Customer case studyOpenSpace improves JLL project delivery through faster, more complete documentation

The challenge

As VP-Project Management for JLL, Salt Lake City-based Steve Borup had a Client request to help with a project outside of Utah. Historically when managing remote projects, he’s relied on still pictures sent by contractors, which lack full context and are often outdated by the time they are received.

Managing a project remotely has challenges. For example, if concerns were raised about specialty finishes during a regularly scheduled weekly check-in, Borup would need to ask the contractor or architect to visit the site, take pictures of the specific issue, and then schedule a separate follow-up meeting to review them.

Manual on-site documentation typically took around four hours for a 40,000-square-foot space, between walking the site, taking photographs, uploading and mapping them to project plans. “Finding the time and having the discipline to take pictures of every area of the project was a challenge,” he said.

The solution

JLL used OpenSpace for a project in Kansas City, and Borup was immediately struck by how user-friendly it was. After a quick training call, he and his teams were up and running.

Prior to every weekly meeting, the contractor would do a walkthrough of the site with a 360-degree camera strapped to his hard hat to ensure that imagery— automatically mapped to project plans and made searchable via OpenSpace’s AI technology—was complete and up-to-date. Then, when discussing issues, conflicts and RFIs, the team could quickly pull up the relevant images, greatly increasing the efficiency and productivity of meetings.

“OpenSpace is a great source of information and allows you to be there without being there,” Borup said, “and that impacts the delivery of the project.”

Using OpenSpace, Borup also did his own 15-minute virtual walkthrough of the site from his desktop or mobile device before each weekly call. From that view, he was able to spot even relatively minor issues and address them early, like an HVAC grill that was painted the wrong color or a plug in the wrong location. When he was on-site, he didn’t have to spend valuable time shooting, uploading or mapping his own pictures.

The results

JLL improved its workflow and communications by using OpenSpace, saving time and reducing travel costs in the process.

Time savings

OpenSpace reduced the time to capture, upload and map imagery by 90%, freeing project managers up to focus on more strategic tasks.

Reduced travel costs

“In the past, the main reason I’d want to go out to a site was to keep my contractor honest, but with OpenSpace, I don’t have to,” Borup said. “My counterpart was able to cut his travel in half, which saved our company 50% on travel costs.”

More efficient and effective workflow

OpenSpace helped JLL and its field team be much more efficient during weekly meetings. By having relevant imagery at their fingertips, they were able to address issues and conflicts right away, saving thousands of dollars in rework costs and changes.

Better collaboration

Near-real-time updated documentation allowed JLL to communicate more effectively with contractors and internally, saving hundreds of hours in back- and-forth communications and preventing miscommunication. “I love the ability to be an admin and add more people to view the project,” Borup said.

Historical Record for Entire Building Lifecycle

OpenSpace played a role in both internal and external communications, offering clients a complete historical record of construction to facilities maintenance and operations teams to reference throughout the lifecycle of the building. “We use it to get the team excited about how the project is progressing and to show the people who will be working there what the rooms and spaces will look like,” Borup said.