McNab, a construction company based in Queensland, Australia, has built a stellar reputation over the past 20-plus years as one of the leading construction companies in the state. Over 85 per cent of their projects are sourced from long-term repeat clients, and they have an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from clients.
Eliminating congestion
Prior to adopting Procore, McNab was using a different solution (a document storage software) as their primary project management tool. However, it was creating more headache than help.
McNab’s IT Manager Matt Bates recalls, “[Our previous solution] was an on-premise solution–a very old hat. We had to manually upload and organise files into the storage system and then register those drawings separately”.
The other issue was that the old solution only did transmittals and produced a staggering number of documents. Bates says, “You would complete your transmittal and then it would email the drawings in .zip format to the subbies’ email. Every time we sent things out, our own mail system created 20-odd file attachments. Can you imagine the congestion that was creating?”
Getting the team on board
Bates’ team began searching for a new cloud-based system that would integrate all documents, increase communication, and ultimately, streamline processes. When they found Procore, and project owners and subbies learned about the platform’s vast toolset, the software sold itself. Employees quickly found the value in having real-time access to information.
Bates notes, “One of the things that stuck out most about the product was its ease of use. It’s not complicated at all. We took to it rather quickly”.
During implementation, McNab utilised Procore’s training resources to help educate their employees and foster a culture of development. “We love the Procore Certification program. Our HR Department has a policy that within an employee’s first month, they have to forward their Associate Certificate so that it goes on file that they’re certified and know how to use it,” says Bates.
Improving processes for an evolving industry
With a successful implementation of tools like Drawings, RFIs, and Defect Lists, McNab began encouraging collaborators to utilise inspections for Inspections and Test Plans (ITP) and checklists as well. In doing so, employees could quickly update, view, and track inspections, providing all collaborators with real-time visibility into projects.
“That’s a great benefit. In the old days we would have to email drawings every time we made a revision. Now we just upload the drawings and mark them up directly in Procore. We used to see emails bounce back because the drawing was too large. We would have to break it down and push it into Dropbox and then send a link via Dropbox.”
In addition, Procore’s mobile functionality allows McNab’s team to work offline and perform inspections in remote locations or that have poor access to the web. Its user-friendly interface and intuitive design help further streamline their processes.
With Procore’s growing number of integrations in the App Marketplace, the platform has proved to be a powerful tool for Bates and his team. As an IT guru, he says that Procore’s innovation and ability to constantly evolve with the industry is a key factor in making it an industry leader.
“One of the things I would praise Procore on is their product development. They are constantly moving forward. It seems like every 6 to 12 months we are seeing new product updates come through. I’m excited to see where Procore goes next.”