The Hidden Costs of Manual RFI Management: Why Procore & Autodesk Users Need Lens360

Introduction.
In the construction sector, decisions make a huge difference and delays can derail projects leading to cost overruns. Request for Information (RFI) are crucial deliverables for any project, which help stakeholders align participants and solve uncertainties. If created and managed manually, RFIs can lead to inefficiencies. That’s the reason, users need the combination of platforms like Lens360, Procore, and Autodesk. Lens360 is an advanced, smart, and cost-effective RFI management platform driven by iFieldSmart.
The following article explains how integrating Autodesk and Procore with Lens360 extends the capacity of each feature to optimize workflows and realize information-driven decision-making.

Challenges with manual or legacy RFI management.

Many users or teams still depend on manual RFI creation and management which includes the creation of RFIs in formats like spreadsheets, taking RFI feedback over email, or using tools that are slow or obsolete which leads to error-prone workflows.
These practices are time-consuming and produce risks that can take projects into a negative spiral. Mentioned below are costs that are observed while managing RFIs manually.

• Response time delays: RFIs not resolved quickly lead to work delays or drive teams to execute projects based on guesswork which leads to costly rework.
• Limitations in visibility: In the absence of real-time and intuitive dashboards, project participants may miss out on unresolved RFI which creates a huge impact on project timelines.
• Disconnected collaboration: Consultants and subcontractors would not have a centralized view of RFI status, which leads to redundant activities and greater confusion.
• Greater project costs: Unresolved or unchecked RFIs lead to a higher change order count, ambiguities, and costly penalties after construction.

How does Lens360 improve Autodesk and Procore processes?

Lens360 is built to easily integrate with Procore and Autodesk, as it expands their working capacities and offers exceptional RFI intelligence. Here’s how it happens:

Two-way synchronization with Procore:

Len360 promotes two-way RFI synchronization with Procore as it helps users upload and download RFI information within these two platforms. This creates a framework that is scalable.

• Subcontractors have the capability to independently manage RFIs within Lens360 and push data into the Procore system for General Contractors using a few clicks.
• Updates in real-time are reflected on Lens360 and Procore which plugs communication issues.
• Project managers can gain visibility over RFIs created by subcontractors on a unified platform which reduces the need for manual intervention.

This removes the requirement for duplicate entries or offline RFI monitoring, which expedites RFI workflows and makes them more reliable.

Using one-way sync with Autodesk synchronization.

While Autodesk integrated with Lens360 supports a single-way synchronization, Lens360 can help project stakeholders push RFIs into the Autodesk dashboard which ensures users have complete access to the most updated data and can benefit through:

• Updated RFI monitoring while eliminating the requirement for manual uploads.
• Quick project turnaround time to resolve issues.
• Lower probability of RFIs going unchecked during handovers.

Leveraging advanced Business Intelligence to realize winning projects.

Legacy or manual RFI monitoring does not provide users with capabilities like actionable insights. Autodesk or Procore dashboards provide required capabilities, but Lens360 takes it up a notch with the presence of in-built BI interfaces or dashboards. These include:

• Tracking overdue RFIs, responsible parties, and the impact of delayed RFIs on project timelines.
• RFI visualization pattern to preemptively resolve bottlenecks.
• Flagging high-risk issues early based on informed decision-making.

For example, if there are 20 RFIs that are overdue after construction, it could cause heavy penalties, warranty problems, and contractual implications. Lens360 identifies these red flags before they manifest into costly issues.

Seamless drawing and observation control.

For teams utilizing platforms like Procore, the integration of iFieldSmart and Lens360 extends the capabilities beyond RFI creation and management. Considering an example:

• Synchronizing drawings: Multiple teams can synchronize large drawing sets (100 to 1000 sheets) from the Procore interface into Lens360 or iFieldSmart.ai with a simple click. This eliminates the requirement to perform manual downloads and offline storage.
• Access to drawings with QR codes: It ensures every team participant works with updated drawings based on QR-code updates.
• Site observation monitoring: Lens360 supports advanced and intelligent site tracking while using RFIs, which supports teams to connect with field problems driven by formal requests.

A cloud-based solution leads to quick collaboration, better quality control, and field updates in real-time – using a single cloud-driven platform.

Using a solution that is scalable and cost-effective.

Lens360 is built for greater affordability, scalability, and intuitiveness. It is a robust solution for multiple stakeholders including consultants, subcontractors, and other various teams who require AI-driven tools at a cost-effective price. This includes:

• Lower onboarding costs with a greater ROI.
• Seamless integration with the Autodesk and Procore framework.
• Comprehensive control over RFI data and synchronization capabilities.

Heading to a conclusion.

RFIs are important documents, if not managed and resolved quickly can lead to negatively impacting results. Manual management of RFIs leads to project delays, lowers clarity, and increases costs. Lens360 integrated within the Procore and Autodesk framework improves RFI management with higher visibility and quick execution, without impeding the capability of present tools.