Eva The sudden shift to remote work for millions of people means additional pressure for teams to stay aligned, feel connected, and get work done on time. Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync) was built for this. Because it’s an open Common Data Environment (CDE), all your work— conversations, files, even third-party applications such as Slack and SharePoint — is organized in one place and accessible from anywhere. This makes it easier to access information, collaborate effectively with your teams and, ultimately, get work done faster. Here are five top tips to help remote teams get started using Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync).
1. Use projects to create a virtual office in Catenda Hub
In Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync), work happens in “Projects” — dedicated spaces for all the stakeholders involved in a construction project. Instead of working in the same location together, “projects” allow everyone to follow up and stay up to date with the latest files and decisions, keeping your team naturally aligned from anywhere. In your project space, information (models, documents, issues) is centralized and readily accessible and is no longer scattered across multiple email threads.
As a first step, you need to be connected to your Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync) account. You will then have to click on “new project” in the top right corner as shown in the picture below.
From the icon “Members“, you can also invite an unlimited number of people to a project for free, no matter the size of your project, isn’t that cool?! Collaboration is part of Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync) DNA, it is essential for us that you and your team can complete your tasks whether you run a small architect company or you belong to a very large construction firm without being limited by the number of users.
Control the workflows and access rights from anywhere
If you are the admin of the project, you will be able to attribute access rights to your team members. In Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync), you can control different settings and make sure that the right people have access to the right information. The possibility is always given to change the permissions settings whenever you want from any device. You can select who can invite new members to a specific project in “Settings” and keep total control on the number of shareholders.
As an administrator, you also decide which member can have access to the issue board or the documents by defining a level of access (no access, write, read, or full access). This feature is very helpful when you have to deal with external contractors and you want to limit access to certain documents or models.
2. Use Issues board to coordinate better with your team
Great coordination is the key to success in project management but this is even more true in the AEC industry where multidisciplinary teams are involved in one project. Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync) is a collaborative platform that centralizes all the tasks called “issues” of your project in the issue board. With its issue board, Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync) enables teams to create, share and set deadlines to issues, assign them to team members, and receive notifications whenever a change has been made; significantly improving coordination during the design and construction phases.
Issues can be created from your laptop when you work remotely and be assigned to teams that work on-site; who check the issues on their Catenda Site (Bimsync mobile app). Our platform offers a wide variety of workflows to solve issues faster and reduce costly mistakes.
When you sign in to your project in Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync), you have instantly an overview of all the issues created, closed, and the ones recently updated as shown in the picture below.
Creating a new issue can be done from the issues-screen, or from the dashboard issue viewer. To create a new issue click the “New issue” button on the top right of the screen. This will open the New issue window. When you add a new issue, here are the fields you need to fill in:
- Enter the title/subject and use the textbox for comments to provide further details.
Fill out the drop-down menus:
a. Issue board: There will be different issue board lists to choose from and they will differ from project to project.
b. Status: You can choose between open or closed. Normally you choose open when you are creating a new issue.
c. Type: Here you choose the type of issue you are creating. The types you can choose between are Error, Warning, Info, and Unknown.
d. Requested by: Here you normally set yourself as the requester, but you can choose any member here.
e. Assigned to: Here you can assign the issue to a specific member or a team. You can also choose member@team. If you know who will be responsible for it.
f. Due date: If you know set a due date or leave it blank.
g. Milestone: Pin it to a milestone or leave it blank.
When you click on the icon “issues” on the left menu, you have a proper view of all the issues contained in a project. You will find numerous filters inside the issue board to enhance the navigation and organize your work in an optimal way. Issues can be sorted out by status, type, or due date.
Communicate better and faster with the BCF
With our collaboration platform, you do not need to use screenshots & emails anymore! Communication between teams and shareholders relies on the use of BIM Collaboration Format (BCF) in Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync).
As a reminder, the BCF constitutes a file format used in an open BIM environment to communicate coordination information. It usually contains issue descriptions, snapshots, comments, authors, creation dates, linked objects, etc. (if you want to learn more about BCF, we encourage you to read this article). The usage of BCF can really help you streamline your communication workflows and avoid loss of crucial information. How?
Let’s take an example and see how the BCF can be used for design coordination.
During the design phase, architects can easily address requests for information from other designers. For instance, accessibility regulations can be checked by certification agencies by precisely mentioning which element needs a closer look. In this example, Dag as the certification agency tags an element in the model and opens a BCF issue assigned to Michael the architect to log a change request. The exact point of view used to pinpoint the issue can be recreated, offering the architect a clear context to resolve the issue.
The two professionals can add comments, related documents, or labels to the issue. When the architect has resolved the issue, a new model revision is uploaded in Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync) and a notification is sent to all involved parties. If the issue is resolved, it can be closed.
3. Organize your work with your team from anywhere
Once you land into a project you have access to the Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync) dashboard and can organize your work in multiple ways straight from your laptop.
A. Milestones
In Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync) you have plenty of great features but one of the most useful is undisputedly: the Milestones.
The “Milestones” feature allows you to set a due date for the delivery of your project and the different phases. You can slice and dice your project into different stages such as concept, design, construction, maintenance for example. Thus, you will be able to follow up on the progress of your team and will ensure that you are on the right track to deliver your project on time.
To access the different milestones of your project in Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync), click on the “milestones” icon on the left menu and get a quick overview of the tasks that have been completed and the ones that need to be done. You will also see the number of issues created and closed for each milestone, giving you a rough estimate of the remaining work.
You can create and add a new milestone to your project by clicking on the button “new milestone” on the right corner of the screen (as shown in the picture below).
B. Labels
One of the simplest ways Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync) users can add a pop of color, structure, and clarity to your dashboards is by adding labels. With the use of labels, you not only get an extra layer of information at a glance, but you also achieve more robust filtering and search capabilities right at the tip of your fingers. You can use labels in many different ways: to prioritize tasks, organize by teams, by type of documents, or to segment the different phases of your project. There are infinite combinations in Bimsync, you just need to customize it your way and find your perfect fit!
Here is an example of how you can use labels in Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync) for your project. In this case, we have associated labels to phases, document types, levels, and locations.
C. Document status
As a Common Data Environment (CDE) defined by the ISO 19650 standard, Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync) gives you the opportunity to store every piece of information you would require throughout the lifecycle of your project in one place and attribute status to your documents. With the document status system, you can share updates & relevant information with your team to quickly assess the progress of your project. This feature gives you a better overview of the situation and the total control of your workflows.
By default, you will have three statuses available in Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync) such as: in progress, delivered, published. You can create the status “archived” and set this status for documents you do not need anymore. Here are the definitions for each of the different statuses.
In progress: It means that Information exists in this state when the appointed party develops the design. Therefore, no other member of the project team can neither access nor see that information.
Shared: Information has been approved for sharing with other appropriate tasks teams and delivering teams to the appointing party.
Published: When a document has the status “published”, this means that the Information is authorized for use in a more detailed design, for construction or asset management.
Archived: Once the information has been processed, you set the status archived in Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync).
Moreover, It is also possible to customize your own document status in Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync), learn how to do it in this awesome video.
4. Enhance your experience at home with our integrations
We have built strong partnerships with great applications to enhance your experience with Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync) and help you communicate and collaborate better throughout your construction project. VR is a particularly good example.
With the current Covid-19 pandemic, the use at home of VR integrations such as Dimension 10 or Vrex has become more frequent. These software offers a real added value for your remote team, especially during the design phase.
Connected with Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync), these integrations give you the opportunity to meet up with your team inside 3D-models and do visual inspections of your building, allowing you to discover issues and find better solutions earlier in the project.
You can review, discuss, and resolve issues with your team in Virtual Reality directly from home. Everything you do inside Virtual Reality is automatically synchronized to your Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync) project, and across your whole project team. This new workflow reduces the miscommunication between the project managers, architects, engineers, and other stakeholders and reduces the number of mistakes ending up on-site.
Watch this video if you want to learn more about the integration between Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync) and Vrex.
Use your favorite apps, without switching context
Over the years, our platform has developed numerous integrations to allow you to keep working with the workflows you know and love. Whether your team uses Slack, Sharepoint, or Dropbox, Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync) integrates with the essential tools that organizations rely on. When all your tools work together and can be accessed from one place, you’ll spend less time switching between apps and browser tabs and more time focused on moving your work forward.
If you want to see how Catenda Hub (previously Bimsync) can help your team to achieve your project with a remote team book a demo with us here.
Catenda Team 
Andres 