notifications

[constructionmgr]

how do i set up our system to notify everyone or certain someones when an item is newly posted?

example -
new RFI posted and I want to broadcast to all the team.


thanks

[skpost99]

You can create a notification group (from the Project Team module > Groups tab) that would include all of the members that you want to notify. Then when you have an RFI, you can send it to everyone using the Send Wizard and choosing the Group.

If you have the proper permissions, you can set up a customization for that project for a response notification. Go into Customize from the RFI module. Under the Attributes tab, there is a field called "Response Notification" where you can choose multiple contacts. I haven't used this option, so I don't know if the team you choose gets notified for every response (primary and secondary).

I guess it's just a matter of how many times each team member needs notified of responses. Keep in mind that if secondary responses are being sent out, you may not want to notify the entire team because they may not be able to see the response anyway. The option for Secondary Responders is determined by the Primary whether or not they are viewed. You may only want to notify the entire team when the Primary responds.

I'd probably use a combination of the two - set up a notification for the other default responders so that their permissions allow them to see all responses, then send out a Send Wizard message notifying the entire team when it is complete.

Hope this helps!
Sherry Edited by: skpost99 on Feb 25, 2009 5:47 AM

[constructionmgr]

thanks -
does it cost to have multiple members on the group notification?

[skpost99]

I'm not sure I follow. We find that creating Groups in CW has been very benefiical to us as far as a time-saver, if that's what you mean. Once they're setup, it's just a matter of a couple clicks to get messages setup. We use the Groups to set permissions in File Director, as well as notification groups for our RFIs and Submittals. We break them up by Contract (General, Plumbing) and Consultants (Structural Consultants, etc), so that our contractors only have to pick the correct group to send the information.

Generally, we'll have a bunch of team members from the same company from Design Phase through Construction, so they won't all need notified of information.

I highly recommend taking advantage of creating them, it is one of the few areas that makes the messaging and notifications a little more speedy and reduces the amount of confusion.

[constructionmgr]

i have project that the GC is owner of the constructware site and all our consultants are not added -
they reported to the owner it would cost more money to grant that much access?

[skpost99]

Depending on the GCs licensing contract with Constructware, there could be a cost involved - as far as getting a user license. If you only want to send information to consultants to keep them informed, they can be added in to the system as a "Contact".

There is a difference in Constructware between "Users" and "Contacts":
-Users are those individuals that are granted access into the site to look at information, send messages, etc.
-Contacts are people that are entered into the system that do not have accounts. Even without a User account, those contacts can still get the information. Constructware will send emails to those individuals, rather than the message that tells them to log in to the system.

Here's an example of what we do here (we're an Architect firm that provides this as a service for the Owner, Construction Managers and Contractors on our projects).
- At the beginning of the construction phase of the project, we ask all of our primes who needs a user account and who they would need to send data for informational purposes (accounting department, subcontractors, etc.). We don't grant any external users access to add to our "Infodex" so we do it for them. We then assign those "Contacts" in the "Assigned Companies" tab under the Project Team. This way, they don't show up in the directory but they can be accessed by choosing the "Assigned Companies" checkbox when selecting recipients.

- The subcontractors would be listed as Contacts in our system. This gives the Prime Contractors the ability to send their submittal information to their subcontractors through Constructware. This makes it easier for them to get the information out to the people that need it without having to "fudge it" by sending it to themselves outside of Constructware, using the Email option on the Send Wizard, and then forwarding through their Outlook.

Again, because they are not "Users", they get the data directly in their regular email accounts - meetings, RFIs, documents, etc..

I hope this all makes sense. You can also refer to the Help in Constructware on Users and Contacts if I have gotten too wordy 🙂

[constructionmgr]

this was a wealth of information thank you for your time

[bela.favor]

Generally, we'll have a bunch of team members from the same company from Design Phase through Construction, so they won't all need notified of information.Speed Test Scrabble Word Finder Solitaire