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Newformant newsletter: previous issues
March 2008
January 2008
November 2007
Q4 2007
Q3 2007
Q2 2007
March 2008
Next editions
Dear customers, partners and friends of Newforma:
Apropos to the season, new things are coming to life here at Newforma. Inside our offices, we’re putting the finishing touches on Newforma® Project Center Fifth Edition, our most compelling version yet. And on the roof of our New Hampshire office building, a pair of peregrine falcons has started their own 2008 edition, as well. See pictures by clicking the links below!
– Patrick Gillam, editor
Headlines
New! See Fifth Edition highlights at Newformant.com
ACEC webcast invites you to think outside the inbox
SDA teleconference identifies PIM selection criteria
Building Design+Construction profiles Newforma software
The peregrine cam is back online for 2008
New! See Fifth Edition highlights at Newformant.com
Newforma® Project Center Fifth Edition, scheduled for general release in May, includes several new features, almost all of which have come from customer suggestions. During April, we’ll be posting highlights of the new capabilities on our new community website, www.newformant.com. In addition to posting Fifth Edition highlights, we'll use this community website to announce details of introductory webinars scheduled for April 23, May 7 and June 4. Visit now, and visit often!
ACEC webcast invites you to think outside the inbox
From 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, April 1, Newforma Chief Data Architect Jim Forester, P.E., and ColeJenest & Stone Technology Manager Tiffany Morris, P.E., are presenting an American Council of Engineering Companies online seminar, “Thinking outside the inbox: deploying an email management process enterprise-wide.” This credit-eligible session will present tips, strategies and technologies to help you empty your inboxes, comply with regulations and streamline the larger project management process. Click here to register.
SDA teleconference identifies PIM selection criteria
From 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, April 10, FKP Architects Associate J. Melodee Futch will present selection criteria for project information management software in a teleconference sponsored by the Society for Design Administration. In “Know it when you see it: a buyer’s guide to project information management software,” Futch, who is also an SDA vice-president, will recount the process FKP Architects followed to identify and evaluate software solutions for project information management. Click here for a PDF registration form.
Building Design+Construction profiles Newforma software
In "Take the nightmare out of managing your email," Associate Editor Jeff Yoders reports that AEC firms are under pressure to manage the information flooding their offices. Technology solutions tend to focus on contractors, not on architecture and engineering firms, and enterprise content management solutions are pricey and not a good fit. Quotes by OWP/P CIO Joseph Talamantez bring the story to life.
The peregrine cam is back online for 2008
Photos reveal that the peregrine falcons who nest on the roof of Newforma’s Manchester office building have laid two eggs as of this release of The Newformant newsletter. The Manchester peregrine pair was the first to successfully nest in an urban setting in New Hampshire, Maine or Vermont. Two video cameras donated to the Audubon Society allow birders to view the nest box throughout the breeding season, which lasts until mid-June when the chicks take their first flights. See the news release here to learn more.
January 2008
Easier is better
Dear customers, partners and friends of Newforma:
It’s always rewarding to find an easier way to do something, especially when the task you’ve streamlined is especially tough to begin with. Perhaps that explains the enthusiasm you’ll read below for the powerful new submittals management capabilities in Newforma™ Project Center Fourth Edition. We’ve made that aspect of contract administration so much easier, in fact, that a select group of Newforma customers have been inspired to present a webcast on the topic.
Speaking of making things easier, we’ve streamlined Newforma Project Center implementation and usage monitoring to the point where customers are now doing it themselves, freeing our Support Team to help our growing customer base in other ways. If you’ve ever wondered about the faces behind those helpful voices, check below to see our four Support Team experts in some offline moments.
– Patrick Gillam, editor
Headlines
Customers discuss digital project workflow
AECbytes showcases submittals management
Newforma customers lead webcast on e-submittals
Perkins+Will goes firm-wide with Newforma
Newforma Project Center named Cadalyst All-Star
Newforma Support looks sharp
Newforma customers discuss digital project workflow
Three Newforma customers presented “Digital Project Workflow – Are We There Yet?” at the American Institute of Architects Future of Professional Practice conference held in Washington, D.C., December 3rd, 2007. Kristine Fallon, AIA 2007 TAP Advisory Group chair and president of Kristine Fallon Associates, Inc., moderated a panel composed of BNIM Architects Director of Information Services Aaron Kivett, Mackey Mitchell Architects Principal and Director of Information Technology Thomas H. Peterson, and SOM Director of Firm-wide Applications Doris Pulsifer.
Visit the AIA website to see the presentation slides. (NOTE: You’ll need a high-speed connection to download this large file conveniently.)
AECbytes showcases e-submittals management
LMN Architects Director of Information Technology Tim Rice, AIA; and Director of Construction Administration Art Haug, AIA; authored a feature article in the December issue of AECbytes entitled “Managing Submittals at LMN Architects: Before Newforma Project Center and After.” LMN Architects is a 100-person Seattle firm that has always prided itself on the rigor of its construction administration process. However, that thoroughness was extremely labor-intensive from a record-keeping standpoint. Their article illustrates how Newforma software has simplified the process of tracking submittals during the all-important contract administration phase of a project.
Click here to read the AECbytes feature article.
Newforma customers lead webcast on e-submittals
The powerful submittals management capabilities in Newforma Project Center Fourth Edition have inspired several Newforma customers to share the ways they have been able to streamline the contract administration process in their firms. BNIM Architects Director of Information Services Aaron Kivett and Mackey Mitchell Architects Principal and Director of Information Technology Thomas H. Peterson, together with Tim Rice and Art Haug from LMN Architects (see above), will lead a webcast entitled “Approved As Noted: The Benefits of Adopting an Electronic Submittal Process.” The 60-minute webcast will include a presentation and live question-and-answer session with the presenters followed by a brief demonstration of the submittals management capabilities in Newforma Project Center. The webcast will be held at 1 p.m. Eastern time, January 31, 2008. Register by clicking here.
Perkins+Will goes firm-wide with Newforma
The internationally-renowned architectural practice of Perkins+Will has deployed Newforma Project Center firm-wide as its enterprise platform for project information management (PIM). After a trial period that tested the solution’s value and compatibility, Perkins+Will signed up for three years! “We expect, in short order, to realize at least a five-fold ROI and to simplify key aspects of the project environment for our users,” said Perkins+Will Principal and Chief Information Officer Rich Nitzsche.
Click here for the full Perkins+Will news release.
Newforma™ Project Center named Cadalyst All-Star
Newforma Project Center software for project information management received a Cadalyst All-Star award in the December 2007 issue of Cadalyst magazine. Cadalyst All-Star awards honor the software and hardware products that earned Highly Recommended ratings from Cadalyst Labs in the past six months. Jerry Laiserin, AEC industry analyst and contributing editor to Cadalyst magazine, reviewed Newforma Project Center Fourth Edition in the November 2007 issue of Cadalyst, noting that the product is “the Swiss Army knife of AEC productivity.”
Click here to read the full news release.
Newforma Support looks sharp
You may have worked closely with members of the Newforma Project Center support team but have never seen what Steve, Eric, Jeremy and Joe look like. If you're curious, here’s your chance for a look at the faces behind the names.
Thanksgiving Edition
Dear customers, partners and friends of Newforma:
As we head toward a two-day holiday here in the United States, we would like once again to express our thanks to all who have supported Newforma throughout 2007. Your support and involvement have fueled our most successful quarter to date, highlighted below. And while turkey, gravy, stuffing and other low-calorie fare are the order of the day, the Newforma ultimate Frisbee team won’t be caught out of shape, as the linked photos below demonstrate. Happy Thanksgiving!
– Patrick Gillam, editor
Headlines
Two great reviews of Newforma Project Center
In October, Michael Tardif, Assoc. AIA, Hon. SDA, former director of the AIA Center for Technology and Practice Management, reviewed Newforma Project Center software in the AIArchitect article, “It’s Not Always About BIM.”
In November, industry analyst and consultant Jerry Laiserin reviewed Newforma Project Center Fourth Edition for a Cadalyst Labs Review. The grade: A+!
The common theme in both reviews? For today’s information-laden AEC professional, it’s about time software made our lives easier.
The link to Michael Tardif's AIArchitect review is here.
The link to the Jerry Laiserin's Cadalyst Labs Review is here.
Newforma welcomes 40 new customers in Q3
From Phoenix to Detroit and Charlotte to Boulder, 40 architectural and engineering firms chose Newforma to gain control over their project information. Many cited our new Express Value Program as influencing their decision. As Jaros Baum & Bolles Partner Scott Frank said, “We’ve never before worked with a software company willing to offer such a helpful and innovative licensing and adoption model.”
For the full story, read our news release.
The Express Value Program – a new way to license and adopt Newforma Project Center
Recognizing that new technology demands a lot from the architects and engineers who must assimilate it, Newforma has devised the Express Value Program – an alternative to the classic Pilot Team approach for licensing and adopting Newforma Project Center.
To learn more about how your firm can reap the fastest time savings for the broadest set of employees at an affordable price, please read our two-page Express Value Program overview here.
Newforma stays in shape
Nearing the end of their season, a handful of Newforma Ultimate Frisbee team members demonstrate rare form in their quest to justify a second helping at Thanksgiving. For pictures, click here.
Q4 2007
No team member left behind
Dear customers, partners and friends of Newforma:
Most people think that leaders are the ones out in front, but on a bike race, it’s not just about the yellow jersey. It's about the pack, or peloton, moving as a whole, making sure everyone stays together. That’s a little like the philosophy behind Newforma™ Project Center software. Our software doesn't command changes to the course of your work. Instead, we make it easier for everyone in your firm to stick to the course you’ve set, riding together until the project crosses the finish line. The updates below give examples of how this philosophy plays in the workplace. One includes pictures that inspired our bicycling metaphor! We hope you enjoy them.
– Patrick Gillam, editor
Headlines
ACEC Conference-goers think outside the inbox
AECbytes reviews Newforma Project Center 4th Edition
New case study profiles Environmental Systems Design
Array chooses Newforma software to manage growth
Meet Newforma representatives at these conferences
Newforma bicycles with Eppstein Uhen Architects
ACEC Conference-goers think outside the inbox
Engineers often encounter systems that are being asked to process heavier loads than they were designed to carry. Email has become one such system, having gone from being a personal communication medium to a firm’s primary source of project information. At September’s ACEC National Conference on the Built Environment, over 100 engineers in search of answers to this problem listened to Newforma Chief Data Architect Jim Forester, P.E., present “Thinking outside the inbox: deploying an email management process enterprise-wide.” To see slides from Jim’s presentation, click here.
AECbytes reviews Newforma Project Center 4th Edition
AECbytes Founder and Editor Lachmi Khemlani dove deep into the latest edition of Newforma Project Center for her product review of August 30. After an analysis involving 4,000 words and 22 screen captures, Lachmi concluded that “Newforma Project Center is remarkably comprehensive and powerful,” and said, “The strongest aspect of Newforma Project Center is that it doesn't require firms to alter their IT infrastructure, re-engineer their processes, or dramatically change the way they work for efficient project management.” Read the whole review here.
New case study profiles Environmental Systems Design
Environmental Systems Design is a 200-person firm specializing in mechanical, electrical plumbing and security engineering; fire protection; telecommunications and more. Vice President Mark Andersen says “Newforma has something for everybody.” To demonstrate, we’ve compiled the remarks of four ESD professionals currently using Newforma Project Center software: Andersen discusses it from an information technology perspective; Senior Associate Tony Garcia talks about its use in project management; Associate Scott Stokes addresses its application to CAD management; and Associate Sharon Nadalin tells how the Newforma solution eases administrative workloads. To download a PDF of the ESD case study, click here.
Array HFS moves quickly to manage growth
Array Healthcare Facilities Solutions (Array HFS) is a 116-person planning, architecture and interior design firm dedicated exclusively to healthcare design. Array HFS wasted no time implementing Newforma Project Center software enterprise-wide. Under the leadership of Array HFS President Carl Davis, the firm evaluated Newforma and made its buying decision in just 30 days. Davis says, “When you see something that is obviously going pay both immediate and long-term dividends, you need to act. My worst decisions have been the ones I did not make!” Array HFS implemented Newforma Project Center as part of a program to manage the firm’s rapid growth – the firm has tripled its size over the past three years. To read the news release, click here.
Meet Newforma representatives at these conferences
Newforma is appearing at nine industry events in the next nine weeks. If you’re attending a local, regional or national event, visit our web listing to see if we’ll be there. We’d love to see you!
Newforma bicycles with Eppstein Uhen Architects
On August 22, Newforma representatives Bryan Zeigler and Dan Conery were among the 300 cyclists to take part in “Beyond Design,” a 100-mile bike ride – a century ride, in the parlance – commemorating the 100th anniversary of Eppstein Uhen Architects. People who know Dan and Bryan will tell you they’re great conversationalists, but Dan reported “not much talking by anyone after the first 55 miles.” Thanks to Newforma and many other sponsors, EUA raised over $50,000 to give back to the communities in which EUA associates live and work.
To see Bryan and Dan in the saddle, click here.
To see Dan and Bryan flanking EUA Vice President Bret Tushaus, click here.
Q3 2007
BIM, meet PIM
Dear customers, partners and friends of Newforma:
No doubt: building information modeling – BIM – is our industry’s Big Story. In the Newforma universe, however, there’s another story brewing – that of PIM, or project information management. The success of Newforma Project Center software confirms that better project information management is a growing need, whether that project information arises from BIM, CAD, email or any other source. To see how project information management is working at leading architecture and engineering firms, keep reading.
–Patrick Gillam, editor
EUA on search for project execution software: “Eureka!”
Newforma announces our coolest customer yet
Hart Howerton chooses Newforma over customizing SharePoint
Newforma Project Center adds BIM support in Fourth Edition
HOK deploys Newforma software across all 26 offices
Newforma manages Batcheler pad construction
EUA on search for project execution software: “Eureka!”
Eppstein Uhen Architects Vice President Bret Tushaus and Newforma Vice President Bob Batcheler co-presented a case study at June’s ZweigWhite AEC Technology Strategies 2007 conference in Las Vegas. “Eureka! Finding the right project execution software for your firm” recounted EUA’s search for software that would help its project teams work more efficiently. For a review, read Lachmi Khemlani’s conference coverage in the July 18 issue of AECbytes. (Scroll halfway down the article for “Implementation of Project Execution Software at Eppstein Uhen Architects.”)
Newforma announces our coolest customer yet
Water Technology, Inc., a Beaver Dam, Wis.-based engineering and design firm specializing in water parks, swimming pools and other aquatic-based projects, has adopted Newforma Project Center software to take the heat off project execution. “Before Newforma Project Center, we had a problem keeping up with the flood of information our projects generate,” says Design Manager / Project Designer Joel Roderick. “But now, with Newforma’s solution, everything’s going swimmingly.” Dive into the entire release by clicking here.
Hart Howerton chooses Newforma over customizing SharePoint
After a successful three-month trial, Hart Howerton has deployed Newforma Project Center software firm-wide. The firm evaluated multiple solutions, including customizing Microsoft SharePoint®, before selecting Newforma Project Center. Hart Howerton Chief Financial Officer Brian Depolo said, “The Newforma solution had everything we were looking for – especially in the area of project email management, search and document sharing – right out of the box and at a fraction of what it would have cost for us to develop ourselves.” Read the full Hart Howerton news release at www.newforma.com.
Newforma Project Center adds BIM support in Fourth Edition
Newforma Project Center Fourth Edition incorporates new capabilities to manage project information generated using BIM. To learn more about BIM support in Fourth Edition, read our news release. For a product sheet, click here.
For a discussion of why project information management, or PIM, is a prerequisite to more efficient use of BIM, download the PDF of “Building Information Modeling: Better, Worse or Just Different?” in the Summer 2007 issue of The Voice, the newsletter of the Construction Users Roundtable.
HOK deploys Newforma software across all 26 offices
A year after implementing Newforma Project Center in selected offices, Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum has expanded its deployment of Newforma Project Center to 1,600 employees worldwide. HOK Chief Information Officer Ken Young says, “Based on the value we are already seeing, plus the additional functionality in Fourth Edition, we are now deploying Newforma across all of our 26 offices to help make every HOK project team more productive.” For Ken’s full remarks, read the HOK news release at www.newforma.com.
Newforma manages Batcheler pad construction
In 2005, when Newforma Vice President Bob Batcheler and his wife, Margaret, envisioned building their dream home in New Hampshire, they also envisioned a typical nine-month building cycle. But as happens to so many building projects, unforeseen challenges caused delays. Fortunately, Newforma Project Center made it easy to track accountability, manage documents, log email decision trails and resolve issues along the way. For an animated GIF and two snapshots that capture the trials and the triumph, click here.
Q2 2007
Soliciting input, sharing knowledge
Dear customers, partners and friends of Newforma:
Management guru Peter Drucker recommends that coworkers meet once a year to exchange lists of what they need from one another. His point: asking and sharing are important activities to do, and to do regularly. In the spirit of this wisdom, we present the articles below. We hope you enjoy them. And if you have suggestions for The Newformant, please don't hesitate to share them with us!
–Patrick Gillam, editor
Headlines
Newforma hosts its 2nd Executive Forum
Innovative architect authors AECbytes tech tip
ENR includes Newforma in data management cover story
Your input sought on NBIMS Version 1.0, Part 1
The Newforma Maple Syrup Challenge
Newforma hosts its 2nd Executive Forum
On March 13th and 14th in Chicago, over 30 executives from 21 leading AEC firms shared their project process experiences. The event featured a keynote address by Spar Point Research Managing Partner Bruce Jenkins, a presentation by Deltek EVP Eric Brehm and a facilitated discussion led by Newforma CEO Ian Howell. Also, Environmental Systems Design VP Mark Andersen, Perkins+Will CIO Richard Nitzsche and Thornton Tomasetti Managing Principal Joseph Burns led a discussion of BIM-related process challenges they're facing on a joint project.
For a fuller description of the Forum, click here.
AECbytes Tips and Tricks: Animating Design Changes
Newforma Project Center's Digital Light Table has the ability to animate before-and-after drawing comparisons. We developed it to aid quality control, but Gould Evans Associates Project Team Leader Tamara Shroll also uses it to show clients and stakeholders what will change in their redesigned spaces. Her tech tip offers step-by-step instructions that all Newforma users can emulate. See "Animating Illustrations of Design Changes Using Newforma Project Center" in AECbytes.com Issue #16, March 2007.
If you have a Newforma tech tip to share, talk to your Newforma account executive, or email us.
ENR ranks Newforma among enterprise innovators
In its February 26th cover story, Engineering News-Record included Newforma among a handful of select companies. Each is offering innovative solutions to address the sometimes overwhelming data challenges of engineering enterprises. "Innovative Tools Help Companies Cut the Data Beast Down to Size" is available online to ENR subscribers, or you can request a PDF reprint at newforma.com.
Help define the National Building Information Modeling Standard™
The Facility Information Council of the National Institute of Building Sciences invites industry review of "National Building Information Modeling Standard Version 1.0 - Part 1: Overview, Principles, and Methodologies." This document gives the capital facilities industry its first comprehensive look at the full scope of requirements for building information modeling. Input is due Monday, May 21, 2007. For a PDF of the draft document and instructions for reviewers, click here.
The Newforma Maple Syrup Challenge
New England's springtime combination of sub-freezing nights and warmer days makes maple tree sap flow. New Hampshire syrup makers are gathering maple sap now and boiling it down to syrup. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. To see Newforma Engineering Vice President Dave Plunkett and his family making syrup, click here. To see how Dave's "Royal Amber" syrup compares to Marketing Vice President Marni Hoyle's "Ambre Lumière," click here.
Q1 2007
Spread the word!
Dear customers, partners and friends of Newforma:
As we work to spread the word about Newforma’s mission and solutions, we are continually amazed at the amount of support we get from customers and partners. Clearly, the objective of improved project process is important to many, but we continue to be thankful for the degree to which our customers have joined our efforts to raise awareness and engage in dialogue. Below are just a few examples. It’s encouraging to enjoy such support, to which we can only say, thank you!
– Patrick Gillam, editor
Headlines
Perkins+Will adopts Newforma for a more uniform project process
Gould Evans replacing point solutions with Newforma software
Deltek Insight 2007: HOK and Newforma to present
AEC Tech Strategies: Eppstein Uhen and Newforma to present
“Improving AEC project execution” strikes a nerve
CE News publishes “Managing the email avalanche”
The knowledgebase: a resource for Newforma customers
Who’s that smilin’ guy in the AECbytes ad?
Perkins+Will adopts Newforma for a more uniform project process
The internationally-renowned architectural firm of Perkins+Will is deploying Newforma Project Center™ software in its founding Chicago office to help standardize project information management and the processes related to project work.
“At Perkins+Will, we constantly seek new technologies that will support our architects and designers in their mission to deliver a superior building,” said Perkins+Will CIO Rich Nitzsche. “Newforma Project Center provides an easy-to-use project environment, shaped around our current work processes, that helps us execute our projects with greater ease and consistency – the ‘project glue’ for our busy and dynamic project teams.”
To read the whole story, click here.
Gould Evans replacing point solutions with Newforma Project Center
Project team members of Gould Evans Associates are using Newforma Project Center to file emails in project folders, a work process previously done with software developed in-house, and to send large transmittals over the Internet, a task previously accomplished via a third-party extranet.
“Our adoption of Newforma Project Center exemplifies our commitment to technology that helps us deliver better products to our clients,” said Gould Evans Principal Scott Stalcup, AIA. “Reducing the time required to send a set of plans may seem of minor importance, but small things make as big a difference in client service as they do in successful design.”
To read the whole story, click here.
Deltek Insight 2007: HOK and Newforma to present
Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum Senior Vice President Bob Gillcrist will team up with Newforma Vice President Bob Batcheler to present “Change management: lead, follow or get out of the way,” at Deltek Insight 2007 in May.
This session will present strategies to identify leaders, enlist followers and move obstacles, as illustrated with real-world lessons learned in the course of the adoption and broad deployment of Deltek Vision® and Newforma Project Center in a leading global architectural firm.
AEC Tech Strategies: Eppstein Uhen and Newforma to present
Eppstein Uhen Architects Vice President Bret Tushaus and Newforma Vice President Bob Batcheler are presenting “Eureka! Finding the right project execution software for your firm,” at ZweigWhite’s AEC Technology Strategies 2007 conference in June.
Bret Tushaus led a search for software that Eppstein Uhen project managers and team members could use to streamline their work. The available solutions were either too complex, insufficient to meet requirements or just not appropriate for an AEC vertical business. Then Bret found Newforma.
“Improving AEC project execution” strikes a nerve with the industry
Hundreds of visitors to www.newforma.com have requested the white paper, “Improving AEC project execution: lessons from 11 industry leaders,” prepared by Spar Point Research of Danvers, Massachusetts. In it, senior executives of architecture, engineering and construction firms comment on the challenges they’re facing and the solutions they’re pursuing in their quest for greater project efficiency and improved productivity.
To have a PDF of the "Improving AEC project execution" white paper emailed to you, complete and submit this form.
CE News publishes “Managing the email avalanche”
Of all the problems Newforma Project Center software solves for architects and engineers, one of the most critical is email management. Bob Batcheler, Newforma’s vice president of industry marketing and product management, examines the methods that engineers are using to manage their overflowing email inboxes in the December 2006 issue of CE News magazine. “Managing the email avalanche” looks at an AEC professional’s options with and without Newforma Project Center.
To request a PDF of "Managing the email avalanche," click here.
The knowledgebase: a resource for Newforma customers
If you have questions about Newforma software, the place to find answers is the Newforma knowledgebase, accessible directly from Newforma Project Center. There, you can see if your questions have already been answered, or post new questions to be answered by Newforma representatives. It’s a quick, easy way to resolve issues and expand your understanding of what Newforma Project Center software can do for you.
To reach the knowledgebase from Newforma Project Center, click “Newforma Support Site” from any Project Home screen.
Who’s that smilin’ guy in the AECbytes ad?
Visitors to the archives of AECbytes.com can see Newforma’s own Brian Roster in advertisements running in the "Newsletters," "Reviews" and "Features" sections. Brian’s many talents include coding Newforma Info Exchange, supporting customers and now, advertising Newforma Project Center to the public. To see Brian in a sample ad, click here.
Q4 2006
People are talking!
Dear customers, partners and friends of Newforma:
Since our last issue, the word about Newforma has been reaching more folks in the industry, thanks largely to vocal support from such customers as HOK, Jordan Jones & Goulding (JJG), and Mackey Mitchell Associates, among many others. This was especially evident at the ACEC Conference in Charleston this past September. JJG Principal and Corporate Production Director John Watkins co-hosted a panel discussion, From chaos to order with Newforma Project Center, with Newforma V.P. of Product Development Bob Batcheler. The engineers in the audience were captivated by the first-hand accounts from fellow engineer John Watkins; we’re grateful to him for sharing his experiences.
We hope you enjoy the research, articles and updates that follow. Until our next issue, thanks for reading - and happy holidays!
–Cristine Burke and Patrick Gillam, editors Headlines
Customer spotlight: Mackey Mitchell Associates
Improving AEC project execution: lessons from 11 leaders
What is a project? and other blog topics
A preview of AEC-ST in Washington, D.C.
The role of the software vendor in buildingSMART
Customer spotlight: Mackey Mitchell Associates
Newforma turns our spotlight on Mackey Mitchell Associates, a leading St. Louis architectural firm that has adopted Newforma Project Center™ firm-wide. Founded in 1968, Mackey Mitchell is a professional service firm of architects, planners and interior designers. The firm has received local and national recognition for its commitment to excellence and its expertise in Green Building. Learn how Mackey Mitchell is using Newforma Project Center by clicking here.
Improving AEC project execution: lessons from 11 leaders
An independent research firm has interviewed a cross-section of architectural and engineering firms about obstacles to project efficiency and productivity. The resulting white paper captures their opinions and the steps they’re taking toward more efficient project execution. To read more about the white paper, click here. To request it, click here.
What is a project? and other blog topics
Architects, engineers, constructors and owners stand to benefit from deep investigations into common work processes, says Newforma Vice President Bob Batcheler. In his new blog, he hopes to “promote conversation about the opportunity that exists for our industry to be transformed.” It’ll take work; a recent post shows why it’s hard to answer a question as seemingly obvious as, “What constitutes a project?”
A preview of AEC-ST in Washington, D.C.
Look for Newforma at AEC-ST December 5-7 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. On December 6th from 8 a.m. – 9 :30 a.m., Newforma’s Bob Batcheler will participate in a panel discussion entitled Cost controls for project and process management: what you need to know, moderated by Randall Newton, editor-in-chief and publisher of AECnews.com.
Achieving the goals of buildingSMART—the role of the software vendor
“It is time to take a close look at fixing the technology that seems to make lives harder, not easier.” Newforma CEO Ian Howell offers guildelines for AEC software developers in the latest edition of Edges, the newsletter of the AIA Technology in Practice Knowledge Community. Click here to read it.
Q3 2006
Dear Customers, Partners and Friends of Newforma –
Welcome to the first edition of The Newformant™, a quarterly update from the Newforma team. Here’s our latest news:
Surviving the NH floods: we have moved!
When it rains, it pours! Record rainfall in southern New Hampshire this past May resulted in extensive flooding of our former offices in the historic Jefferson Mill along the Merrimack River. With only a few hours notice, our dedicated Newforma team packed up and moved our belongings - first to our temporary offices, and later to our new and more spacious address:
Newforma Inc.
1750 Elm Street
10th Floor
Manchester, NH 03104 USA
+1-603-625-6212
Newforma launches Newforma Project Center™
We officially launched Newforma Project Center™ on June 1, 2006. Newforma Project Center helps project managers and project team members organize and find information more efficiently, share and communicate project documents quickly and easily, and reuse and enhance project data in ways that streamline critical work processes. Mackey Mitchell Associates and Jordan Jones and Goulding (JJG) are early adopters who already foresee the benefits of Newforma Project Center in terms of time-savings and managing project delivery across multiple offices. For more Information, read our full release at:
http://www.newforma.com/NewsResources/pr_2006_06_01.htm
HOK adopts Newforma Project Center as the process component of HOK building SMART
We are proud to announce that Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK) has chosen to implement Newforma Project Center as part of HOK buildingsSMART, a corporate-wide execution of the International Alliance of Interoperability (IAI) buildingSMART initiative. Both Ken Young, CIO of HOK, and Ken Herold, Chief Knowledge Officer of HOK, see Newforma Project Center as the “third leg of a stool,” along with Deltek Vision®, and Autodesk® Revit®, focusing uniquely on the “process dimension” of HOK’s knowledge management initiatives. For more information on HOK and their implementation of Newforma Project Center, read the release at: http://www.newforma.com/NewsResources/pr_2006_26.htm
Newforma’s Bob Batcheler to present at the AEC 2006 Fall Conference
Mark your calendar for September 19th at 4 p.m.! That’s when Bob Batcheler, Newforma’s VP of Product Management and Industry Marketing, will present “From Chaos to Order using Newforma Project Software” at ACEC’s Fall Conference in Charleston, S.C. “Batch” is an expert on project process and process software, having spent 11 years as a practicing professional in the AEC industry and 19 years in the AEC technology space. Be sure to stop by and visit Newforma at our new booth!
That’s it for this issue. We hope that this news update has piqued your interest about Newforma and our software solutions for the AEC industry. If you have questions or comments, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Enjoy your summer!
Cristine Burke
Newforma Marketing
www.newforma.com |
