Technology in Architectural Practice

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The AIA Technology in Architectural Practice Knowledge Community (TAP) serves as a resource for AIA members, the profession, and the public in the deployment of computer technology in the practice of architecture. TAP leaders monitor the development of computer technology and its impact on architecture practice and the entire building life cycle, including design, construction, facility management, and retirement or reuse.

    

  • 1.  Office 365 Sites in the Arch office

    Posted 04-10-2016 08:00 PM

    Our office uses Office 365.  Has anyone had luck using "Sites" for their projects - both for file storage but also for communication with clients?  I've tested it out and it seems you cannot just create a public link (like in box) to send to a client to download a file - either way they need to set up an account which is then somehow tied to your admin page (not as a paid user).  There is a quirkiness to how the Sites operate in my opinion - it is not as fluid or intuitive as it could be.  We don't have an IT department to set this up so it would be up to each PM to set it up.  What experience have you had if you are using this tool?  I'd love to see some screenshots if you can share them.  Did your clients have difficulty using the Site or did employees have a hard time?

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    Thomas Fallon AIA
    Benner Stange Associates Architects, Inc.
    Portland OR
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  • 2.  RE: Office 365 Sites in the Arch office

    Posted 04-11-2016 05:31 PM

    We are using O365 pretty comprehensively including for Project Sites.  We have the 'Documents' synced with our server in real-time which makes it easy to publish drawings and make files available to consultants.  Each project uses the schedule, to-do list, etc.  Our clients appreciate having access to this resource.


    You can share a file with anyone using just a link (no login required).  But you can't share a folder.  We get around this by 'zipping' our folders when we want to send them.


    We provide weekly project updates in the 'Newsfeed' section.  And we're working on linking our project schedules together with a master Microsoft Project file in order to manage all the scheduling in the office.


    O365 is clunky in many respects but it works.  We tried several other project management solutions but finally settled on this because the MS stuff works for business and they continue to make very good improvements.


    Enjoy!


    Brian L Van WinkleAIA NCARB
    Principal Architect  |  Direct: (314) 324-2542
    Vessel Architecture & Design . 600 Emerson Road . Suite 401 . Saint Louis MO 63141





  • 3.  RE: Office 365 Sites in the Arch office

    Posted 04-11-2016 05:41 PM

    I think the Sites service is part of Windows Share Point, which is a parallel service to One Drive. I use One Drive for personal, family and some related business use, but not for Team Site. It looks like an interesting option to explore. We have a group of projects that use an old FileShare system from Windows that is no longer supported, but our clients do not want to give it up yet, because it is no cost to them. Thanks for the discussion, sorry I can't help out, yet.

     

    Sherman Aronson AIA, LEED BD+C

    Sr. Associate, BLTa, Ext 124

     






  • 4.  RE: Office 365 Sites in the Arch office

    Posted 04-12-2016 10:21 AM

    We have been looking at this for a while now. Setting up a site is fairly simple, but you have limited control over functionality unless you are very good at SharePoint programming (ie. you do not have to produce billable work product for a living). For instance, with some deep research I was able to include a tree view of the site, but so far I have not been able to include "breadcrumbs" ie. the full path of a sub-page in its title, which would improve ease of navigation. I understand it is possible but, so far, beyond my capabilities. I was recently able to invite a client and CM to join the site successfully, even though my client is a large, public organization with stringent security policies. No-one had any problem with getting and using a Microsoft account to log in. We are using the site for file exchange - bid documents, submittals, RFIs. There are also additional functions like timelines which we haven't pursued yet. One small pitfall I discovered was that overwriting a file during uploading does not always deliver the correct version unless you first delete the old version from the site. So far, no other problems.

    In the past we tried to set up a site for use as a common e-mail repository for an extremely large and litigious project requiring extensive on-site work, much of it at night. We were stymied by the fact that the Microsoft 365 home license does not include the functionality to provide seamless access through Outlook and the site was therefore not practical for anything but in-office use or, at least, use on a machine with a commercial Office 365 license. Office 365 provides up to 5 seats for each license purchased, which speaks directly to this situation. However it would have been necessary for each employee to install one of these seats on their home computer and use it for personal e-mail. In today's streamlined, seamless, business-friendly environment where businesses have a need to be very proactive with respect to security and staff move frequently from employer to employer (whether they want to or not) this did not seem very prudent from the employee's point of view.

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    Tim Fells AIA
    Director, Production + QA
    Daroff Design Inc + DDI Architects, PC
    Philadelphia, PA



  • 5.  RE: Office 365 Sites in the Arch office

    Posted 04-14-2016 09:23 AM

    We have  heavily invested in Office 365 and Sharepoint online.  All our licensing for Microsoft office products is now in 365.  We did the math comparing purchasing new licenses to subscription, and it was about a wash, but you get a lot more with 365 and always stay current and legal.    We use the E3 subscription licenses which include local software installation.  As for Sharepoint, we hired a consultant to build templates for project sites and an office intranet.  Still refining but so far seems quite powerful and useful.  






  • 6.  RE: Office 365 Sites in the Arch office

    Posted 04-12-2016 09:45 PM

    I am not sure if you are using Google drive, it is very affordable, works with emails and collaboration is the best thing when working on documents. It could be used for client/ contractor sharing yet really only for 2D plans. The client can view without downloading yet commencing in the cloud is not an option that I am aware of. 

    Trimble connect on the other hand allows this, yes it is in the early stages of development yet I can see it being one of the best solutions on the market if they continue to develop at the current rate. 

    I think the best thing about using Trimble connect in an architectural practice is 

    1. Sharing only selected files and give access permissions
    2. Clients can view and comment on 3D models without having to own any software
    3. tracking view times and information by everyone involved including construction if required. 

    I believe you really need to understand what the optimum result you require is.  Many companies are creating cloud based storage solutions yet I am not sure Microsoft is best placed to understand our industry and its requirements as they could be.  

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    Andrew Dwight
    Designer/BIM manager AAD Build
    BDM RubySketch
    Sydney Australia



  • 7.  RE: Office 365 Sites in the Arch office

    Posted 04-12-2016 10:46 PM

    Great information here!  Thank you for all the great responses. 

    Does anyone use a project email (setting up an email specifically for a project in 365)?  How has this worked for you?

    Brian L. Van Winkle - it sounds like you are using this most extensively out of everyone.  I would love to see some screen shots (if that is appropriate) of your setup or be invited to a blank project to see how it is structured.  I certainly understand if you cannot do this.  What type of staff is doing the setup - do you have it set up such that a PM can do it or does it require IT?

    Shermon Aronson - yes they have made it very confusing ith sharepoint vs OneDrive vs OneDrive for Business.  It is all somehow connected.  I will note here that I have never been able to successfully sync my personal laptop with OneDrive - it always says it's uploading but never moves despite my uninstalling and reinstalling.

    Tim Fells - I definitely see where the licensing could be an issue.  It's fairly easy to deactivate the licenses on a personal machine (as an employer remotely) but it does get sticky when mixing personal with professional equipment.  It also becomes tricky if there is a lawsuit and opposing council wants access to personal laptops because they were used on the project.

    Andrew Dwight - Good suggestion on Drive.  I do use it for personal stuff and really like it.  It is much easier and may be easier to get my staff to use.  Trimble is really awesome but may be too advanced for the people I work with.  They still complain about the IP phones I installed as if they are the most complex system in the world. 

    This is all great food for thought thank you!

    ------------------------------
    Thomas Fallon AIA
    Benner Stange Associates Architects, Inc.
    Portland OR



  • 8.  RE: Office 365 Sites in the Arch office

    Posted 04-13-2016 05:54 PM

    In response to your questions addressed to me:

    1. We have used the Project Email functionality.  We will soon migrate our CA phase emails to that system so that contractors send all correspondence to that email address.  This will allow anyone at the office to access those emails and help out with the project.

    2. Here is a screen shot...

    A few things to note:

    1. The 'Documents' section is syncing to our office server in real time using third party software by Layer 3.

    2. The 'Project Summary' and 'Schedule' are two different displays of the same data.  We discovered that the data source is a Microsoft Project file that O365 hides away somewhere.  We are implementing Microsoft Project Online which gives us the ability to do Project Portfolio Management across our entire practice.  This is GREAT for load-balancing our resources.  Which all sounds more complicated and impressive than it is.  Really, we're just making sure we stagger deadlines and schedule wisely.

    3. Our Project Managers update the 'Newsfeed' every week with an executive summary.

    4. You have very robust delegating tools so that you can allow different people different levels of authority to make changes.  It is so robust that it can be a bit of a learning curve.

    5. Nobody here has a shred of Sharepoint programming experience.  And we're not doing any programming.  We've used it stock and customized settings when necessary.  As far as our user experience is concerned, we're using O365, not Sharepoint.

    6. There is definitely learning curve.  It took us about six months to get to this point.  We've been easing into it and not cramming it down everyone's throats.  But when people see what it does, they gravitate towards it.

    Hope that helps!

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    Brian Van Winkle AIA
    Principal
    Vessel Architecture and Design



  • 9.  RE: Office 365 Sites in the Arch office

    Posted 04-14-2016 03:04 AM

    Thank you Brian, that was excellent - very informative!

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    Thomas Fallon AIA
    Benner Stange Associates Architects, Inc.
    Portland OR