Plan-It CSM is a password protected section of CSM Group's web site that houses plans for CSM Group projects and comes complete with options to print at your location, order full-size prints for delivery, or download files directly to your desktop.

Digital Plan Room a "Great Room" for Contractor Efficiency

For the trade contractor (and others who participate in the bidding, awarding, and construction stages of a project) life on Plan-It CSMT is easier indeed. Plan-It CSM is a unique "digital plan room" recently introduced by CSM Group to make the process of gathering documents and specifications and circulating changes during project bidding and construction much simpler for everyone involved.

Plan-It CSM is a password protected section of CSM Group's web site that houses plans for CSM Group projects and comes complete with options to print at your location, order full-size prints for delivery, or download files directly to your desktop.

Instant access to instant information

When contractors are invited to bid on a project they will also receive a username and password to access Plan-It CSM on the CSM Group homepage (www.csmgroup.com). This gives them access to all of CSM Group's projects currently in process and out for bid.

Once logged in, users can choose a CSM Group project and from there select the plans they need. When a user purchases a set of plans they become connected to the project. Whenever there is a subsequent design change an email is automatically generated alerting the user of new plans on the site.

"This won't only be time efficient for contractors, but also for our staff," said Steve East, President of CSM Group. "Every time a change is made to a plan, contractors need a new set of plans to stay on pace. Plan-It CSM facilitates this quickly and efficiently."

All CSM Group Project Directors, Managers, and Supervisors carry handheld multi-function devices that allow them to receive e-mails, call up blueprints and schedules, forward revised plans, and review other visual information on site, on a real-time basis. Plan-It CSM maximizes those capabilities by providing an information clearinghouse, available 24/7. If a blueprint is needed, it can be printed on an on-site plotter.

"We have everything at our fingertips," says Tom Stanek, Project Manager. "I feel confident going to a job sight knowing all the information I need is right here and ready to go. Our clients recognize the difference in our communications because of our technology advancements."

Plan-It CSM is also an asset when a project is completed. All of the documentation from a project can be easily assembled in a complete package for the building owner.

"Plan-It CSM will continue to be a living, breathing entity that will play a vital role before, during, and after every construction project," East added.

CSM Group is the first construction management company in the area to offer the services of a digital plan room, and the company is confident Plan-It CSM will deliver a measurable improvement in project efficiency. To Jarrod Wilson, Director of Information Technology at CSM Group, the advantages are obvious.

"The ultimate benefit is that we can provide our clients and partners with real time information. In an industry like ours where timeliness and attention to detail are critical this will result in reduced costs and shorter durations," Wilson said.

Advanced IT critical to construction excellence

"Businesses need IT to survive these days," says Taimoor Khan, Project Engineer at CSM Group. "We recognized the importance of technology to communications and documentation in the construction management business several years ago. And what's more important, we acted on it."

CSM Group took the initiative to bring communications with building owners, architects, trade contractors, and other key people to a higher, more responsive level. That's when the company issued key personnel the handheld multi-functional communication devices described.

To further facilitate the communications process, all Project Directors, Managers, and Supervisors are equipped with laptop computers set up for wireless Internet service and