The Newforma difference
Think of Newforma Project Center as a better and more cost-effective alternative to document management, project extranets and search tools – delivered in one fully integrated solution.

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AEC Project Execution Challenges

Newforma Project Center

Document Management Systems

Extranet Collaboration Portals

"I depend on email, and I need to keep it organized with other project documents."

Newforma Project Center software allows you to file Microsoft Office Outlook® email with other project documents in two clicks.

Document management software duplicates what’s stored on your email server, often requiring extra steps for tagging.

Extranets offer no email management, or require you to use project email software other than Outlook.

"I spend a lot of time searching for previous emails, drawing versions and the like."

Newforma software finds search terms in 200 industry file formats, including Outlook and attachments, as well as in the BIM object properties of DWG and DWF files.

Document management requires that you move files into another database. Searching is only as good as the metadata you applied, and often does not support AEC file formats.

Extranets don’t help you search or manage internal project information. They're not behind the firewall.

"My team members and I regularly exchange files that are too large to email."

Newforma software makes large file transmissions as easy as email, but without email’s file size limitations. Further, all file sharing is managed from your servers on your network, at no additional cost.

In-house document management systems provide little or no support for file sharing and collaboration.

Extranets duplicate files already stored on your internal file server and charge by the amount of data stored. Their separate security adds to administrative overhead.

"I need to see audit trails for submittals, transmittals, design review and more."

Newforma software integrates with Outlook to support key AEC work processes, from markup sessions to transmittals to submittals and more, conducted with internal or external team members.

Document management systems typically require extensive customization or additional third-party software to fit AEC work processes.

Extranets force work process activity to a generic, hosted, one-size-fits-all environment that does not support all the work you do internally.

"As design changes get easier, the volume of markups is going up. How can I track who made what change and why?"

Newforma software automatically logs and tracks collections of markups for a CAD drawing or a BIM model view, linking the markup session to project action items and associating them to project files. Newforma Compare further supports the QA process to make sure all the correct changes have been made.

Document management systems burden the user with unnecessary check-in; check-out procedures to manage the history of document changes. No support is provided for QA at the end of the review cycle.

Extranets do not address the internal design review process that precedes publication of documents to the external team.

"We go through all this effort to create the project plan, but once we start work, it is difficult to tie project activity to our plan in a way that helps us identify true progress or any serious red flags."

Newforma software has built-in capability to help users monitor project activity from the specific action item to overall activity against the project plan.

Document management systems typically require customization in order to capture workflow conditions that trigger alerts and are coordinated with project timelines.

Extranets do not address the integration of project activity with the firm’s internal project planning software.

Only Newforma specializes in project information management for architects and engineers

Document management systems help you organize your project information, and extranet collaboration portals help you share it with the external team, but neither solution does both. Nor do they address the reality that so much work today is done via Outlook email.

Newforma Project Center, on the other hand, has been designed from the ground up to fit the way architects, engineers, constructors and owners wish to execute their projects.

The Newforma approach embraces four major themes heard over and over:

The Newforma approach embraces four major themes heard over and over:

• “Add value to the technologies we currently use; don't reinvent the wheel.”
• “Don't overhaul our work processes; just make them easier and more efficient.”
• “Address the problem of information sharing across multiple file formats, multiple applications, and even multiple levels of technology sophistication.”
• “Keep it simple for users and simple for IT in order to accelerate adoption and the realization of value.”