Sinjen centralises information to improve business continuity

Developing a reputation as a leader in building unique, innovative and high-impact design residential projects meant Sinjen had to manage multiple long-term projects at the same time. Relying on spreadsheets and extensive internally-linked paper records—all filed by each project manager in their own way—meant information was hard to find, may have been out of date and gave management a very disjointed view of the business. Already familiar with Procore from his previous role, Rob Pollock took over the company-wide implementation of Procore.

Sinjen selected Procore for project management and quality and safety, with Rob pushing to implement the modules across the board to better support a major multi-residential project. The company recognised the benefits of centralising its data and standardising how it managed this information for productivity gains in the future.

“It is more time consuming to run multiple systems and is much less beneficial for us. It made sense to implement Procore across the company rather than for each project. It takes time off your hands in the long run.”

Sinjen implemented Procore project-by-project, however, the company was running two systems for some current and new projects. A key reason Rob Pollock, Sinjen’s Commercial Construction Manager, was hired was to establish and grow the commercial side of the business. This meant a review of data and protocols was needed to streamline data and make it more accessible for everyone in the company, particularly for project management initiatives.

Implementing tablets and iPads across all sites to replace paper drawings meant everyone was working from the latest plans no matter where they were. Today Sinjen relies on Procore for all stages of project management, from tenders to transmittals.

“We are highlighting in our tenders that Sinjen utilises Procore as we see this as a positive step. Having a centralised platform can make life easier for everyone in a construction project. It helps set us apart,“ admitted Rob.

As the business ramped up its commercial development construction projects, Rob centralised and automated project management, particularly for the benefits of managing defects and rectifications with subcontractors.

Procore has a robust process of steps to manage defects when the job is finished. “It's not just a sticker on a wall that someone can peel off and think it’s complete.  Then all you’re left with is a paper record––with no one knowing where it is,” Rob outlined.

Now Sinjen had a process to segment defects by trade or area, adjusting the search function to ensure items were complete. “Adding a photo and details into project management is so much easier to manage, and that also goes for quality and safety. Sometimes a picture tells a thousand words and can explain difficult defects or safety incidents much more clearly than paper-based records can.”

Now subcontractors can log in to speed up the rectification process and stay on track with reminder emails to resolve ongoing defects––right up until the end of the project for architect and client requested defects.

Like every Australian business-facing disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic, today Sinjen remains focused on its current staffing levels and continuing the projects it has without delays. Procore's centralised system is a crucial business tool to provide better insights––and support the social distancing requirements now in place.

“We can communicate more effectively with our sites without needing to be on site. The photos that can be uploaded and reviewed in project management mean we don’t have to leave the office. We aren’t sharing devices or files, and this means we can meet our COVID-19 health and safety requirements.

“We have a good rapport with the Procore team. They are much more collaborative than other software companies to deal with, and they listen to us. The Procore team is good at taking feedback and evolving the system to make sure it stays current,“ said Rob.