News releases

ColeJenest & Stone Estimates One-Month ROI from Newforma™ Project Center

Architecture and engineering firm endorses Project Information Management (PIM) solution as “the promised land”

Manchester, N.H.—January 22, 2008—Newforma, Inc., a software company addressing the project information management (PIM) needs of the design and building industry, announced today that ColeJenest & Stone, based in Charlotte, N.C., has deployed Newforma Project Center software firm-wide, estimating a one-month return on investment on the basis of a pilot implementation. Seventy-five of the firm’s 80 people, spread across three offices, will use the Newforma solution. Managing Principal Michael Cole, who oversees technology at the firm, refers to the solution as “the promised land.”

“We had been looking for a project information management solution for years,” Cole said. “Email had exploded our correspondence to a volume that made it difficult to find anything. A person could spend an hour looking for a single email. Project managers were spending at least an hour a week on email management alone. The Newforma solution slashes that time to minutes. And that’s just the beginning of what it can do.”

Technology Manager Tiffany Morris said the most popular functions of the solution are those used to file email in project folders, transfer large files and find information in common industry file types, including email and drawings. Other functions attracting interest include those for managing transmittals and marking up drawings electronically.

ColeJenest & Stone found it easy to integrate Newforma Project Center with the firm’s existing work processes. “We had a pilot team use Newforma Project Center for a month,” Morris said. “As we learned the software, we integrated it with our company standards. That way, when we rolled it out firm-wide, we were able to teach the process as well as the software. People returned to their desks and started using Newforma Project Center right away. The speed of implementation and ease of training contribute to an estimated one-month payback.”

Morris elaborated on the tangible advantages of improved PIM: “It has allowed us to provide better client service,” Morris said. “We can find information while we’re on the phone with people. And it’s helped with collaboration. Information is not just in one person’s inbox; it can be accessed by the entire in-house team.”

Newforma Chief Executive Officer Ian Howell said the ColeJenest & Stone experience confirms Newforma’s approach to providing PIM tools that do not disrupt existing work practices. “Newforma Project Center is designed to support and enhance existing project delivery workflows,” Howell said. “Time and time again we hear, from all of the architects and engineers we talk to, ‘Don’t make me change the way I work. Instead, make my work more efficient.’ This is what ColeJenest & Stone refers to as ‘the promised land.’ Newforma is committed to helping every one of its customers in this same way.”

About ColeJenest & Stone

ColeJenest & Stone is a comprehensive land planning, landscape architecture, civil engineering and urban design firm committed to project excellence, unmatched client service and a rewarding work environment. The firm achieves its goals through  a professional, collaborative approach and sensitive, progressive design solutions. Sectors served include healthcare facilities, mixed-use developments, residential communities, academic institutions as well as civil spaces.   ColeJenest & Stone operates from offices in Charlotte, N.C., Raleigh, N.C., and Wilmington, N.C. The firm’s website is www.colejeneststone.com.

About Newforma

Newforma is a software company serving architecture, engineering, construction and owner/operator (AECO) organizations worldwide. Its mission is to develop and market industry-leading software solutions which significantly improve the productivity of the building project team by streamlining work processes, reducing exposure from errors and omissions, improving coordination and communication, increasing visibility into costs and quantities, and enabling greater repeatability of project success. Newforma® Project Center, Newforma’s flagship product, creates a more productive environment for project managers and the project team by organizing project information, facilitating information exchange, and enabling efficient project process. Newforma Project Center is currently implemented on thousands of projects in industry-leading AECO firms. For more information about Newforma, phone +1 (603) 625-6212.

© 2007 Newforma, Inc. Newforma is a trademark of Newforma, Inc. in the United States and in other countries. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such.

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