Automating Manual Processes, JJ Rhatigan Streamlines ISO 19650 Compliance

JJ Rhatigan is a tier one main contractor that operates in Ireland and the UK. Established in 1952, the company remains a family-orientated operation that has recently seen some considerable growth. In the last five years, JJ Rhatigan’s delivered over 3,500 homes, nine campus facilities, 12,000 school places, 2,000 student housing units, 16 healthcare facilities and nearly 1,300 hotel rooms. Despite this significant track record, JJ Rhatigan sought continued growth —a smarter approach to work that shaved down time spent whilst maximising output. At the top of the company wish list: process automation in support of industry compliance and open data accessibility.

Preparing for a Brighter Future

In the midst of this period of growth, JJ Rhatigan knew that proactively identifying new approaches to enhance subcontractor collaboration and increase efficiency gains would pay dividends in time savings and project transparencies. As a longstanding user of BIM 360, a product within the Autodesk Construction Cloud™, the team already stored project data centrally in a common data environment as a way to improve collaboration across its portfolio of projects. While the company’s subcontractor and client collaboration methods were undoubtably effective, the team recognised an opportunity to improve and streamline its adherence to industry BIM standards.

The Art of Information Centralisation

Sonny McAnulty, BIM Manager for JJ Rhatigan says, “Our projects either align with the PAS 1192 framework or ISO 19650 series of standards. Our document controller team are critical to ensuring compliance on our projects, but they were spending lots of time manually checking and re-sharing the content of all documents submitted by design team and subcontractors.”

The team at JJ Rhatigan knew that automating elements of the document review process and enforcing naming convention standards would yield a significant time savings on projects. Jamie Monaghan and Hui Qi Lim, both Document Controllers at JJ Rhatigan, work with the BIM team and Autodesk to explore ways that the Autodesk Construction Cloud might both support compliance whilst reducing time spent on manual and repetitive tasks. In early 2021, after a period of testing, workflows to support compliance with ISO 19650 standards – in particular the naming conventions – were released.

“Often there could be a lag in project data being shared while we waited for information to be sent again by subcontractors.”

-Hui Qi, Document Controller

For the project teams, this meant the necessary information wasn’t always available in real time, which led to progress delays. Introducing automation to the document review process helped save the team time that could then be used elsewhere. “It was difficult to plan my workload whilst waiting for information to be sent. Now, our supply chain contractors upload documents directly to Autodesk Construction Cloud’s Common Data Environment and know instantly whether their file complies with naming standards. If not, they know the reason why the document has not been accepted,” explains Hui.

Improving Capacity

With Autodesk Construction Cloud, JJ Rhatigan’s team reports a dramatic reduction in time spent sharing and looking for project information. “The first thing I do every morning is open my emails alongside our Autodesk Construction Cloud Common Data Environment,” says Hui Qi. “From there I check documents, pending any outstanding reviews, and promptly share them out with the team.”

“I now have the ability to plan my day better. And, I have reduced the amount of checks I need to do because the naming convention feature does some for me.”

-Hui Qi, Document Controller

And, everyone on the project team can access any document from any location, and the navigational path to do so is crystal clear. Jamie elaborates: “Prior to using the workflows available in Autodesk’s Construction Cloud, I spent entirely too much time emailing and file sharing project data. The risk for error was also higher because file changes required by supply chain partners could take days or weeks to receive, which meant delays in real-time information.” After the launch of the naming convention workflows, Jamie estimates he has gained back ten hours every week in time he would have poured into manually checking documents.

“Having greater certainty that the document is named correctly the first time creates standardisation across the project team, and this enables them to know what information is in a file before they even open it.”

-Jamie Monaghan, Document Controller

JJ Rhatigan’s newfound standardisation abilities have really changed the game. “For us, standardising how we manage and share information has upgraded our collaboration techniques, reduced the number of errors, and thus enriched the quality of the information,” explains Sonny. Everyone in the project team now knows exactly where and how to access data and can do so from any location.