Architecture: collaboration at the heart of success
In the world of architecture, effective collaboration between various project partners is the key to success. Architectural firms face several major challenges in terms of project management, collaboration and communication, mainly due to the complexity and multidisciplinary nature of their projects.
1. Coordination of the various parties involved: Architectural projects involve many players, such as engineers, contractors, suppliers, and customers. Effective coordination between these parties is essential to meet deadlines and budgets. 2. Change management: Architectural projects are subject to constant change. Managing these changes effectively without disrupting the overall workflow or deadlines can be a real challenge. 3. Communication and information sharing: Clear communication and effective information sharing are crucial. Misunderstandings or delays in transmitting information can lead to costly errors. 4. On time and on budget: Projects often have to be completed to tight deadlines and with limited budgets. Efficient management of time and resources is therefore a constant challenge. 5. Document management: The quantity of documents generated (drawings, specifications, contracts, etc.) is considerable, and managing them can become a headache, especially to ensure they are up-to-date and accessible to all stakeholders. 6. Managing customer expectations: Understanding and meeting customer expectations, while managing technical and budgetary constraints, is essential to project success.
These challenges call for innovative solutions and adapted tools to facilitate project management, collaboration, and communication within architecture firms. The ability to overcome these obstacles determines the quality of the final work and customer satisfaction.
Case study: Sarch architects in Zürich
Faced with these challenges, the architectural firm Sarch found WEDO the ideal solution for optimizing its project management. We immerse ourselves in the day-to-day work of Marc Schulz and his team, who use WEDO to manage the complex coordination inherent in the realization of architectural projects.
Why did you choose WEDO and what other solutions did you consider?
We chose WEDO because it's developed and hosted in Switzerland. Previously, we had considered other solutions such as Meetingbooster and iMeetingX, but in the end, WEDO's local solution convinced us.
What challenges were you looking to overcome with the integration of WEDO?
The biggest challenge in our workflow was to have an overview of tasks in all meetings and to involve all participants. WEDO proved to be the solution for this, as it enables us to manage all tasks centrally and assign them to the relevant participants.
The features we like best about WEDO are the ability to import tasks from previous protocols and assign them to participants. We've even used the API and webhook to transfer tasks directly into our central CRM software.
What major improvements have you seen in terms of processes, collaboration and productivity since integrating WEDO?
The use of WEDO has had a positive impact on the efficiency and productivity of our work processes, particularly for the rapid drafting of meeting minutes.
WEDO has improved our working methods by enabling better collaboration and encouraging participants to complete their tasks via the platform.
Although we have no concrete figures or metrics to demonstrate WEDO's impact, we mainly use the platform for file notes and meeting minutes. The PDF export function is particularly useful for participants who prefer to read the minutes offline.
Overall, we would recommend WEDO to other companies or professionals in our industry, as it offers an effective way of keeping track of tasks, outstanding issues and decisions in minutes.
How do you interact with your partners in WEDO?
WEDO enables us to integrate our partners into our project monitoring and to interact directly with them. Companies and outsiders have reacted positively to WEDO, even if some were skeptical about web-based solutions. Collaboration is easy and centralized in one place.
How can WEDO improve architectural project management?
Meeting management: Prepare meetings as a team, take minutes in real time and track the tasks assigned to your colleagues.
Task management: Create workspaces for your projects, departments and teams, then share tasks with colleagues and partners.
Recurring procedures: Save templates for your proceedings then follow the progress of your checklists in real time.
Project management: Create project workspaces, organize meetings, assign tasks and share files with project members.
