Mobile solution propels AEC firm returns

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 Everywhere we turn, mobile applications are allowing users to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively. A recent article in Business News Daily described just how essential mobile applications are to the current and future workforce. Research by New York-based AMI-Partners found that the use of smartphones and tablets by U.S. small and medium businesses is skyrocketing. AMI estimates that in the next 12 months, the number of small businesses owning smartphones will increase 40 percent from 3.5 million and those owning tablets will increase 85 percent from 700,000.

Both the client and current workforce of the AEC industry are already on board, constantly connected to a wireless world and expecting employers to provide them with more sophisticated business solutions. To fit this need, Agile Frameworks, LLC developed MetaField, a field information management system.

MetaField is designed to transform manual, document-centric procedures into a data-driven, linear process that streamlines field data collection using consumer-grade smartphones and pad computing devices. The suite of software is designed to serve the needs of multidisciplinary engineering, testing, and environmental consulting firms that require remote gathering of test, sampling, inspection, and observation data for significant field operations.

MetaField enables AEC firms to reduce costs, accelerate cash flow, and improve service delivery by allowing more complete, timely, and accurate data in an end-to-end workflow model. The solution is designed to be integrated with leading ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and LIMS (Lab Information Management Systems). It combines a device-agnostic handheld browser interface, a Web service architecture and integration with digital signatures.

In the field
Agile Frameworks’ first customer and parent company Braun Intertec has been using a combination of Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry devices to support more than 100 field technicians in the industry since 2005. Having this software available on a smartphone allows technicians to access necessary information just by typing in the project number. They can input field information data, send it to the lab for analysis, allow the project engineer to perform quality control, digitally sign the report, and send to clients in a fraction of the time it used to take. In many cases, reports can be delivered to a client’s inbox in 30 minutes or less.

While there are other technology vendors who provide development and management tools that can create similar mobile-enabled applications, the customization is often expensive and time consuming. Conversely, industry specific vendors often focus on generic project management or activity tracking that is only loosely tied with field practices. By contrast, MetaField tightly integrates specific technical discipline practices while incorporating rules and standards such as AASHTO, (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) and ASTM, (American Society for Testing and Materials).

ROI
At the end of the day, the information clients seek is provided much more quickly, with improved quality and accuracy, at reduced cost. AEC firms utilizing MetaField can move traditional word processing roles to higher value client support roles while significantly reducing the data collection to invoicing cycle time. Additional efficiency increases of 10 to 15 percent have been identified due to the absence of rework.

Making your business mobile is much more than purchasing a smartphone for every employee. It’s about evaluating what aspect of your business will be most improved with the help of a faster, cost-effective alternative. In this case, purchasers of the application software benefit from reduced development and implementation costs as well as improved profits, cash flow, service delivery, and competitive positioning.

Mike Anders, president of Agile Frameworks LLC can be contacted at manders@agileframeworks.com. For additional information on implementing MetaField or the MetaField ROI model, contact Doug Bonestroo, vice president of business development, at dbonestroo@agileframeworks.com.