Switching building control platforms isn’t one thing that groups can do on a whim. You’re now not simply purchasing new tool (which generally is a large monetary funding), however you are additionally budgeting for migration prices, carving out time for coaching, and working out learn how to stay dwell tasks transferring during the method.
If now not completed proper, switching platforms may also be difficult. However if in case you have the best platform and migration plan, the trouble and funding will repay.
Working example: Cleveland Building, a countrywide common contractor serving markets like Okay-12, multifamily, hospitality, and ancient adaptive reuse.
Cleveland Building began having a look at Autodesk Building Cloud (ACC) after comparing the prices of Procore, their tool on the time. The company in the end made the transfer now not best since the value type not made sense, however as a result of they noticed a chance to modernize how their groups labored.
In our contemporary webinar, From Procore to ACC: Cleveland Building’s Blueprint for a Seamless Transition, leaders from Cleveland Building and its implementation spouse, IMAGINiT, shared their step‑through‑step migration procedure, the industry drivers in the back of the trade, and the surprising wins they accomplished with ACC.
Watch the Complete Dialog From Procore to ACC: Cleveland Building’s Blueprint for a Seamless Transition
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1. Get started with why and be clear about it
Transparent verbal exchange and transparency are one of the most key pillars of a success trade control. That is in particular essential if you’re swapping a significant a part of your tech stack, like your building control platform.
Since more than one groups are impacted through the platform trade, you wish to have to set the context and construct buy-in early.
That is precisely what Cleveland Building did.
“The largest factor we did proper out of the gate was once explaining to everyone why we have been having a look at ACC and why it made sense from a monetary viewpoint,” stated Elliot Christiansen, Sr. Vice President of Operations at Cleveland Building.
Along with explaining the “why” in the back of the transfer, Elliot additionally concerned customers and stakeholders in various tool demonstrations and were given their enter.
ACC in motion
Groups have been introduced in after the choice procedure to use ACC in a hands-on, sensible manner.
“We were given them fascinated by developing paperwork and ensuring that the day by day task document was once the way in which the superintendents sought after it. We additionally made certain that the approval workflows have been some way that might paintings for our undertaking control personnel,” recalled Elliot.
All of that was once simple to do with ACC due to the platform’s modular construction that enabled groups to align new workflows with the corporate’s current operational wishes.
All in all, Elliot says that involving groups past the manager stage helped make the transition smoother.
2. Deal with migration as an opportunity to support—now not simply reflect
Don’t simply deal with the migration procedure because the manner to switch your tool; slightly, view it as a chance to stage up your processes.
Many groups migrate through seeking to recreate their outdated machine within a brand new one. Cleveland Building used this transition as a strategic alternative to modernize workflows, get rid of legacy friction, and standardize processes corporate‑huge.
Elliot and the group didn’t way migration as a one-to-one rebuild. They handled it as an opportunity to step again and ask more difficult questions on how paintings in fact will get completed.
In line with Elliot, that is an way that he would’ve doubled down on, realizing now how really useful it was once to put in force the ones adjustments because the company migrated to ACC.
“I’d have spent extra time fascinated by what within the corporate I’d trade, when it got here to how we do issues,” he defined. “Will we wish to trade a few of our workflows? Will we wish to trade a few of our sign-off thresholds? That is a good chance to do the ones kinds of issues.”
ACC in motion
One very good instance of this mindset in follow is how Cleveland transformed its approval workflows. As an alternative of routing inside approvals via DocuSign, Cleveland now handles the ones workflows immediately in ACC.
“Even inside approvals have been completed in a DocuSign envelope,” Elliot stated. “So we have been paying for it each and every time, even though it were given rejected.”
With ACC, inside approvals occur in-platform, and best finalized pieces transfer to DocuSign for exterior signatures. The similar pondering implemented to subcontract technology. Templates now auto-generate from the fee device, course for signature, and save again mechanically. “It almost certainly decreased our contract admins’ workload through 75%,” Elliot famous.
3. Leverage a robust implementation spouse to boost up the timeline
Switching platforms may also be daunting. The excellent news is that you simply don’t must do it by yourself. Discover a spouse that may enhance with transitioning your workflows, leveling up your processes, and preserving the rollout not off course.
For Cleveland Building, that supplier was once IMAGINiT Applied sciences, an Autodesk Platinum Spouse that is helping companies put in force generation answers and maximize their ROI.
Vince Daniele, IMAGINiT’s Building Answers Group Supervisor, says the bottom line is to regard implementation as a structured, phased procedure that begins with deep discovery. “We meet with other groups and in point of fact know the way they’re the use of their present platform,” Vince defined. From there, IMAGINiT most often configures a foundational ACC undertaking template and teach a core staff of admins the use of actual workflows.
ACC in motion
What made Cleveland’s rollout quicker was once the use of dwell knowledge. IMAGINiT migrated an energetic Procore undertaking into ACC so groups may teach in an atmosphere that already felt acquainted. “They weren’t simply seeing a brand new device,” Vince stated. “They have been seeing their very own RFIs, sheets, and logs.”
After go-live, IMAGINiT stayed concerned with mentoring and fine-tuning. The outcome was once a easy transition finished in simply 3 to 6 months.
4. Optimize workflows for the sector—now not simply the workplace
In case your building control platform doesn’t paintings for the sector, it gained’t get used constantly, regardless of how robust it’s.
Cleveland saved subject groups in thoughts during all the procedure. Along with having superintendents within the loop from the get-go, they constructed cellular‑first reviews with simple paperwork, fewer clicks, and in‑context automation.
All that effort paid off, with ACC being temporarily followed within the subject.
ACC in motion
ACC was once smartly won through Cleveland Building’s subject groups, which was once one of the crucial largest surprises of the rollout. “That’s in fact the place I believed I’d get essentially the most pushback,” Elliot stated.
Day by day reporting was once a significant fear early on. “Procore has an excellent day by day log device,” Elliot stated. “However through spending time with Vince and his group to in point of fact get this proper within the paperwork device, I believe we in fact have a greater setup in Autodesk than we had earlier than.” Cleveland rebuilt day by day studies the use of ACC Bureaucracy and Problems, turning them into structured, field-friendly workflows as an alternative of free-text logs.
Superintendents now resolution easy yes-or-no questions, like whether or not a task was once not on time through climate. If the solution is not any, they transfer on. If it’s sure, ACC calls for them to create an Factor earlier than they are able to shut the document. That Factor pulls from a predefined template, with dropdowns as an alternative of typing, and mechanically notifies the best other people. The similar common sense applies to deliveries, inspections, and different delays.
“We mixed more than one paperwork our groups used to fill out into one,” Elliot defined. “It made it more straightforward for everybody.”
Box groups additionally replied smartly to ACC’s cellular enjoy. The machine tags footage, captures GPS location, and behaves a lot the similar manner groups have been used to. Sheets and markups labored as anticipated, and the cellular app let groups select which tasks to sync so units didn’t get overloaded. “For those who’re running on more than one tasks, you’re now not consuming up the entire reminiscence in your software,” Elliot added.
Even scheduling landed smartly. “The time table device has been rather well won,” he famous, particularly since updates can now occur immediately from the sector.
5. Use ACC to support collaboration with architects, homeowners, and trades
Upgrading your building control platform doesn’t simply receive advantages your inside groups; it will probably additionally take away friction from how you’re employed with exterior companions.
When it comes to Cleveland Building, ACC helped toughen collaboration between the company’s groups and the exterior architects they labored with.
“It wasn’t essentially one thing that I considered once we have been comparing it at first, however as a byproduct of switching, we do have a miles more straightforward time coordinating RFIs and submittals with our structure companions. We all the time used to get numerous pushback forcing Procore on them,” remarked Elliot.
ACC in motion
With ACC, Cleveland was once ready to satisfy its companions the place they already paintings. “Now we’re giving them get entry to to ACC,” Elliot defined. “Maximum of them have already got an account, so we will bridge folders in combination.”
That flexibility opened the door to deeper integration. The use of IMAGINiT’s Pulse integration platform, Cleveland now syncs submittals between its ACC setting and an proprietor’s ACC machine. Submittals transfer mechanically into the landlord’s workflow, course via architect overview, and go back with statuses like authorized, authorized as famous, or revise and resubmit. “That was once by no means one thing we will have completed in Procore,” Elliot stated. “They by no means labored in combination that smartly.”
Business companions benefited too. In line with Elliot:
“We are beginning to realize that numerous the subcontractor trades have used ACC relatively slightly and are lovely acquainted with it. Some also have their very own accounts, and it is simple to proportion recordsdata from side to side.”
6. Establish and rejoice early wins to construct momentum
Asking other people to undertake a brand new platform is a large ask, so figuring out, speaking, and celebrating wins—large and small—can construct momentum.
Early evidence that the transfer is operating provides groups extra self belief, particularly when the ones wins display up of their daily paintings.
ACC in motion
One of the most largest wins that ACC helped Cleveland Building succeed in come with:
- 75% relief in contract admin workload
- Computerized subcontract technology
- Fewer DocuSign envelopes (and lower price)
- Preloaded undertaking templates with 200+ recordsdata
- Stepped forward day by day reporting
- Adoption of ACC Time table for actual‑time updates and lengthen tagging
- Mid-six‑determine value financial savings over the primary six years
Past that, Elliot often known as out incremental wins, like saving 30 seconds at a time during the day.
Tasks now get started with masses of recordsdata already loaded as an alternative of being manually uploaded. And since ACC makes use of flyout home windows slightly than full-page reloads, groups keep of their glide. “It appears like a small element,” Elliot stated, “but when you’re saving 30 seconds 100 occasions an afternoon, it provides up. It’s slightly factor, nevertheless it is going a ways for a undertaking group.”
Ultimate phrases
Switching platforms doesn’t must imply disruption. Cleveland Building’s enjoy presentations us that whilst you contain stakeholders early and interact the best implementation spouse, migration can grow to be a catalyst for higher workflows and more potent collaboration.
Watch the on-demand webinar to peer how Cleveland Building deliberate, completed, and scaled their transfer to Autodesk Building Cloud.
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