Lee Kennedy Company dives into how they use Touchplan's construction planning software to build more efficient ways to schedule projects and increase subcontractor partner collaboration.
During This Case, You Will Learn How Touchplan
- Increase subcontractor collaboration
- Enhanced communication on jobsites
- Provided better oversight of project manpower
A Desire for More Efficient Planning Began the Conversation
Back in the fall of 2019, local construction management firm Lee Kennedy Company began to look for more efficient ways to schedule their projects and increase subcontractor partner collaboration. After both an internal and external review of options, Lee Kennedy’s team was introduced to Touchplan. Our fully collaborative tool that allows project teams to update their plans on a live basis, no matter where they are on the jobsite or off-site, was the perfect solution for Lee Kennedy’s planning needs, and the relationship began. Since the adoption of Touchplan, our relationship with Lee Kennedy has evolved from an initial construction assignment to a continuing two-way technology relationship where we have learned from each other.
“Lee Kennedy’s use of Touchplan has been a mutually beneficial relationship to both companies,” said Touchplan Senior Solutions Manager George Hunt. “They have been able to use our software to collaboratively plan their work in a way that utilizes the strengths of their entire team, which they see the benefits of on their projects. Meanwhile, the feedback that they have been able to provide back to us has given us insight into how teams are actively using our product and what areas can be improved.”
It Started with an Apartment Build
The first project Lee Kennedy utilized Touchplan for was a 15-story luxury apartment building with 124 units and 4,000 square feet of retail located near the Red Line in Quincy Center, MA. One Chestnut Place is currently Quincy’s tallest tower with a steel structural frame. The construction included studio, one- and two-bedroom units. This large-scale project was completed at the end of October 2020. Over that year, both the Touchplan and Lee Kennedy teams grew as trusted partners and resources to the industry. “Touchplan has acted as our common denominator of communication,” said Lee Kennedy Superintendent Brian Senk. “Before partnering with Touchplan, it was tough to not only communicate the work with our subs/trades but actually see what their progression was on the project,”
Since the completion of One Chestnut Place, the Lee Kennedy team has continued to partner with Touchplan to plan out and execute their jobs effectively.
Presently Touchplan is supporting Lee Kennedy’s work at 51 Sleeper Street in Boston’s Seaport District. Lee Kennedy is building out several floors of an occupied, multi-tenant office building into Laboratory space. Life Science construction is detailed work, and even more so when occupied floors are separating the construction floors. Touchplan allows Lee Kennedy and its subcontractors to plan out multi-phased work while keeping it all on schedule. “Every week, we have guys beating their dates,” said Lee Kennedy Assistant Superintendent Moe Hassan. “People are finishing so much earlier than expected because we can attack problems sooner. Being able to see that one guy finished his job 40% sooner than expected and run those reports has been extremely helpful for us.”
It’s Not a Contract; It’s a Relationship
Something both Lee Kennedy and Touchplan value is our ability to build relationships with our clients and promote growth. Since our first project in 2019, both firms have given feedback on deliverables and help each other grow as construction resources. Lee Kennedy provides excellent options as to what features would help them build better. They constantly communicate with various departments here at Touchplan to ensure that our partnership continues to grow. “I’ve been working with the 51 Sleeper Street team on improving their planning with Touchplan and involving the whole team to ensure success,” said Touchplan Customer Success Manager Arianna Hegarty. “We ran a fully interactive training with the Lee Kennedy team and the subs to make sure everyone was comfortable with Touchplan. Following the training, they had me listen on a weekly meeting to see Touchplan in action for their team. On an ongoing basis, Moe and I have check-in calls for him to provide product feedback and for me to answer any questions the team has!”
Our team over at Touchplan has also been humbled with the feedback we have gotten from Lee Kennedy over the years and value all their input from field personnel to executive leadership. It is that detailed level of dialogue that can only help both our teams grow for the future. “The relationship with Touchplan is outstanding,” said Lee Kennedy Project Executive Joe Breen. Our teams have worked well with Touchplan’s customer success team, and they have done a great job on how to best use the product while being extremely receptive to our feedback on how to make the product better.”
Our relationship with Lee Kennedy has produced some mutually beneficial results, including:
- Easily breaking up their P6 schedule into comprehensible sectors.
- Being able to easily document back to the subs and track their work
- Having complete oversight of project manpower
- Increasing productivity and task accountability substantially