Cloud collaboration improves visibility during hardware specifications

It’s common for the hardware specification process to seem disjointed. Consider all the information that must be exchanged. On top of that, there are multiple collaborators that need to be included to ensure the project is moving along the way everyone intended. Miscommunication and lack of visibility often slow down what should ideally be a collaborative process.

"Historically, we’d go into a project review meeting, and the only way we could see the plans for the project was if they were lying on the table or projected on a screen," says John Hamilton, project coordinator at Allegion. "And then we would have to open our own software to see the hardware associated with each opening."

The remainder of the process was often a waiting game with files shared back and forth each time there was a revision. Without a clear way to track changes or conversations, information could easily be overlooked or misunderstood. And separate conversations with the security integrator or owner often led to details being lost in translation.

To avoid these frustrations, it was clear that all communications—file sharing, revisions, conversations with key collaborators—needed to take place in a single location.

Improved visibility
Allegion’s Overtur, a cloud-based collaboration tool for door hardware specifications, overcomes these issues by making everything accessible in one location. Anyone involved in the project—from the architect to the integrator, all the way to the end user—can see what’s specified and comment throughout the process.

"Overtur gives users visibility to all of the important information on the same screen," Hamilton says. "You can navigate from the drawing to the door or the door to the drawing and find things very quickly. Being able to click on an opening and see the associated hardware is key."

Collaboration and coordination
"Architects like the fact that we can invite security integrators, owners and others to collaborate on the project to ensure we are meeting the needs of their clients," says Hamilton. "Just recently I had a kickoff meeting with a fairly large veterinary clinic that had a number of electronic access control openings. As I was showing the architect the platform, he asked to include the owner so he could weigh in."

It’s clear to Hamilton that architects understand the collaborative nature of the platform and importance of producing a finished product that meets the end user’s needs. He even has a client that doesn’t use Revit, but values to collaboration aspect of the platform. They use Overtur to easily invite their healthcare clients into the conversation. These clients are located across the state but able to collaborate at the same time and see the same things as the architect. They can add notes about where they need card readers or handicap operators so that nothing is overlooked early in the process, saving time and headaches later on.

Hamilton adds, "Overtur will change the dynamic of how Allegion does business by virtue that everyone involved in the project can see everything in one spot."

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