How to Improve RFI and Submittal Workflows

Today’s jobsite is more complex than ever before. New building technologies, higher expectations from owners, tighter budgets, and faster timelines fuel the potential for delays, budget overruns, waste, and team conflict.  

With the global population expected to rise to ten billion by 2050 and 80% of contractors reporting a hard time hiring skilled labor – a common theme emerges – efficient construction project management workflows are vital. With these challenges come larger teams, projects, and a greater demand for collaboration. 

Request for Information (RFIs) and submittals are examples of two essential workflows that need to follow a prescribed path for review and approval to meet contract obligations. Nevertheless, when not optimized they can bog down the construction process – sometimes taking weeks or even months to complete. Even with the help of software applications designed to improve the flow of communication, the complicated dance of RFIs and submittals can feel frustratingly inefficient. However, selecting best-in-class tools and strategies, simplifying these processes will maximize construction project management workflows and ultimately connect the office to the field, driving efficiency, improving quality, and reducing risk. 

The Digital Solution to Improve Project Management Workflows

It’s clear that today’s construction teams need a more streamlined way to manage workflows, without losing the ability to align with contractual procedures. As we mentioned above, many technology point solutions attempt to address the challenges of RFIs and submittals. However, it can also create additional confusion by forcing teams to switch between apps, increasing the potential for data loss and missed communication. 

The most efficient way to ensure this doesn’t happen is by integrating contractual project controls and clear workflows onto a connected construction management platform.  

Using a digital system and a common data environment makes it easy for team members to access project information on an as-needed basis. It’s a true advantage, as changes to documents can automatically be visible to all project stakeholders that require access. Cloud-based connectivity and access on both mobile devices and desktops enable team members to access documents and drawings on an ongoing basis as the project progresses. 

Reducing the time spent transferring information from one system to another allows teams to respond faster to real-time changes and minimizes the potential for error and conflict. As a result, teams can quickly digest and act on that information and move on to other important tasks. 

Keep reading this Autodesk Construction Cloud blog