Client: Purple Line Transit Constructors (PLTC)
Challenge: Managing a 2.4 billion dollar program to install 16 miles of rail with 21 stations, the PLTC team needed a way to cut out the administrative paperwork so they could keep their focus on the project.
Solution: FACS provided the stable tool needed to manage the field data while being flexible enough to meet the PLTC projects specific needs.
Benefit: Handwritten notes have been nearly eliminated. The PLTC team is now able to spend their time doing what they do best – keeping the project on schedule.
PLTC is a team of design-build delivery contractors with vast experience in many industries, including urban transit systems. They were tasked with building and maintaining a new, 16-mile light rail line system in Maryland.
Due to the size of their program, it was critical for PLTC to ensure that all construction projects were in line with strict regulations. They were spending too much time documenting each item by hand and then manually inputting them into a Word document. They wanted to spend more time focusing on quality functions and less time transcribing field notes.
PLTC was looking for a tool that gave them the ability to quickly and easily document inspection work directly from the field. They wanted the tool to incorporate specific checklists that were associated with the activities their field users were already monitoring.
Upon beginning their project, a subcontractor who had used FACS software before suggested it to PLTC. They began comparing it to similar platforms and found that FACS software already delivered a significant amount of what their regulations required, and they could customize the software to capture the additional information needed.
Joe Lachewitz, PLTC Construction Quality Manager, noted, “FACS reps were more than willing to work with us on customizing the software. The FACS base platform provided an excellent framework for our Quality Program but did not address specific project needs or wants. We outlined our requirements and FACS was able to provide a solution. The process was simple with a provided schedule by FACS, weekly updates, a beta testing period, and deployment.”
The key solution the PLTC team needed was a checklist module that tied directly to each of their various activities. Now, when a field user selects an activity to monitor, the related checklist instantly appears on the screen, providing a smooth quality control process. This key feature, paired with FACS standard software features, led to:
- Elimination of wasted time searching for the correct forms
- Incorporation of more photos and higher quality field notes into daily reports
- Reduction of time between completing and submitting field reports
- Increase in PLTC’s ability to quickly respond to project issues, due to instantly-available data
Joe expressed that the entire customization process was very smooth, from beginning to end. He was pleased with the overall management of the software customization, which was completed on a tight timeline and ahead of schedule. Weekly communication with screen sharing meetings kept the full team in the loop on new developments and provided an opportunity for feedback resulting in a product that works perfectly in their process.
Using FACS, the PLTC team has eliminated the majority of time-consuming, administrative paperwork, enabling them to focus on managing the quality functions of their 2.4 billion dollar program. They look forward to enjoying the benefits provided by the software throughout the remainder of their project.