Project work in the construction industry has changed rapidly in recent years. The number of projects is growing, collaboration networks are expanding, and hybrid work has become part of everyday operations in many organizations.
Even so, information management still relies heavily on network drives, personal folders, and email attachments in many companies. At the same time, the amount of project-related information continues to grow, while collaboration increasingly spans across different business units, construction sites, and partner networks.
Lapti recognized that fragmented project information and inconsistent ways of working were beginning to complicate everyday project work. The company started developing project information management and collaboration practices in a Microsoft 365 environment together with Solu Digital.
Construction project work suffers from fragmented information
For a long time, network drives have formed the foundation of project work in the construction industry. However, this approach quickly starts to burden everyday work when many projects are running simultaneously, and information moves between multiple people.
In practice, the challenges often appear in the same ways:
- multiple copies of the same document are created
- information is stored in different locations
- project practices vary between teams
- document version control becomes more difficult
- information remains in personal storage locations
- collaboration slows down
Project teams end up spending time searching for information and verifying the correct document versions. At the same time, project transparency decreases and project information becomes harder to manage.
Lapti’s goal was to create a unified way of working for project work and centralize project information into a controlled and structured environment.
“We wanted to standardize the information management model especially for project documentation and create a clear process for how project workspaces are created and how project information is centralized into one place,” says Mika Virsunen, CIO of Lapti.
Project work requires more than a document repository
Modern project work is no longer just about storing documents. Project teams need a shared working environment where communication, documents, permissions, and day-to-day project work function as one cohesive whole.
In the construction industry, this becomes especially important when projects are running across different locations and work is carried out partly in a hybrid environment.
Hybrid and remote work had already been part of everyday operations at Lapti for several years. The company wanted to improve internal project communication in particular and move project-specific collaboration from email to Teams.
“Project teams now communicate in Teams on a project-by-project basis.”
Microsoft Teams became a central platform for project work alongside SharePoint. At the same time, project workspace structures, permissions, and information management practices were standardized with the Solu 365 solution.
Standardized project workspaces reduce fragmented information
Standardized project workspaces improve information findability and reduce fragmented ways of working in everyday project work. Standard folder structures and consistent permissions also make project management easier when there are many projects and users.
Solu 365 automates the creation of project workspaces in the Microsoft 365 environment. At the same time, project resources and information management practices were standardized across the organization.
Project workspaces, folder and note structures, as well as project management tools are automatically created using standardized structures whenever a new project is started.
To support project document management, Lapti introduced a document template application that keeps document templates and metadata consistent across different projects and business units.
Cloud-based work supports collaboration and version control
The cloud-based Teams and SharePoint environment supports document co-authoring and version control, reducing the number of duplicate document versions created during project work.
“We have paid a lot of attention to version control in this solution and believe it will help us reach a much better situation,” Mika says.
When project information is stored in a shared working environment, it no longer remains in personal folders or local storage locations. Project teams can work with up-to-date information regardless of where the work takes place.
In construction project work, location-independent access to information becomes especially important when several people work on the same documentation during different project phases.
Technology alone does not change the way people work
A new system alone does not solve information management challenges. The biggest benefits are achieved when project work is supported by clear ways of working and employees receive enough support in adopting new practices.
At Lapti, significant effort was invested in training, guidance, and the adoption of new tools during the implementation phase. The organization also recognized that employees’ readiness for new ways of working varied considerably.
Clear working practices are essential for achieving the full benefits of the solution. Technology supports change, but real benefits are only achieved when new tools and working methods become part of everyday project work.
Construction project work requires a structured way of working
Construction projects can no longer rely on network drives, email chains, and personal folders. Project work requires clear and consistent ways of working for managing information, collaboration and communication across the organization.
When project information is managed in a shared environment, organizations are able to manage project work more efficiently even in a growing and hybrid working environment.
“We have reached the next level in our ways of working. Up-to-date information is easier to find in one place,” Mika Virsunen summarizes.
Lapti’s development project demonstrates that modern project work is built on effective information management, collaboration, and shared working environments.
Read the whole article about the collaboration between Lapti and Solu Digital.
