Whatever It Takes
That was the mantra of the Sundt Construction project team as it began work on a largescale student housing project for California State University, Sacramento. The six-building, 365,000-sf project had to be completed in time for the start of the 2021 fall semester.
As part of Sundt’s Lean processes to build this project, tracking percent promised complete (or PPC) was extremely important. However, the Sundt team did not have an easy way of entering information or tracking the data that could be used and shared with the entire team.
Project Executive Sean Falvey and his construction team selected Touchplan to ensure all details and commitments could be met and built to Lean standards while reporting back to all parties on the project’s progress. The team also wanted to make sure it could keep track of a substantial amount of data, including weekly work planning, PPC’s, leading and lagging indicators, workforce, and materials, and see it all in one place.
“We started with a rather detailed Excel program, but the challenge was that it became rather complex to use, and only the person who created it knew all of its inner workings,” said Falvey. “Touchplan was a great fit for this project as we have a lot of production work, and Touchplan makes it much easier to track all of it.”
Track Lots of Data & Keep Communication Flowing
In addition to PPC tracking, Sundt needed to manage numerous scopes of work and specialty trade groups as part of the residence hall construction. Utilizing Touchplan allowed their superintendents to manage the project more efficiently on the micro-level as well.
“A common struggle on projects this size is the transition between trades and planning adequate workforce. Using Touchplan for construction scheduling, our team has replaced massive, complex spreadsheets and now has a more user-friendly dashboard.” The real difference-maker? Trades used the tool as well to set their milestones for weekly work plans. “This way, we have both field superintendents and subcontractors not just communicating, but thinking analytically and planning ahead together,” Falvey added.
Open For the Start of Classes
The Sundt Construction team that recently completed an award-winning science center on campus has now completed the new Hornet Commons student housing complex. The team’s collaborative approach to their projects, along with their implementation of technology, made it a seamless transition. The new residence hall at CSUS is ready to house 1,100 students to start the fall semester and has increased the school’s overall supply of student housing by 33%.
Our Relationship with Sundt produced some mutually beneficial results, including:
- Better PPC tracking and regularly report updates back to all stakeholders
- Better management & tracking of substantial amounts of additional data
- Enhanced communication between Field Superintendents & Specialty Trades
- Successful on-time delivery of a six-building new construction & increased the supply of student housing by 33%