October 3, 2003—Constructware has unveiled “Rules and Routing” functionality that expands each client’s ability to deploy customized, automated business processes at the project level while maintaining corporate standards for data entry and cost-related approvals at the enterprise level. The functionality is significant for both contractor organizations and owners in that it simplifies automation of project-level processes and cost management protocols—while maintaining enterprise-wide data entry standards for risk management and reporting purposes.
The Rules & Routing functionality addresses one of the most difficult challenges facing the construction sector—the fact that construction organizations must adjust their business processes to the contractual conditions of dozens or hundreds of individual projects or programs. At the same time they need to maintain basic data entry standards—internally—for company-wide cost and risk management purposes. Most construction organizations rely on printed operations manuals for enforcing data standards and cost-related approvals routing, which can often be overlooked.
The functionality was developed and deployed over the last year as part of Constructware’s universal data exchange methodology. In that capacity it automates the process of ensuring data integrity between applications—rules are established so that data cannot be saved if it does not conform with the formatting or logic requirements of either the receiving or sending application. The functionality is now being made available as a means for ensuring overall corporate data standards for Constructware clients.
The functionality consists of a Rules Engine that monitors data entry for all users on a project. Rules are typically logic statements that are entered via a standard rules template—a contract cannot be predated, an approved cost item cannot equal zero, there cannot be numerical or approval status conflicts on related documents. But more complex and interrelated rules can be added to ensure that particular procedures are met. The trigger for the Rules engine is the ‘save’ function—data cannot be saved by the user unless the defined rules are met. Error messages (written and maintained at the corporate level or site level) guide the user to understand the particular conflict in logic and how to properly enter the data in question.
The Routing functionality lets individual project teams customize and automate internal workflows for cost-related document approvals. For example, a project manager might be authorized to approve cost events up to a certain threshold (e.g. $50,000), while events over that amount are automatically routed to a division manager for review and approval. Triggers can be set to notify others within the company based on user-defined criteria. Routing triggers can be defined for specific projects, or at the division level to enforce corporate standards.
For more information, contact Constructware.
