Bluebeam Software Speeds Design QC Process

Item #: 20250057

CONTACTS

Implementing Organization: Region Two
Implementation Lead: Preston Adamson
Development Team:
- Oanh Le-Spradlin, Mountain View Freeway (MVF) Expansion Project Manager, Region 2
- Preston Adamson, MVF Design Manager, Region 2
- Horrocks Engineering, MVF Engineering Consultant

Article Written By: Daniele Dearinger
Innovation Council Liaison: Daniele Dearinger
Innovation Team Coordinator: Quinten Klingonsmith

STATUS

Implementation Date: May 1, 2025
Adoption Status: Fully Implemented
Adoptability Note: Bluebeam should be available to all designers soon?

APPLIES TO

Topic: Performance / Process Improvement
Organization(s): Central Preconstruction, Data Technology & Analytics, Planning, Railroad, Region 1, Region 2, Region 3, Region 4, Structures, Transit and Trails
Job Role(s): Administrative Staff / Commissions, Construction Engineer, Program Director, Program Manager, Program Specialist
Tags: active transportation, air transportation, highway transportation, public transit, railroad transportation, water transportation, labor productivity, employee empowerment, economic benefits, , automation, ( process improvement ), products, tracking systems, governance > auditing, policy making, procedures, compliance, law, ( legal ), information technology >> software, networks, ( data visualization ), ( digital delivery ), design, quality control, QC, bluebeam, software, design, project management, quality of life

PROBLEM

Design engineers use a peer review process to check the accuracy of their plans, specifications, and estimates. This is known as the quality control (QC) review, and consists of feedback in the form of comments, highlights, and markups.

Currently, Region Two is managing the Mountain View Freeway (MVF) expansion project, one of the largest and most complex projects in its history. This large-scale project employs a vast design team consisting of more than thirty UDOT employees and consultants working together to create plan sets, estimates, and specifications.

The team soon realized that their QC software would not enable them to collaborate, coordinate, and integrate as needed. For example, a file could be reviewed by only one person at a time.

CHANGE

Region Two Design employed Bluebeam software to improve its QC process. The program provides a single digital workspace where design files are uploaded and accessible to the project team via a single web link. Multiple engineers from various disciplines can view files and provide feedback concurrently in real-time. The software offers customizable drawing tools that make marking up documents easy. In addition, the system tracks who made each comment and markup, making it easy to collaborate.

RESULT

The advanced functionality of the new system eliminates the need to manage multiple copies and versions of original documents or track and collate comments from different authors. Designers spend less time performing tedious and unproductive tasks, enabling them to focus on the technical aspects of the project.

Because everything is in real-time, designers no longer have to wait to see comments and can start making corrections as soon as possible.

The improved collaboration and focused review efforts result in better project documents with fewer errors and a safer design. Quality improvements and reduced review time lead to cost savings for the Department.

Next Steps: Full implementation of this innovation is expected as access to the software will be provided to all UDOT design engineers in the near future.