The architects and engineers design the structure and construction teams build it. It’s that simple, right? Wrong. Even before the first hole is dug, there is a disconnect between the creative vision and construction reality. Until recently, the only way builders could communicate with designers was with phone calls, emails, and drawing notes — all of which are slow, rarely up to date, and rarely involve all of the necessary stakeholders. Now, Dropbox has the tools you need to skip the back-and-forth headaches and jumpstart collaboration on your next project.
BONUS: With little-to-no onboarding needed, your teams will start saving time with Dropbox on their first day.
Provide a single source of truth
Does your framer have the updated version of the construction drawings? It's critical each stakeholder has the latest information in their hands, especially given the frequent changes that impact decisions on site. With everything stored in Dropbox, construction teams can access and view the most up-to-date project information on their mobile devices. When architects or engineers make updates at their desks, they can notify and share the changes with workers instantly. It’s easy to maintain a single source of truth with less risk of versions getting out of sync.
Streamline project collaboration
Electricians know electricity. Joiners know joints. Architects and engineers know design. To build a great building, everyone needs to be able to properly leverage their unique skills and communicate effectively. You can encourage collaboration of all project stakeholders by ensuring the latest files are available and there is an open line of communication. With Dropbox annotations, on-site contractors can make comments directly on drawing PDFs for the architects to see instantly. Then, the architects can make necessary changes and share out updates in real-time. It’s like always having the architect on site, but they have their entire workspace setup as well.
Store and share project progress photos
The architect and engineers can make better decisions and make necessary changes if they know what’s happening on site. The contractors can set up camera uploads to automatically back up photos and videos taken in the field to Dropbox. Then, it’s easy to move them to a folder and share with the office team.
Get started
Making the leap into a fully digital workflow can be daunting, especially when dealing with many ever-changing contractors and subcontractors. Luckily, the Dropbox tools described above can work independently of each other. Introducing them one at a time to manage a given task is an excellent way to ramp up to a fully integrated process. Start by storing all your documentation in an organized Dropbox folder and sharing it with the team. This will help everyone get comfortable using Dropbox and encourage them to download the app. Then, introducing annotations and using camera uploads will be an easier lift. Before you know it, you'll be saving time and money and collaborating better than ever.
