BIM 360 Increases Efficiency in Quality Checks.

BIM 360 Punch List at Centris Federal Credit Union

Before any project is complete and keys are turned over to project owners, MCL Construction conducts a series of quality checks to catch any detail that was left unfinished or not up to our standards.  In our business, we call it a punch list.

 
The detailed review of the project can be time-consuming.  Depending on the size, these checks can take weeks.  MCL Construction understands that there is a schedule to meet on every project and, without compromising the quality of the finished project, we  choose to use advanced technology to speed up the punch list process.
  
BIM 360 is a collaborative communication and quality control platform that increases efficiency and holds our team and subcontractors accountable.
 
 “If we do it (punch lists) on paper, sometimes there are questions about where the issue is at and there is not really a way to hold people accountable because it is hard to keep track of that paper and when and where it was sent to them,” said MCL Project Engineer David Almanza.
 
 MCL is currently wrapping up construction on a brand-new headquarters for Centris Federal Credit Union.  Our team will conduct several punch lists on the four-level, 150,000 square foot building.
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The BIM 360 punch list process is simple.  During their walkthrough, our employees will note issues using the BIM 360 app on their smartphone or tablet.  They input what needs to be fixed, take a photo for subcontractors to reference, drop a pin of its location, assign the repair, and schedule a due date.  The way the app is designed, each notation takes less than a minute to complete. 
 
“It makes a big difference, especially on a project of this size and with all the different number of subcontractors and the square footage of the building and every little aspect of it,” said MCL Superintendent Trevor Bruegman.  “It helps out because we can send to a subcontractor and they can read it to see the location where the item is at and what needs to be addressed.” 
 
After the issue is documented, MCL uses the app to track the repair progress.  Once a repair request is sent to the subcontractor, they get an immediate notification to their email.  When they complete the task, they mark it finished in the same app our team uses.  MCL gets a notification and will do a final check before clearing the task.  These finishes are the last things our team will see and are the first things the owner will see.  We make it our priority to have everything completed to standard before clearing the checklist. 
 
“It is our job to make sure everything is perfect before the owners come in.  We hold ourselves to high-quality standards and this helps us ensure those standards are met from the moment we turn those keys over,” said Almanza. 
 
Before using BIM 360, project engineers would use excel spreadsheets to note finishes and send separate emails to subcontractors.  This process doubled the time it takes now and created more room for error or things getting lost in translation. 
 
BIM 360 is one of our most effective tools for digital collaboration.  It bridges the gap between our project managers, project engineers, subcontractors, and owners through data sharing. 
 
In the last few years, the program helped MCL improve access to project documentation, drawings, manpower tracking, creating checklists, assigning, and recording issues.  It gives everyone 24/7 access to projects from any location, something we could not do with paper documents. ​

About MCL Construction
​For many businesses, navigating the entire construction process and knowing who to trust can be overwhelming.  At MCL Construction, our people simplify the process by listening, planning, executing, and continuing the relationship to build their vision.