Introduction
Overview
Learning how to understand and leverage all of the data generated from construction projects is an overwhelming task. Whether teams are further in their data journey and are already utilizing powerful data analysis, or they are just starting to see the value of deeper visualizations, the Insight tool in the Autodesk Construction Cloud platform helps teams initiate and grow their data strategies to ultimately drive better decision-making.
The following guide highlights some of the key features within the Insight tool as well as gives specific examples of how Insight can help improve other workflows.
Data and Predictive Analytics with Autodesk Construction Cloud
Built on a unified platform and common data environment, Autodesk Construction Cloud is a powerful and complete portfolio of construction management products that empowers general contractors, specialty trades, designers, and owners to drive better business outcomes. Autodesk Construction Cloud combines advanced technology, a unique builders network and predictive insights to connect teams, workflows, and data across the entire building lifecycle.
Data & Predictive Analytics Capabilities
Insight
Everyday construction projects have thousands of open issues, hundreds of RFIs, and countless change orders. Tracking and understanding all of these pieces of data is nearly impossible. Furthermore, nearly 95% of this project data goes unused.
The Insight capabilities built into the Autodesk Construction Cloud platform gives teams a deeper understanding of project performance, prioritized daily activities, and instant visibility into project risk. This allows them to more easily leverage their project data to, ultimately, avoid costly mistakes and minimize risk.
1. Project Dashboards
- Select the product picker drop down and select “Insight”.
- From within the Insight tool, users will see a list of preset dashboards for Risk, Design, Project Controls, Quality and Safety.
- Select the “Customize” button on the top right to rearrange, remove, or add new cards to each dashboard view.
- Create a custom dashboard by selecting the blue “+” icon on top of the left navigation panel.
- Custom dashboards can also be shared by user, company, or role.
2. My Home
- In addition to project dashboards in Insight, all Autodesk Construction Cloud users have a personalized user-centric dashboard, My Home, that highlights a detailed cross0-project view of all their Autodesk Construction Cloud data.
- My Home appears right when users enter into their Autodesk Construction Cloud account on web.
- In the My Home dashboard, users can track action items from specific workflows like RFIs and Submittals, easily dive back into recent items, and choose from over 100+ branded partner integrations to add onto their view.
3. Project Home
- In addition to project dashboards in Insight, any Autodesk Build user will have a preset home screen called “Project Home”.
- Click on the “Project Home” tool from within Autodesk Build.
- From this screen, users can track progress by setting key milestones, access any quick links, view a list of recent activity, see updates on both a user’s assigned work status and project overall work status, and get the weather, as well as see how many users from the project are using updated mobile syncing.
- Similar to project dashboards, users will see a list of pre-set executive level dashboards that show a summary of cross-project data:
- Risk – Overview of high-risk projects and sort by project type or business unit.
- Cost – A roll-up summary view of cost information for each project. NOTE: Executives with permissions to view project costs can drill down to see details
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- Design – Overview of design issues and approval reviews by project as well as a design risk heatmap flagging projects that may be at higher risk for early design issues.
- Quality – Overview of quality checklist activity per project.
- Safety – Overview of safety checklist activity and safety checklist conformance per project.
5. Card Library and Partner Cards
- Both project level and executive overview dashboards can be customized by adding or removing cards from the “Card Library”.
- Click on the “Customize” icon on the top left to see a view of the Card Library.
- Filter, view, and select cards to be added to a dashboard:
- Filter by Partner Cards to add data from any of the selected integration partners.
- Filter by Construction IQ-specific cards.
6. Construction IQ
- Construction IQ is a built-in machine learning and AI functionality that leverages data across the entire Autodesk Construction Cloud platform.
- Construction IQ sifts through millions of data points from your construction documents, issues, checklists, related meta-data and historical data, and analyzes it to identify and prioritize risks.
- Construction IQ automatically classifies items and flag issues as “High Risk”.
- “High Risk” issues are items that, if left open, will likely lead to bigger more costly issues down the road.
- For example: If flashing was marked as missing on a window, the Issue would be flagged as “High Risk” to avoid bigger water-leaking Issues.
- View Construction IQ data through the “Risk” tab within the Insight module as well as by selecting cards tagged as “Construction IQ” in the Card Library.
7. Reports
- Navigate to the “Reports” tool on the left side panel.
- Click the blue “Create report” button and select a report template to start with.
- Modify the report template as needed by selecting the file format, filtering, and sorting options.
- Once you run the report, it will show up in the “Reports log” tab.
- Users can choose to download the report, share the report via link or by user, role, or company, or save the report as a template.
- In the “Templates” tab, users will see a list of reports that were saved as templates.
- From here, users can choose to run a report, edit the template, or schedule a recurring report.
8. Data Connector
- Users with the right permissions can extract data using Data Connector at either an individual project level or across all projects.
- From within Insight, navigate to the “Data Connector” option on the bottom of the left side panel.
- Users can extract data in different ways:
- Click the blue “Run extraction” button to manually extract data.
- Click the “Schedule” button to schedule recurring extractions.
- Users can set up direct connections to Power BI using the Microsoft certified Power BI Connector to automate data syncing / extracts.
- Users can select any Power BI templates from the gallery view.
Design Insights
Design issues that are not initially addressed become time-consuming RFIs, costly change orders, and even larger litigation issues that cause schedule delays and cost overruns— two major areas of construction project risk. Autodesk takes design and constructability reviews to a new level, helping teams track issues, manage the review process, and unleash the power of Construction IQ to help predict critical design problems and prevent them from being overlooked.
1. Design Review Risk Factor
- The Design Review Risk Factor card is powered by Construction IQ.
- Users can add this card to any dashboard through the card library .
- Five factors are visualized through this card:
- Code Compliance – Surfaces code compliance design issues.
- Critical Components – Identifies design issues that involve critical building components.
- Documentation Incomplete – Highlights documentation errors and omissions.
- Overdue Issues – View, filter, and review past due design “issues.”
- Overdue Reviews – Gain insight into the status of reviews and drive accountability.
- Users can open each factor tab and click into various issues to drill down and find more information.
2. Design Dashboards
- Within both project level and executive overview dashboards, there is a preset dashboard for Design.
- Project Level – This dashboard houses cards such as “Design Issue Status” or “Project Design Issues,” which help teams quickly resolve design issues and take immediate action. All cards can be moved around or removed, and users can also add new cards.
- Executive Level – This dashboard houses cross-project data with cards like “Design Issues Status by Project” or “Approval Reviews by Project” and can show filtered results by business unit or project type. The “Design Heatmap” card shows projects that have several issue types that typically lead to higher-risk design issues like incomplete documentation or constructability issues. All cards can be moved around or removed, and users can also add new cards.
Project Management Insights
Teams often struggle with prioritizing which RFIs to focus on, often leading to additional rework, schedule delays, and cost overruns. Furthermore, design and construction information are often disconnected, increasing the total number of RFIs in general. With the data visualizations through Insight, teams can easily prioritize the right RFIs to address, see status and details of submittals, and ultimately minimize high-risk cost impacts.
1. RFI Risk Factor
- The RFI Risk Factor card is powered by Construction IQ.
- Users can add this card to any dashboard through the card library.
- Five factors are visualized through this card:
- High-Risk RFIs – Visualize the RFIs that pose the greatest risks to costs or schedule based on analysis of the content and root cause.
- Design Coordination – Identify RFIs related to design coordination earlier, helping to avoid high costs down the road.
- MEP and Structural RFIs – Prioritize RFIs related to MEP or structural work that need to be addressed promptly to avoid downstream rework.
- Documentation Errors – Surface RFIs concerning documentation errors sooner to improve quality and reduce potential rework.
- Code Compliance – Catch RFIs related to code compliance, helping to reduce safety issues and permit hurdles down the road.
2. Project Controls Dashboard
- Within project level Insight dashboards is a preset dashboard for Project Controls.
- This dashboard houses cards such as “Project Submittals” or “Project RFIs” that help teams quickly see which RFIs are due soon and which open submittals are overdue, so that teams can take immediate action to resolve. All cards can be moved around or removed, and users can also add new cards.
Cost Insights
Managing project costs can be tedious and time-consuming, especially when trying to oversee costs across multiple projects. The Cost tool in Autodesk Build allows teams to centralize cost management across a unified platform. Taking that a step further, the capabilities of Insight allow users to get instant visualizations of cost data and, ultimately, improve decision-making to better control and monitor costs.
1. Executive Cost Dashboard
- Users with executive level permissions will see a tab called “Cost” in the Executive Overview Insight module.
- The Cost Summary by Project card shows executives a summary of cost information across projects, helping them better visualize cost performance and monitor cost overruns.
- Users with permissions to view Cost on individual projects can drill down from this view to click in and view detailed cost information for each project.
- Filter the card to view projects by business unit or project type.
Quality Insights
Maintaining project quality is an overwhelming effort. Creating standards and simple visualizations of how a project is progressing is an easy way to ensure teams are staying on top of managing quality. Within the Insights tool, project leaders can get a quick glimpse of what high-risk issues need to be addressed and take immediate action. Additionally, executive leaders can visualize project quality trends on a broad spectrum and where to prioritize their support.
1. Quality Risk Factor
- The Quality Risk Factor card is powered by Construction IQ.
- Users can add this card to any dashboard through the card library.
- Four factors are visualized through this card:
- High-Risk Subcontractors – Shows subcontractors who have more issues flagged as higher risk, any water risk issues, or overdue issues.
- High-Risk Issues – List of issues that are flagged as higher risk.
- Water-Risk Issues – Lists water-related issues that tend to be higher risk.
- Overdue Issues – An overview of all overdue issues to help mitigate and not let them build up.
- Code Compliance – Catch RFIs related to code compliance, helping to reduce safety issues and permit hurdles down the road.
2. Quality Dashboard
- Within both project level and executive overview dashboards, there is a preset dashboard for Quality.
- Project Level – This dashboard houses cards such as “Quality Issue Status” or “High-Risk Quality Issues” that help teams quickly resolve quality issues and take immediate action. All cards can be moved around or removed, and users can also add new cards.
- Executive Level – This dashboard houses cross-project data with cards like “Quality Checklist Activity” or “Quality Checklist Conformance” and can show filtered results by business unit or project type. The “Quality Risk Overview” card shows trends for projects so executives can see where high-risk issues may be a recurring theme vs. one off’s. All cards can be moved around or removed, and users can also add new cards.
Safety Insights
Ensuring that everyone on the jobsite gets home safely at the end of each day is the number one priority on all construction projects. With the data visualization tools in Autodesk Construction Cloud’s unified platform, teams can take safety into their own hands by instantly viewing safety issues, identifying higher risk safety issues or subcontractors, as well as monitor any positive safety observations.
1. Safety Risk Factor
- The Safety Risk Factor card is powered by Construction IQ.
- Users can add this card to any dashboard through the card library.
- Four factors are visualized through this card:
- High-Risk Subcontractors – Shows subcontractors who have more issues flagged as higher risk, including housekeeping issues or positive observations.
- High-Risk Issues – List of issues that are flagged as higher risk.
- Housekeeping Issues – List of housekeeping issues that tend to be higher risk.
- Overdue Issues – An overview of all positive observations.
2. Safety Dashboard
- Within both project level and executive overview dashboards, there is a preset dashboard for Safety.
- Project Level – This dashboard houses cards such as “Safety issue status” or “Subcontractor safety risk” that evaluate subcontracts that have issues that fall in the safety fatal four categories. All cards can be moved around or removed, and users can also add new cards.
- Executive Level – This dashboard houses cross-project data with cards like “Safety checklist activity” or “Safety checklist conformance” and can show filtered results by business unit or project type. All cards can be moved around or removed, and users can also add new cards.