Workflow Practices-Subcontractor Models,Approving Clashes,Sever

[stahci]

I am currently combining all of the subcontractor models into a NWF file on my computer alone which is then exported out onto a server after coordination meetings and after various coordination stages. Organizing, and managing the clash reports has been an extremely time consuming task. I personally approve each clash or group of clashes after approval from the subcontractor directly. I also assign clashes and make comments directing each trade after discussing it with them directly. I then send out clash reports for them to review.

I am new to this so when I noticed that the there is an "approved by" column in the clash report I became curious on the best workflow. I did some research and didnt really come up with anything. Is there a way you could establish everything on a server so people had access similar to worksets in Revit? Is there any way that each trade could review and approve all clashes involving their trade and some how send it to me to be pulled into my central NWF file? This would save me a ton of time and relieve me of any liability of approving a clash by mistake. However, I would not want them to have the abilty to edit and manipulate my clash reports.

[Lance.Coffey]

It looks like there is a good discussion on the topic of handling multi-disciplinary clash detection, in the following thread:

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Autodesk-Navisworks/Clash-reports-how-are-you-handling-them/td-p/29743...

(I found the link above by searching for Navisworks clash approval workflow.)

[stahci]

Thanks Lance,

But that thread did not answer my question, it did confirm that I am on the right track in the initial set up in work flow. However it didn't answer the question of how to expedite the process and allow the trades to review and approve there own clashes. Thus allowing for faster model revisions and proactive coordination rather than simply reacting to the next round of clash reports.

[Lance.Coffey]

Looking at Ronan's post (in the linked Linked in thread) it looks like he is generating discipline specific PDF reports and sending them out to the different people (i.e. not having them review the clashes in the Navisworks model directly).

I am not seeing an option within Navisworks that would allow multiple people to simultaneously work within the same project (like Worksharing in Revit).

[dgorsman]

We keep a clash-specifc NWF in a common network folder, and everybody has Manage installed but only a few have rights to the license.  The groups take turns going through the model and changing the status on their set of tests.  For the most part though, those doing the approvals want a hard copy they can scribble on with highlighters and colored pens.  Not the most high-tech approach but time-efficient.  Everybody is in the same building, nothing goes to other companies.  If that is needed, I'm not certain what can be done to share the clash content aside from the reports.

[stahci]

dgorsman that seems like a great way to do that and would be ideal if everyone modeling was all in house. I will look into doing something like that but unfortunately I have multiple parties all from different companies. How do you handle the clash reports being ran? I currently am running into issues with reports approved statuses being lost if I accidently run a report with a set/model hidden.( I am the only one touching the clash reports and I lose information!)

Lance Is there anyway we can put in a enhancement request.

Does anyone have any other suggestions or practices? It just seems like using clash reports and publish models is not very time effiecient. I also am curious on that note if people are using strictly clash reports and published models, how they are going about tracking approved clashes and making sure all items get closed? This has been an extremely time consuming tracking/getting every clash approved and frustrating when I lose information if I dont watch what I am doing.

[dgorsman]

We get around problems of hidden/shown objects, models not loaded, etc. by having an NWF specifically for clash detection, nothing else.  Designers have standing orders to always save all models with nothing hidden, isolated, etc.

As for coordinating between different companies... nothing easy springs to mind.  AutoDesk could create a cloud-based solution but most won't go for that based on data security.  You could distribute all the files, but if they don't have Manage nothing is going to work.  Even if they do, they would probably have to re-path the model contents when the NWF file is opened, and re-run tests (and have to be familiar with running tests).  You could have everybody get together in the same room (literally or virtually) to review clashes as part of the weekly/monthly coordination meetings.

If you want some consistency to using the clash reports, they pretty much need to be run by a single company and read-only content (e.g. HTML reports, viewpoint XML) distributed to others for review rather than contribution.

[stahci]

I do have a single NWF file that is for clash detection only however I use it daily to help resolve clashes and even though I am extremely careful I still have lostinformation for tracking clashes and who/why a particular trade approved them. Luckily I have a great team and they bare with me and reapprove clashes, however this is time consuming. I consider it a liability losing this information, if an issue was never approved or resolved then it is still an issue in my mind even though the field personnel will more than likely handle it themselves or it is minor enough that its just not a field issue. Any contractors have an opinion>