Avoiding Costly Mistakes on the Construction Site

Time is money, so the longer a construction project takes, the more money is spent in the long run. On the flip side, the more time that can be shaved off of a project, the more money can be saved. It is for this reason that many contractors are turning to cloud-based construction project management software. This software can be used for projects of all sizes, and the real-time reporting features allow you to keep an eye out for mistakes, as well as view progress from a multitude of performance indicators.

Initial Estimates

Before a project is officially underway, cloud-based construction project management software can be used to create a timetable with far less human error. This is because the software is designed in a manner that makes it easier to assess the project as a whole, as well as each individual phase of the project. This allows contractors the ability to create more accurate estimates for both time and cost. This is especially useful for projects that must comply with strict local building codes and noise ordinances.

Real-Time Updates

Even with proper planning and preparation, there are some factors that are simply out of your control – such as weather-related construction delays. Utilizing iPad construction apps allows you and your team to share real-time updates, so that any changes can be shared with everyone who needs to know. This includes how to reprioritize when bad weather slows you down, addressing any other unexpected sources of delay, and even how to adjust scheduling when you are ahead of schedule.

Remote Communication

As project manager, you are likely to have multiple construction projects that you are managing at once – or you simply may not be on site all hours of the day. By turning to iPad construction apps you can continue to manage workflow, and communicate directly with your team from anywhere with internet access. This allows you to make informed decisions on the go, minimizing costly mistakes and keeping connected no matter where you are.

Cost Control

Whether speaking of your labor line or your supplies, your cloud-based construction project management software allows you to create accurate projections and keep your budget up-to-date at all times. Its built-in features allow you to easily uncover areas of opportunity – helping to minimize your cost and maximize your efficiency.

Improved Accountability

Construction apps are not only useful for the project manager, but for the team as a whole. While everyone is sure to know what they are responsible for, sometimes the timeline falls by the wayside. By turning to shared software, project goals are clearly defined, changes and updates are clearly communicated, and progress is tracked in a manner that makes it easy for everyone to see. In other words, accountability is increased for every member of your team.

Even if your construction company is fairly small, project management software can help you to keep each of your projects organized. It is also a great tool for construction companies who are experiencing growth, and want to ensure that their growth does not affect their attention to detail. For the features you want and the functionality you need to keep costs down, add FASTTAC’s construction software to your team’s toolbox. Our easy-to-use, quick-to-update project management software ensures your team stays on the same page, improving efficiency and decreasing costs from start to finish. Request your free demo today and see for yourself all that FASTTAC can do!

Construction in the Cloud: How Cloud-Based Technology Keeps You Ahead

If you remember the days before cloud-based construction management software, FRI’s can be contentious. Often they can feel like a contract in and of themselves, adding numerous details that can feel like roadblocks instead of legitimate help on a project. Thanks to modern drawing management and markup software, however, all of this has changed. The nature of virtualization that can be done with modern cloud-based construction software can change what might have been a more adversarial relationship in the past to a constructive, helpful one now making Requests for Information not just a contractual necessity, but a useful guideline to improve visual representation before construction work begins or during specific changes.

The Power of the Cloud Reaches the Construction Industry

Construction management in the cloud is more than just project documentation software; there are ways to do everything from managing remote employees to sharing blueprints and schematics directly in the cloud for real-time communication with clients, vendors, contractors, and anyone else you need on the job. Whereas before the cloud, RFI’s might have felt like they were a sudden curve ball thrown into a project, now, with the ability for entities to communicate in the cloud, construction crews can work in real time to make sure that everything looks and works the way their clients want the first time.

Cloud construction software includes management software, which allows you to react to changes with your crews in real-time. Some software can help you accurately estimate increased cost for jobs, to make sure that it can be laid out clearly what’s needed to make sure the project is completed according to the customers’ wishes.

With this in mind, even the nature of the RFI itself may change as it becomes more a consultative tool than anything else. With construction work being handled in the cloud, project delays will eventually become a thing of the past as increased communication between everyone involved in project management becomes basically seamless. And that means fewer delays, fewer miscommunications, better integration of a project management team and ultimately a more efficiently completed final project.

How Cloud-Based Construction Management Software is Changing the Nature of Construction

With the advent of the cloud, the days of project management snafus are ultimately behind us. As cloud construction management has matured, companies are now better connected than ever and able to accomplish more remotely than was ever accomplished in dozens of meetings. The power of connectivity has changed everything in the construction industry, and this is a net positive for both builders and their clients. After all, with better communication and real-time access, companies will find that they can make the changes they need that will be successful for their businesses on the spot. More efficient construction naturally follows, and in the end, that’s the ultimate goal: to get construction completed on time, on budget, and with more satisfied clients overall.

Keep every member of your team up to date and good to go with help from the construction collaboration software from FASTTAC.  Our cloud-based construction management capabilities allow you to access your drawings anytime and anywhere, instantly sharing updates with your team whether on site or across the country. Start rethinking the way you communicate and collaborate and request a free demo of FASTTAC’s construction management software today.

Overcoming the Obstacles of Construction Documentation

Few of us truly understand all the obstacles that handling construction documentation can pose, but those who deal with blueprints and construction permits on a daily basis know all too well what a hassle it can be, especially with when the winds whip up and destroy an expensive set of blueprints that are crucial to the project. Project managers have to juggle many forms of documentation to keep a job going smoothly, which can become overwhelming. Keeping track of every piece of paper on a job site can be an absolute nightmare. Often the conditions on the site can wreak havoc on paperwork, wind, rain and snow can destroy it, and sun can fade the print, making it impossible to read. Luckily, today there is a better way to handle all the documentation through the use of construction document management software.

Getting a Handle on Documentation

As we become immersed in the electronics age, most of what used to be done with pen and ink has now become computerized. Project documentation management software for construction is becoming the norm. With all the information centralized in a tablet, it is easier than ever to read blueprints and present those all-important permits to any official that may want to see them and to be able to present clients with all the documentation at the touch of a button. Now all-important documents are centralized in one easy location, and project managers can simply access them all using a tablet or laptop on the construction site.

Project information management software organizes all documents needed, including:

  • Construction contracts and purchase orders — Each project starts out the same, with a contract, and what is in this contract is vitally important. This document has everything that has been discussed and agreed upon by the construction company and is needed in case confusion should occur during the project. This document is used to settle any disputes that may arise. Purchase orders are equally important and easily lost. Saving them to an electronic database preserves them, and allows the project manager to produce them easily.
  • Bid information — Again, a key document that helps the contractor keep costs in line. The bid contains information regarding subcontractor and supplier bids, among other important bid documentation. Not having the bid information shows a lack of professionalism and can undermine the entire project.
  • Project Calendars — Each day of the project weather conditions are recorded along with a summary of activities that occurred on that given day. Information included will include items such as finding issues with the project, deliveries made, and what subcontractors were on the job, among other information vital to the project. Being able to enter this information using construction document management software helps everyone involved in the project, and provides an accurate record of job progress.

These examples are just a sampling of the many documents project managers must keep track of in order to keep the job running smoothly, but project managers also have other responsibilities that require their time and attention, they simply don’t have the time needed to search through paperwork and deal with it on a daily basis. Project documentation management software for construction is a total game changer. Once a project manager experiences using construction management documentation software, they wonder how they ever got along without it.  In the coming years, it may no longer be an option, but a requirement to use project information management software for construction jobs.

Change the way you access content and documents on or off the construction site with help from FASTTAC. Our documentation management software delivers rapid access to all of your important documents at the push of a button. Say goodbye to working with old drawings and poorly organized files, and start streamlining your construction site with help from FASTTAC.

Better Facility Management with Maintenance Management Software

Even with superior attention to detail, managing the maintenance within a large facility can be greatly improved with the use of facility management software. This software eliminates the need for a paper trail, and improves everything from organization to communication. Below are just a handful of ways in which maintenance management software can help to improve the maintenance and repair workflow within your building.

Managing Your Seasonal Checklists

You are sure to have seasonal checklists in place to stay on top of your preventative maintenance. While these checklists work, software will make your seasonal schedule easier to organize, update, and adhere to. Facility management software will send you reminders regarding upcoming maintenance deadlines, and even past due maintenance and repairs. Since some seasonal tasks are estimates dependent on factors such as weather or volume of business, the software makes it easy to update your seasonal checklist in real time.

Improved Communication Regarding Day-To-Day Operations

Facility management software is a solution that will help to improve communication-related to your day-to-day operations. It allows you to create and assign tasks lists for your team, and allows you to quickly and easily view the progress of each maintenance concern. You can even access the software when you are offsite, and provide real-time updates to anyone on your team who has access to the software. And there’s no need for a traditional work station, since the software can be accessed on either a desktop or an iPad.

Long-Term Maintenance Management

Maintenance management software is not only beneficial for your current operations, but its in-depth reporting features allow you to identify patterns that play a vital role in creating your long-term maintenance management plan. This includes factors such as keeping an eye on the life cycle of tools and machinery, trends in both standard and seasonal inventory, and identifying when it is time for more efficient and effective maintenance solutions. These reports are also a precious resource to any new facility managers and team members that you bring on board.

Cost-Saving Benefits

Facility management software offers you many cost-saving benefits. For starters, more efficient and effective daily and seasonal operations will help to reduce the likelihood of emergency repairs. The software can also be customized to identify risk factors that can lead to an increased need for maintenance. It will reduce the likelihood of human error that can lead to costly repairs, and you can turn to the software to search for areas of opportunity in your maintenance budget. The software will eliminate the need for paper orders, and will streamline your daily operations—meaning that more time can be invested performing your much-needed maintenance, instead of tracking and managing them.

Customized Reporting Features

As mentioned above, electronic facility management solutions allow you to create reports that are ideal for long-term projections and assessments—but the reports can also be customized for your weekly, monthly, and quarterly needs. This allows you to quickly identify any new patterns or trends within your facility.

Last but not least, maintenance management software is designed to be intuitive, and easy for you and your team to put in place. After only a few projects you and your team will have the hang of it.

Revolutionize the way you access your facility’s information with the building facility management software from FASTTAC. Our innovative software enables your team to easily access and organize all of your facility’s institutional knowledge. So stop wasting time searching for the information you need, and start accessing all of your facility’s data when you need it most with help from FASTTAC.

Setting Your Construction Project Data Structure

When working on construction projects, it is very important to collaborate in real time with all parties involved and have access to information that pertains to each segment of the project. Making sure data is available and selecting the correct platform and project data structure is also crucial. Access to construction items such as architectural drawings, project management schedules, budgets, work schedules and so forth ensures that your various construction projects run smoothly. Being able to oversee and manage multiple projects at one time, that involve different teams with different schedules and different work duties require very efficient collaborative project management software system. It will also allow construction management team members to stay informed of every aspect of your project.

Choosing a Good Construction Project Management System

A good construction project management software should consist of areas that combine multiple components into one package. It should meet the needs of all team players, no matter if they’re working on the site location or from the construction office.

When choosing a good construction project management system, it should also provide information such as the following:

  • Updates in Real Time
  • Instant Sharing Capability
  • Drawing Access, Markup, and Sign Off Capability

Additionally architectural project management software should be integrated into the overall management of construction projects as well. It should enable architects, engineers, geological surveyors and other affiliated professionals to stay plug into all aspects of the projects as well.

Construction collaboration software has become a very useful technology across a variety of mediums on a nationwide basis.  It contributes to the construction efforts in multiple ways by streamlining information and making it available in real time for its users to access at any time.

The engineering-based information that is integrated with the construction infrastructure also consist of risk reduction components, safety components and it promotes overall construction efficiency on the job site.

Professionals That Benefit from Improved  Construction Collaboration Management

Many key professionals have come to realize the importance of sharing critical information at a moment’s notice among multiple levels of disciplines. It not only enhances the communication between contractors and subcontractors on the physical construction job site, but it also allows other key parties to interact in a professional and timely manner. Professionals that benefit from construction management collaboration software consist of the following:

  • Facility managers
  • Commercial developers
  • Energy and research managers
  • Project managers
  • Real Estate Developers
  • Lead Contractors
  • Sub-Contractors and more

All members of the supply chain can benefit from this great software program as well -as it relates to making purchases of materials which is very important in the construction industry.  The materials aspect of the process alone requires an awful lot of oversight since all material must be order to the correct specifications.

Basically, the web-based construction management program also creates greater organization and streamlines each part of the overall process of the construction system.  It’s a must-have for companies that want to remain competitive in today’s market.

Keep your entire team on the cutting-edge with the construction project management tools from FASTTAC. Our documentation management software makes accessing, storing and updating your project’s information a breeze, providing the entire team with real-time updates to keep your project moving forward and improve productivity. When it comes to your construction project, time is money. Make sure your team stays on the same page and works to build your bottom line with help from FASTTAC.

Tracking Work Progress Through Construction Management Technology

Few industries benefit from integration as much as the construction industry. The presence of project managers and superintendents is imperative to the success of a project, despite the fact that their presence is often required at meetings in field offices and other locations to provide for the needs of the onsite contractors and the job itself. If you had to describe the utility of construction management technology in one short sentence, it could be that they “surpass geographical limitations.”

Construction Apps as a Portable Solution

It is this aforementioned difficulty in directly observing the day-to-day progress of the project that makes project management apps so useful in keeping all contractors in the loop. Construction apps are capable of bridging the remote duties of every component of the project, allowing owners, project managers, onsite contractors and any involved design firms to keep abreast of the progress with just a username, password and mobile device. The app increases efficiency, productivity, customer satisfaction and profits.

“Blueprint” Software

This is very much an addendum to the benefits offered by construction apps – even if it wasn’t specifically intended for that purpose by creators. “Blueprint” software, or as it is now know as digital information software, is a time-management solution that uses access to current information to accelerate project completion, without compromising the results. It’s a collaboration tool that makes sure the development team and the business teams are on the same page; since, ultimately, they both have the same goal.

Software is pervasive throughout almost every aspect of the business as a whole, which means that it also provides a centralized location for a project manager to view the pertinent metrics at a glance.

Cloud-Based Capabilities

Centralization has so many benefits; it’s not hard to see why companies are clamoring to get on the cloud for as many applications as feasible. Large companies are especially in jeopardy of running over budget and maintaining the original time projections for team-oriented projects, because of the many parts that must come together to work in harmony.

Project managers can appreciate the wholesale solutions that cloud-based construction apps bring; they allow you to keep track of and mark off progress and action items, participate in drawing markup software with the technicians, and give owners immediate access to construction documentation to gauge just how far their budget is being stretched. This is a huge change from how construction management used to work, where the bulk of the system was on-site, and mobile devices were nonexistent. It is the ubiquity of tablets and mobile devices that have paved the way to greater (and far more efficient) collaboration.

Analytics Through Cloud-Based Solutions

Lastly, you can derive a lot of data from cloud-based solutions, which is immediately shareable with project heads and owners. Metrics such as the amount of time spent per project and the productivity per employee can help reduce costs. They can also help you make judgments such as less overtime and more employees, or vice versa – whichever one makes more financial sense. These benefits just scratch the tip of the iceberg, and the growing number of cloud-based management apps and users is a testament to their efficacy.  Selecting the right combination will ensure the success of your project.

To help with this selection and keep your team in sync every step of the way on your project with help from FASTTAC. Our revolutionary construction documentation software grants the entire team accelerated access to all the latestdocumentation, markups and workflows to remove communication problems and build worksite productivity. Request a live demo of our construction management software today, and say goodbye to your old drawings and documents with help from FASTTAC.

5 Features to Look for When Choosing Construction Management Software

The infusion of technology and business in the modern era has reached new heights and is being utilized in a diverse range of businesses. In the construction industry in particular, where collaboration is imperative to success, construction project software is making waves as more managers become apprised of its benefits. It’s led the way to greater efficiency in team projects, and greater transparency between contractors and owners.

Who Can Use Construction Project Management Software?

The short answer is – everyone. From general and specialty contractors, engineering firms and owners, to construction management firms and the onsite employees, the right construction project software is easily robust enough to handle the load. A username and password is all that is required to open up the details of the job to any allowed party; you can gauge the project progress and the efficiency of the current team.

Some construction apps even allow you an around-the-clock viewpoint of the job site. Blueprints, technical drawings, construction amendments – all of these can be rendered with drawing markup software available in the app. It’s about as efficient as putting everyone in the exact same field office – but it’s definitely more convenient.

The Most Useful Attributes of Construction Project Software

Indeed, the attribute that represents the most telling departure from the limitations of the past is the collaborative aspect.Construction project management software changes effectively bring everyone involved into the same room, where real-time information is conveyed simultaneously to all parties – or at their convenience.

Given that it’s on an iPad or tablet device, anyone can be keyed in at a moment’s notice, and there’s an adequate amount of customer support available to help you maximize the software’s capability. Some of the other attributes that make the software an attractive replacement to the old way of doing things are:

1.Security

Make no mistake about the level of commitment to security harbored by construction project software. The engineers realize that the important data that constitutes the core of your business network must be secure and the app have a host of measures to ward off cyber-attacks, technical issues or loss of this valuable data. In fact, the tenets of business continuity must be fully integrated into the software, so that your data is safe even in the event of a breach on your end.

2.Ease-Of-Use

Ease-of-use is a highly-regarded attribute; much of the software is intuitive, as a lot of consideration is paid towards perfecting the user interface. Besides, customer support must almost always available to help you maximize the potential of your software and overcome obstacles you may encounter.

3.Boosts Productivity & Efficiency

Construction project management software can save loads of time. Everything from team collaboration, to the decision-making process between owners, clients and contractors transpires in as little time as feasible, because of the connectivity.

4.Real-Time Updates

The collaborative aspects of construction project management software must be bolstered by the ability to sync changes and suggest alternatives in real-time, making it possible to receives updates to a project when the team is logged in. Add markups and make other amendments even as you receive feedback from the onsite workers.

5.Easy Navigation

The software is easily able to allow navigation between the different levels of a building via plan drawings moving from trade to trade effortlessly. This advanced technology tends to increase the accuracy of the finished product to the drawings.

With this type of software, optimized collaboration is what you should be after. It’s all about getting teams to work together in the most efficient capacity possible, with the ultimate goals of improved productivity and, ultimately, increased profits and customer satisfaction.

Start changing the way your crew stays connected and on the same page with help from FASTTAC. Our state-of-the-art construction documentation software offers accelerated access to every member of your team, helping streamline collaboration to keep everyone on the same page with the latest documents, markups and on-the-job updates. Request a live demo of FASTTAC’s software today, and let us help you start transforming the way your team stays connected.

4 Ways to Lessen Your Workload

As a facility manager, efficiency can be your greatest asset –given your plethora of responsibilities and immovable deadlines. One of the more robust ways of keeping up to speed with your day-to-day activities is through the use of maintenance management software. Successful implementation of work order management software sees huge returns on investment, as well as simply better results for your business overall. Follow along as we explore just a small sample of the ways facility managers are using work order management software to revolutionize their facility’s information and lessen their workload.

  1. Minimizing Delays

In any work order load, one of the biggest wrenches in any process is the lack of availability of essential parts. Not only can a work order management software suite make sure that parts are never unavailable during business hours, but it can also keep tabs on your general inventory. For example, if the manufacturer has come up with an upgrade, your software will notify you right away. Additionally, it can provide you with a well-ordered storehouse free from under-stocking and over-stocking – and the associated cost of either.

  1. Maintenance Management Software Helps You Prioritize

Sometimes, during an especially robust season, your business can get backed up – it’s one of the costs of being successful. Management software is exceptional at prioritizing your palette and ordering the most pressing matters first – while scheduling reasonable time slots for the others based on your set preferences. Schedule automation is one of the biggest time savers in this same vein, such that employees, outsourced work and contractors are juggled in an optimal fashion. The included analytics also helps you gauge employee performance and better streamline business goals.

  1. Keeping Track of Manufacturing Details

The breakdown of equipment represents another major contribution to inefficiency in business. Work order management software can drastically reduce the occurrence of emergency breakdowns by overseeing a regular maintenance schedule and ensuring that machines are working at maximum efficiency. This schedule includes everything from lubrication to calibration, which of course extends the operational lifetime of the equipment, as well. Just as importantly, a metric called the life-to-dollars date is accounted for, so you can decide at what point it’s more cost-effective to replace a machine than to keep repairing it.

  1. Keep Track of Labor Costs

Any labor-associated costs that you can think of, capable maintenance management software can handle them. Is overtime killing your budget? Simply use the software to make the workload and staffing levels more efficient to match expectations. And when you combine this ability with the priority tracking properties, the end result is a cost-saving optimization of your enterprise – without any compromise in efficiency. Indeed; businesses usually make more money, produce better product, and have a more streamlined operation once work order management software is implemented.

From ensuring the availability of the right parts when needed – well ahead of time, in fact – management software from FASTTAC can only be a boom to your business. It allows you to supply your employees with the critical information at the location where it is needed to efficiently complete work order tasks and support other crucial business operations. Production delays and losses will all but disappear, as overtime diminishes and your business becomes, effectively, a well-oiled machine. Request a demo of FASTTAC’s facility management software today, and discover how we can help your team stay on the same page.

The Importance of Communication & Real-Time Collaboration on the Worksite

Constant communication and collaboration are very important elements to the overall success of any construction worksite.This is true for a variety of reasons, including for safety reasons, to enhanced business practices, to increase efficiency and productivity, to make more effective use of construction equipment and just better overall collaboration between all parties involved.

How Construction Communication Software Increases Performance and Productivity

Real-time collaboration on construction worksites is exceptionally important because it keeps all workers and other interested parties in sync with the day-to-day activities that take place both on the site and in the office.

Effective project management can not only help save time and money, but it helps you stay on course and within your budgetary limitations. Daily accounting reports can be created to ensure that managers are aware of what they’re spending at all times. Additionally, a good project management software can help the entire team collaborate with each other and streamline the communication between team members – regardless of what location they may be working at throughout the country.

Channeling the Power of the Cloud to Improve Collaboration

Cloud-based construction management software will ensure that there is a more effective channel of communication among workers. It provides a host of benefits to the job site information management process by:

  • Increases the distribution of resources, ensuring the right tool is always in the right place
  • Keeps clients in the loop, leading to fewer misunderstandings in construction management
  • Improves interactions between the suppliers, vendors and all levels of management
  • Provides accelerated access to key documents with real-time markups to keep everyone on the same page.

Online construction management software also reduces meeting times tremendously.  Imagine needing to call a meeting or make an announcement at a moment’s notice – it could take quite some time to provide such an alert in real time or gather up all parties involved with a short notice.

Construction collaboration software can address these sort of issues and more.  It now has the tools that make it easier to achieve such a goal.  Good construction collaboration software allows managers and workers to use mobile devices to streamline the process as well.  Not only can managers communicate directly with their staff and sub-contractors, but they can obtain the information needed to update and submit professional reports, collaborate on sub-tasks and delegate assignments, provide updates and changes on to jobs relatively quickly.

Maintaining a Competitive Edge

Cloud-based construction management software is critical to remain competitive in the construction industry.  It basicallyadds value to the overall IT Networking Infrastructure for the construction industry and provides your company with a competitive edge.

Provide your team with the features you want and the functionality you need no matter where they may be with the cloud-based construction management software from FASTTAC. Our construction project collaboration software is revolutionizing the way drawings and documents are distributed on the job, streamlining communication and building collaboration regardless of where your team may be. Contact us today to request your free demo of our construction software, and start building a better bottom line for your company

Facilities Managers: Digital Information vs. Traditional Information

Think about what Facility managers have at their disposal today, paper drawings rolled up and in “cubbies” or laid flat in large drawers.  Add to that the countless binders with manual after manual of motors, fans, pumps, panels, motor control centers, and the list goes on ad nauseam.  These are typically kept in a locked room where they cannot be lost, accessed nor updated…but they are there!  This facility information is located where it is not needed and needed where it is not located!

Technicians need access to relevant information to complete their assignments at their work locations; it must be the latest and must be accurate.  Over the years, this equipment is updated, control modifications are made, outlets are added, walls are built and demolished, and adjustments are made to solve a problems and nothing is documented.  However, when a technician is assigned to solve the next problem, the modifications previously made (which had not been documented) are now in jeopardy of being broken again by the next solution.  This costs facility managers significant money and inconveniences their customers.

When digital information is available from the start, a technician could have had all pertinent information available “as designed” at the work site and could have documented all modifications made to the original design for the solution.  In addition, any technician that follows would benefit from this documented “institutional knowledge”.   Now this next technician is working with full information and not just partial information so that any prior solutions are not broken by subsequent solutions.  This saves both time and money.

Some may say, of course the second technician will be able to perform better with information provided by the first technician.  However, the only way to actually accomplish this is to have a digital information plan.  Traditional information storage and access solutions cannot solve this problem because neither technician would have been permitted to take non digital information to a work site nor would they be permitted to “markup” the paper.  Remember that digital information cannot be lost, destroyed, or misplaced!  It can be updated remotely, modified with markups, and kept current by the technicians that use it every day.

A good digital system will be able to be used by an average technologically savvy technician; it would be able to provide the tools necessary to easily markup the electronic drawing thereby recording institutional knowledge.  Also at the same time that same digital system must protect the content from any permanent markings.

All in all, digital information will improve the service provided by facility managers and in the end, reduce their overall costs.