How Hilson Moran Mastered Document Control And Risk Mitigation With Newforma

In the bustling landscape of built environment design consultancy firms, Hilson Moran stands as a beacon of innovation, efficiency and trust. With over four decades of experience under its belt, this international consultancy has left an indelible mark on some of the world’s most iconic construction projects. Spearheading sustainability, energy, MEP, infrastructure, and a myriad of interconnected design and engineering services, Hilson Moran is not just about designing buildings; it’s about shaping the future of our urban landscapes.

Current notable projects include Holborn Viaduct, which will serve as a new gateway to London’s financial district, and the National Stadium of Serbia, an innovative new stadium that will play host to the country’s highest profile sporting events. Projects like Regent’s Crescent showcase Hilson Moran’s expertise in combining the latest sustainability standards with a need to sensitively deliver historic developments.

Additionally, the firm has been involved in large-scale urban regeneration and commercial developments. Barking Riverside is one of the UK’s largest urban regeneration efforts, delivering thousands of new homes. Similarly, 1 Broadgate in London sets new standards for sustainability in a mixed-use workplace development.

While Hilson Moran has established itself as a leader in innovative design and engineering solutions, it faced challenges in manual email filing, searching, and overall document management. The lack of efficiency and scalability of their processes led to delays in accessing crucial project documents and information; and as the volume of projects continued to grow, so too did the complexity of managing documentation, risking errors and miscommunication. Recognising the need for a more streamlined approach to information management, Hilson Moran explored solutions to digitise and centralise its document processes, aiming to enhance collaboration, productivity, and ultimately, deliver even greater value to its clients.

When Hilson Moran first adopted Newforma Project Center over a decade ago, their primary challenges revolved around managing email filing and the ability to efficiently access and search project-related information.

As Steve Johnson, Director at Hilson Moran, explains, “Before Newforma, we were just filing emails into folders and project drives, and they were practically lost. It took a lot of extremely tedious searching to find an email.”

Over the years, Newforma has greatly improved this process, allowing team members to find necessary information easily, which has saved valuable time.

Despite these improvements, Hilson Moran realized they were only scratching the surface of Newforma’s capabilities. As new standards, such as ISO 19650, emerged, the firm needed to find a better way to manage their documents and maintain compliance. It soon became clear that Newforma’s document control feature was an existing solution that could be leveraged further. The ability to handle complex document management efficiently has proven brilliant for Hilson Moran, saving substantial amounts of time and effort.

Hilson Moran’s decision to embrace Newforma Project Center was driven by its initial success in email filing and project searchability, but the firm soon recognized its broader potential. As their needs evolved, especially with the introduction of ISO 19650, Hilson Moran saw an opportunity to better manage their compliance requirements using Newforma’s document control features.

“We realized we already had a great solution in Newforma that could help us meet the incoming standards,” says Steve Johnson.

Since then, the firm has taken full advantage of Newforma’s capabilities. The document control functionalities have proven to be invaluable, allowing for quicker document updates and a more streamlined approach to issuing documents to project stakeholders.

The recent update from version 12 to 2024 was remarkably smooth, with Newforma providing comprehensive support throughout the process. This upgrade has ensured that Hilson Moran continues to save time and resources, with outputs that are compatible with other industry platforms like Asite.

With Newforma Project Center as their project and information management cornerstone, Hilson Moran is witnessing a transformative shift in their operations.

The once maze of document management became streamlined and efficient. This greatly contributed to fostering a culture of collaboration and productivity. By leveraging enhanced document control features and seamless integration capabilities, they were able to navigate projects with newfound agility.

Tasks that once took hours to complete now only require a few minutes. For instance, updating drawing references or issuing documents to project stakeholders became significantly quicker and more straightforward, thanks to Newforma Project Center’s centralised platform. It not only contributed to smoother project workflows, but also allowed team members to focus on more value-added tasks, enhancing overall productivity.

“I issued a project recently that required 20 reports. Just click, click click, and I was done in about two minutes; instead of trying to make them all up myself and taking a couple of hours.” Charlotte Weal, Project Manager

In addition to time efficiency gains, Newforma Project Center played a crucial role in mitigating risks and improving collaboration. Steve Johnson recalled a situation where the ability to quickly retrieve a document from Newforma prevented a potentially difficult conversation with a client. By presenting the agreed-upon project details backed by concrete evidence from Newforma, they avoided misunderstandings and ensured alignment between stakeholders, thereby reducing the risk of disputes or conflicts.

“We were working on a major project, and we needed to find a document related to what had been agreed on the project. And we were able to find that very quickly and easily and actually present that back to our client showing what was agreed on the project. It saved us from having a very difficult conversation.” – Steve Johnson

Similarly, Charlotte Weal highlighted how Newforma’s document control features facilitated smoother QA procedures and enhanced collaboration among project teams. The platform’s centralised repository ensures that all team members have access to the latest revisions of documents, reducing the chances of errors or discrepancies due to outdated information. This improved collaboration not only fosters better decision-making but also enhances the overall quality of project deliverables, thereby strengthening client satisfaction and trust.

The strong partnership between Hilson Moran and Newforma Project Center represents a proactive approach to project management, driven by a desire for efficiency, risk mitigation, collaboration improvement, and regulatory compliance. Newforma’s comprehensive suite of tools, coupled with its user-friendly interface and alignment with industry standards, has positioned itself as a valuable asset in Hilson Moran’s project management toolkit.

As Hilson Moran continues to set the standard and explore opportunities for more innovation and improvement, their partnership with Newforma remains integral to their strategic objectives and future success in delivering exceptional projects.

“Newforma has been a trusted partner for us,” adds Steve Johnson, reinforcing the importance of the ongoing partnership in achieving their project management goals.