Technology Process Assessment to Understand Firm Needs

505Design is an architecture and design firm with multiple locations across the United States. The company has been experiencing growth in architect of record services for large mixed-use and multi-family residential projects and is transitioning business processes to be able to more efficiently produce and manage deliverables. Moving away from the previous third-party cloud and virtual workstation service to the Autodesk Construction Cloud provided long-term savings and a more stable environment. As they prepared for this change, they reviewed their projects, workflows, and technology tools and learned that they needed comprehensive updates to account for functional and staffing changes.

505Design wanted an assessment of their project templates, workflows, and overall infrastructure health to determine the necessary changes to transition to the Autodesk Construction Cloud. In addition to understanding what gaps existed and how to address them, they wanted to have a road map and timeline on how to best address them. By understanding their overall needs, they would be able to successfully make the changes to their IT infrastructure, move to the cloud, and ensure their workflows and templates are established for future success.

After understanding 505Design’s need for a holistic evaluation, CADD Microsystems presented their packaged offering of a Technology Process Assessment (TPA), to discover and document the challenges they were facing with their design technologies and processes. The TPA began with a kickoff meeting with key stakeholders to ensure all assignments and expected deliverables are aligned. The CADD consultant then began data gathering by reviewing project files, templates, process documentation, and conducting a user survey. Using information discovered during the data gathering, the CADD consultant then began conducting interviews across departments and offices. All data gathering and interviews were conducted virtually to accommodate schedules. Once all data had been gathered, the CADD consultant performed a full analysis and generated a document outlining the main findings and recommendations. These were presented to key stakeholders and then the next steps were discussed.

The TPA findings and recommendations confirmed 505Design’s original intentions and helped them prioritize the appropriate steps to move to the cloud and implement Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro. The CADD consulting team assisted with this through an Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro Quick Start program.

By completing the TPA and understanding the need for the Quick Start, the 505 team was able to establish their new workflow in a more stable cloud environment and eliminate reliance on virtual workstations and file servers.  By moving to the Autodesk Construction Cloud, they reduced overall cost, and simplified project workflow, with a more reliable, efficient, and accessible file management and collaboration system. As 505 continues their growth trajectory and services evolve, they are now confident that their design operations will scale seamlessly at the same time.

Delivery Date

Project Duration

Autodesk Solutions

• Architecture, Engineering & Construction Collection
• AutoCAD
• BIM Collaborate
• Docs
• Revit

Services Provided

• BIM
• Assessment of Needs
• Workflow Optimization

Customer Industry