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Capital Project Management / Commissioning

Commissioning: Overview

Designed for commissioning agents and owner's representatives, as well as design professionals, project managers, and operations managers, the ARCHIBUS Commissioning applications captures building information from design and construction. The application collates BIM models, CAD drawings, schedules, as-builts, shop drawings, Operation & Maintenance manuals, preventive maintenance procedures, regulations, warranties, emergency operating procedures, schedules for permits and renewals as well as space and equipment inventories. The product keeps all materials instantly searchable and directly-accessible over the Web. More importantly, the product collates the data in a structured, meaningful electronic form, one that you can put immediately into action for operational functions, such as equipment check out, preventive maintenance, and space management.

Current commissioning practice involves manual hand-off of countless files in different formats -- including spreadsheets, manuals, and drawing files. To view and modify these design files often requires specialized construction applications that are not available to all stakeholders. After locating the proper file, you often need to manually extract data to use it. Management of this data in this format is unwieldy for one building, and impossible for an entire campus.

In contrast, the ARCHIBUS Commissioning application uses Web Services to collect and coordinate both graphic and non-graphic data transparently from all stakeholders and share it, instantly, over the Web. You can access your data using nothing more than your Web browser or a mobile tablet. You gain consistent visibility into the project, high accuracy for the data, and verifiably complete building documentation. Additionally, you can never lose a file, a manual, or a piece of building data because you always know exactly where it is -- in ARCHIBUS.

Additionally, you can use the Commissioning Mobile app to complete construction checklists in the field, and then sync your device by uploading the data to ARCHIBUS.

Typical Workflow Process

The Commissioning application includes the following processes to automate your workflow:

1. Set up: Before you plan and request projects, the Business Process Owner can define background data, such as geographic locations, program and project types, and project and document templates. See Set Up Background Data (Process Overview).
2. Planning: Facilitates the process of requesting, evaluating, and approving projects.
   • Capital Project Managers use the Manage Active Projects console to evaluate funding requests from project managers and to allocate funding to these projects using a single status summary console.
   • Use commissioning templates to request a project. The template automatically creates action items for eight typical commissioning work packages.
   • Route projects for approval, prioritize projects, and, if you are an approving manager, approve projects.

   See Planning Process Overview.

3. Design: Facilitates design submission and approval by providing access to commissioning documents, such as commissioning specifications, contracts awarded to commissioning agents, the Owner's Project Requirements, and design submissions. This electronic access facilitates faster turn-around time as design professionals and commissioning agents collaboratively review and refine design submissions.

• Commissioning Agents submit design submissions for milestone statuses.
• Design professionals review these submissions and provide refinements.
• Commissioning agents submit revised submissions.

• When the design is finalized the design professional uses the Approve Documentation action to approve the submissions, ensuring that only approved submissions are available in the Construction phase for use as construction checklists or test procedures.

See Design Process Overview.

4. Construction: The Commissioning application automates the generation of assessment items and facilitates the assignment of these items to commissioning agents. It also provides valuable information to manage the closeout process. The ARCHIBUS Document Management System facilitates the uploading of field assessments.

• Project managers generate assessment items and assign them to commissioning agents.
• Mobile users can use the Commissioning Mobile App to sync their device to get a list of items to assess. In the field, they update each item. When through, they sync their device to upload this data to ARCHIBUS. For information on completing the records while in the field, see Update information for an assessment item.
• Alternately, commissioning agents review and, if needed, print the construction checklist, and upload a revised document with their field notes.
• Construction project managers use reports, such as the Commissioning Project Scoreboard, and Highlight Locations with Commissioning Issues.
• The Commissioning Project Close-out task walks project managers, commissioning agents, and building occupants through the close-out process by showing work packages color-coded by their degree of completeness. This report enables you to evaluate projects that are completed and those that are behind.

See Construction Process Overview.

5. Post-Construction: Provides the information needed for lifecycle management of your assets.
   • Access equipment asset, warranty, insurance policy, and insurers information gathered during the commissioning process.
   • The Operations Managers reviews and analyzes mechanical lifecycle tracking for existing buildings, as well as for newly commissioned building systems.

   See Post-Construction Process Overview.