see. As revisions can be kept up-to-date, they can make sure that the latest versions are being viewed and worked from. “I do all the QA checking and it's done straight away,” says Jo, “as soon as it goes on I can see it.” This can also be shared with the clients at their request, meaning they can dip in and out of the project and be able to capture the exact status at any time.

Having the information in one place also stops those delays that can come from teams chasing information and updates. “Somebody'll ask a question or email a question to the design manager on the project and they'll say, ‘you need to look at this drawing of Viewpoint For Projects’” Jo says, “so instead of somebody having to go and get that drawing and email it, they can go on VFP and it's there.” Eliminating those extra bits of admin during a project may not seem like much but over a project’s course, those minutes spent chasing for updates and sending emails can soon total hours lost just from looking for information. Now with Viewpoint For Projects, that live information is a few clicks away.

Audit Trails

In construction projects, it’s not just about what versions of documents and drawings that are being approved, but the ones that didn’t make the cut, the comments that were added along the way, and any other project tweaks. When a revision is applied in Viewpoint For Projects, all of the previous data is stored in the background for those all-important audit trails and evidencing. As Jo said, “It's there. That revision of that drawing’s there forever, things like that are really beneficial.” This adds another layer of project efficiency, by allowing the design team to check that information is being viewed, people are in the loop with the project and viewing what they should be.

Results

As the benefits of using VFP are becoming more apparent within Algeco, more and more of the team are beginning to be on-boarded onto the system and realising the benefits of moving to a centralised document management system. They know that multiple teams can work on a project and be assured people are only accessing the information they need, when they need it. Coupled with the workflows for strict approvals, only the correct information is being shared at any one time across projects. Put simply, Viewpoint For Projects has enabled Algeco to create a robust document management system to bring consistency and repeatability across its projects.