Todd Sweaney

When Todd Sweaney’s design/build firm faced the pleasant dilemma of doubling business (and revenue) in two fast-paced years, the California native turned to experts in nearby Silicon Valley for a way to keep up with the boom. Sweaney had been using a basic computer system for scheduling, but his staff was spending a lot of time shepherding change orders through and sending communications to clients, business partners, and tradespeople. Procore Technologies pitched their new SitePro system to Sweaney, and after a test run he was hooked. “I liked this program for its really robust communication tool,” he says, “but I could see that if we tweaked it a little it could do much more.” The software company was open to the challenge and after some custom programming, Sweaney got a program that streamlined scheduling while keeping everyone in the loop.

“We do design/build,” explains Sweaney, “so we manage the entire process for each house—from initiating with the client through warranty.” The customized version of the program makes each step of the process and every decision transparent to Sweaney’s clients, staff, and subs. The biggest time-saver Sweaney tweaked into the software is a change order tool that not only tracks changes, but also automatically moves them forward to the next step.The tool even reminds the next person to complete their step. For example, when a client requests a change order, the program sends an e-mail to Sweaney’s purchasing department and simultaneously notifies everyone on that project of the change order. Once purchasing approves the order, it goes to construction for a bid, and so on. Everyone has a due date, and if someone misses a deadline an e-mail goes out letting everyone know where the change order is being delayed. “The tool really helps with accountability and keeps clients and staff all on the same page,” Sweaney says.

Another change Sweaney asked for right away was to have the flexibility to send the automatic communications by e-mail or fax. The system was originally set up for e-mail only, but Sweaney works with a lot of people who haven’t made the switch from hard copy to cyber copy. “Now we can set up each vendor with his preferred type of communication, and the program knows whether to e-mail or fax that person,” says the builder. The input from employees to subs to happy homeowners has been overwhelmingly positive. And the company has managed to grow its revenue without growing its staff.