Operations with PlanGrid: for owners
After construction is completed, the keys are handed over to the facilities management team. While construction takes a few months to a few years, the operations of a building can last anywhere between 30–60 years and involve many stakeholders, including furniture dealers, AV equipment teams, renovation specialists, and more. Many overlook the importance of this handoff, where as much as 30% of a building’s information is typically lost.
PlanGrid bridges the gap from construction to operations by giving facilities teams a voice during construction and providing a single digital repository of all building information. Having this data at your fingertips also mitigates risk during emergencies.
Early involvement is key
There is often friction between facilities and construction services as they can work under two different budgets and departments that are not always aligned. PlanGrid acts as a conduit for these groups by giving facilities teams a voice during the construction process, when changes are much easier and less costly to make.
Involve your facilities teams early on. Have them do punchlist walks during their visits. Hand them a tablet to mark up drawings during construction and get critical information. Having the facilities team at the table means building for the best value install before the building is occupied. Don’t underestimate how decisions in construction can affect long-term operations, which make up 98% of a building’s entire lifespan costs.
Digitize all closeout documentation
You know the story: The operations director is handed binders upon binders filled with warranty information and maintenance guides at closeout—forcing the facilities team to read, cross-reference, and search through information that could easily be handed over on a tablet.
PlanGrid plays a pivotal role by tracking information in real-time throughout the entire design and construction process. Information can’t be accurate if it’s not documented, and it’s common for contractors not to mark up drawings during a project (and then try to jot down from memory when compiling asbuilts). The information at handoff is lost or inaccurate, requiring additional labor from the owner to recreate the data.
Instead, owners use PlanGrid to attach documents as hyperlinks to plans; including all the asbuilts and shop drawings. It’s a complete, accurate and organized representation of the building in one place. The best part? You don’t have to start operations from scratch, and you can continue to update your plans throughout future renovations by adding new documents, pictures, or markups.
Improve emergency responsiveness
Having a living set of plans on PlanGrid is extra valuable during an emergency when you need to pull up information quickly. Say a pipe bursts in the winter and water is flooding the building — you need to find the shut-off valve for that system to limit thousands of dollars of additional damage. Perhaps there is a fire and you need the life safety plans of the building for emergency responders. In many facilities, like healthcare or college campuses, the speed with which you take this action is critical.
Having PlanGrid ensures you’ll have instant, mobile access to all the up-to-date building information, helping you respond faster and more effectively. No one successfully executes emergency protocols from their desk behind a computer or by leafing through binders of information.
This is the fifth in a series of 5 blog posts about how owners and developers use PlanGrid throughout a building’s lifecycle. Read more:
How PlanGrid is game-changing for owners and developers
How owners can use PlanGrid in design
Construction with PlanGrid: for owners
Closeout with PlanGrid: for owners
About the author: Josh is a Customer Success Manager at PlanGrid, based out of Philadelphia. He joined PlanGrid after working for 6+ years in the construction industry at an ENR Top 400 General Contractor. You can reach him at josh.progar@plangrid.com or on LinkedIn.
