Being able to be onsite and work in the program and then get through the backend paperwork so quickly has simply revolutionized my work week...I really can’t believe I survived doing it the old way for 6 years.— Taylor Finlay - Project Manager & Technical Designer
Who: Taylor Finlay
Company: Environments
PM Experience: Project Manager & Technical Designer
Professional Experience: 8 years at Environments. 6 years as the DIRTT PM & Designer. 5.5 years as the only one...yikes!
Taylor Finlay - Project Manager & Technical Designer
DIRTT Cred: Portland State University was one of my first projects with DIRTT. Helping to grow the Portland market from one DIRTT project a year to a department for six full time DIRTT lovers. It's all happening!
How long ago did your firm adopt Kinetech PM?
10 months ago. I spoke with the Kinetech team last year at NeoCon 2015, stood up, immediately went and found my VP and Champion and told them we had to get it and what do you know, we did.
What was the biggest learning curve for you / your colleagues?
Having worked in the “old way” for so long, it was a little difficult to switch to a new system in such a dramatic fashion but honestly, it has been wonderful.
What was the most intuitive functionality to you?
Absolutely the order entry process. I feel like I lost years of my life to retyping in the old forms. Now it’s a breeze. The change order process has been invaluable as well. We never had an easy way to keep track of them previously and now, like I said, it’s a breeze. The deficiency submittal process is mind-blowing.
How long did it take you to feel proficient / comfortable with the layout?
Much like ICE, it’s a pretty intuitive program. Proficiency in the order entry process came almost immediately. I still have to email Morgan and the team every now and then with more complex questions. Luckily they are always very prompt in their response times and I never feel like I’m unable to keep moving forward.
How has Kinetech PM evolved since you began using it?
I feel like they are always improving and adding new shortcuts based on user feedback. I’ve never worked in a program where the programmers are so willing to listen and incorporate user suggestions and requests. Its great!
What improvement would you like to see in the application?
I would like to be able to create POs from the quotes. I think that is the only time that you have to retype information. It would be great if there was simply a “Create POs” button that would pull that information right over. It would be great if that function could be a live link as well so that if the PO amount changed when I receive the vendor invoice, it would automatically update in the quote and thus update my overall numbers. Or vice versa.
How often do you use Kinetech PM?
I use it every day, all day. It is always open on my desktop and I frequently work remotely from the job site too. I am pushing my installation team to use it more regularly as well.
How much time would you estimate it saves in a given week?
Honestly it's hours and hours every week. Being able to be onsite and work in the program and then get thru the backend paperwork so quickly has simply revolutionized my work week. Not having to jokey through four and five spreadsheets and forms really cuts down on wasted time. I really can’t believe I survived doing it the old way for 6 years.
