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1. Start with why and be transparent about it<\/h2>\n
Clear communication and transparency are some of the key pillars of successful change management. This is particularly important if\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0swapping a major part of your tech stack,\u00a0like\u00a0\u00a0your\u00a0construction management platform.<\/p>\n
Since multiple teams are\u00a0impacted\u00a0by the\u00a0platform\u00a0change, you need to set the context and build buy-in early.<\/p>\n
This is exactly what Cleveland Construction did.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest thing we did right out of the gate was explaining to everybody why we were looking at ACC and why it made sense from a financial standpoint,\u201d said\u00a0Elliot Christiansen, Sr. Vice President of Operations at Cleveland Construction.<\/p>\n
In addition to explaining the \u201cwhy\u201d behind the switch, Elliot also involved users and stakeholders in\u00a0a number of\u00a0software demonstrations and got their input.<\/p>\n
ACC in action<\/h3>\n
Teams were brought in after the selection process to\u00a0use\u00a0ACC in a hands-on, practical way.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got them involved in creating forms and making sure that the daily job report was the way the superintendents wanted it. We also made sure that the approval workflows were a way that would work for our project management staff,\u201d recalled\u00a0Elliot.<\/p>\n
All of that was easy to do with ACC thanks to the platform\u2019s modular structure that enabled teams to align new workflows with the company\u2019s existing operational needs.<\/p>\n
All in all, Elliot says that involving teams beyond the executive level helped make the transition smoother.<\/p>\n
2. Treat migration as a chance to improve\u2014not just replicate<\/h2>\n
Don\u2019t\u00a0just treat the migration process as the means to swap your software; rather, view it as an opportunity to level up your processes.<\/p>\n
Many teams migrate by\u00a0trying to\u00a0recreate\u00a0their old system inside a new one. Cleveland Construction used this transition as a strategic opportunity to modernize workflows,\u00a0eliminate\u00a0legacy friction, and standardize processes company\u2011wide.<\/p>\n
Elliot and the team\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0approach migration as a one-to-one rebuild.\u00a0They treated it as a chance to step back and ask harder questions about how work actually gets done.<\/p>\n
According to Elliot, this is an approach that he\u00a0would\u2019ve\u00a0doubled down\u00a0on, knowing now how beneficial it was to implement those changes as the firm migrated to ACC.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have spent more time thinking about what in the company I would change, when it came to how we do things,\u201d he explained. \u201cDo we need to change some of our workflows? Do we need to change some of our sign-off thresholds? This is\u00a0a great opportunity\u00a0to do those types of things.\u201d<\/p>\n
ACC in action<\/h3>\n
One excellent example of this mindset in practice is how Cleveland reworked its\u00a0approval\u00a0workflows. Instead of routing internal approvals through\u00a0DocuSign, Cleveland now handles those workflows directly in ACC.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven internal approvals were done in a\u00a0DocuSign\u00a0envelope,\u201d Elliot said. \u201cSo\u00a0we were paying for it every time, even if it got rejected.\u201d<\/p>\n
With ACC, internal approvals happen in-platform, and only\u00a0finalized\u00a0items move to\u00a0DocuSign\u00a0for external signatures. The same thinking applied to subcontract generation. Templates now auto-generate from the cost\u00a0tool, route for signature, and save back automatically. \u201cIt probably reduced our contract admins\u2019 workload by 75%,\u201d Elliot noted.<\/p>\n
3.\u00a0Leverage\u00a0a strong implementation partner to accelerate the timeline<\/h2>\n
Switching platforms can be\u00a0daunting. The good news is that you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have to do it on your own. Find a partner that can\u00a0support with\u00a0transitioning your workflows,\u00a0leveling up your processes, and keeping the rollout on track.<\/p>\n
For Cleveland Construction, that provider was\u00a0IMAGINiT\u00a0Technologies, an Autodesk Platinum Partner that helps firms implement technology solutions and maximize their ROI.<\/p>\n
Vince Daniele,\u00a0IMAGINiT’s\u00a0Construction Solutions Team Manager, says the key is\u00a0to treat\u00a0implementation as a structured, phased process that starts with deep discovery. \u201cWe meet with different teams and really understand how they\u2019re using their current platform,\u201d Vince explained. From there,\u00a0IMAGINiT\u00a0typically\u00a0configures\u00a0a foundational ACC project template and\u00a0train\u00a0a core group of admins using real workflows.<\/p>\n
ACC in action<\/h3>\n
What made Cleveland\u2019s rollout faster was using live data.\u00a0IMAGINiT\u00a0migrated an active Procore project into ACC so teams could train in an environment that already felt familiar. \u201cThey weren\u2019t just seeing a new\u00a0tool,\u201d Vince said. \u201cThey were seeing their own RFIs, sheets, and logs.\u201d<\/p>\n
After go-live,\u00a0IMAGINiT\u00a0stayed involved with mentoring and fine-tuning. The result was a smooth transition completed in just three to six months.<\/p>\n
4.\u00a0Optimize\u00a0workflows for the field\u2014not just the office<\/h2>\n
If your\u00a0construction management platform\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0work for the field, it\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0get used consistently, no matter how powerful it is.<\/p>\n
Cleveland kept field teams in mind throughout the entire process. In addition to having superintendents in the loop from the get-go, they built mobile\u2011first experiences with easy forms, fewer clicks, and in\u2011context automation.<\/p>\n
All that effort paid off, with ACC being\u00a0quickly\u00a0adopted in the field.<\/p>\n
ACC in action<\/h3>\n
ACC was well received by Cleveland Construction\u2019s field teams, which was one of the biggest surprises of the rollout.\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s actually where I thought I\u2019d get the most pushback,\u201d Elliot\u00a0said.<\/p>\n
Daily reporting was a major concern early on. \u201cProcore has a very good daily log\u00a0tool,\u201d Elliot said. \u201cBut by spending time with Vince and his team to really get this right in the forms\u00a0tool, I think we actually have a better setup in Autodesk than we had before.\u201d Cleveland rebuilt\u00a0daily reports\u00a0using ACC Forms and Issues, turning them into structured, field-friendly workflows instead of free-text logs.<\/p>\n
Superintendents\u00a0now answer simple yes-or-no questions, like whether a job was delayed by weather. If the answer is no, they move on. If\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0yes, ACC requires them to create an Issue before they can close the report. That Issue pulls from a predefined template, with dropdowns instead of typing, and automatically notifies the right people. The same logic applies to deliveries, inspections, and other delays.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe combined multiple forms our teams used to fill out into one,\u201d Elliot explained. \u201cIt made it easier for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Field teams also responded well to ACC\u2019s mobile experience. The system tags photos, captures GPS location, and behaves much the same way teams were used to. Sheets and markups worked as expected, and the mobile app let teams choose which projects to\u00a0sync\u00a0so devices\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0get overloaded. \u201cIf you\u2019re working on multiple projects, you\u2019re not eating up all the memory on your device,\u201d Elliot\u00a0added.<\/p>\n
Even scheduling landed well. \u201cThe schedule\u00a0tool\u00a0has been very well received,\u201d he noted, especially since updates can now happen directly from the field.<\/p>\n
5. Use ACC to strengthen collaboration with architects, owners, and trades<\/h2>\n
Upgrading your construction management platform\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0just\u00a0benefit\u00a0your internal teams; it can also remove friction from how you work with external partners.<\/p>\n
In the case of Cleveland Construction, ACC helped enhance collaboration between the firm\u2019s teams and the external architects they worked with.<\/p>\n
“It wasn’t necessarily something that I thought about when we were evaluating it originally, but as a byproduct of switching, we do have a much easier time coordinating\u00a0RFIs\u00a0and submittals with our architecture partners. We always used to get a lot of\u00a0pushback\u00a0forcing Procore on them,\u201d remarked\u00a0Elliot.<\/p>\n
ACC in action<\/h3>\n
With ACC, Cleveland was able to meet its partners where they already work. \u201cNow we\u2019re giving them access to ACC,\u201d Elliot explained. \u201cMost of them already have an account, so we can bridge folders together.\u201d<\/p>\n
That flexibility opened the door to deeper integration. Using\u00a0IMAGINiT\u2019s\u00a0Pulse\u00a0integration platform, Cleveland now\u00a0syncs\u00a0submittals between its ACC environment and an owner\u2019s ACC system. Submittals move automatically into the owner\u2019s workflow, route through architect review, and return with statuses like approved, approved as noted, or revise and resubmit. \u201cThat was never something we could have accomplished in Procore,\u201d Elliot said. \u201cThey never worked together that well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trade partners benefited\u00a0too. According to Elliot:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re starting to notice that a lot of the subcontractor trades have used ACC quite a bit and are\u00a0pretty familiar\u00a0with it. Some even have their own accounts, and\u00a0it’s\u00a0easy to share files back and forth.\u201d<\/p>\n
6.\u00a0Identify\u00a0and celebrate early wins to build momentum<\/h2>\n
Asking people to adopt a new platform is a big ask, so\u00a0identifying, communicating, and celebrating wins\u2014big and small\u2014can build momentum.<\/p>\n
Early proof that the switch is working gives teams more confidence, especially when those wins show up in their day-to-day work.<\/p>\n
ACC in action<\/h3>\n
Some of the biggest wins that ACC helped Cleveland Construction achieve include:<\/p>\n
- \n
- 75% reduction in contract admin workload<\/li>\n
- Automated subcontract generation<\/li>\n
- Fewer\u00a0DocuSign\u00a0envelopes (and lower cost)<\/li>\n
- Preloaded project templates\u00a0with 200+ files<\/li>\n
- Improved daily reporting<\/li>\n
- Adoption of ACC Schedule for real\u2011time updates and delay tagging<\/li>\n
- Mid-six\u2011figure cost savings over the first six years<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Beyond that, Elliot also called out incremental wins, like saving 30 seconds at a time throughout the day.<\/p>\n
Projects now start with hundreds of files already loaded instead of being manually uploaded. And because ACC uses flyout windows rather than full-page reloads, teams stay in their flow. \u201cIt sounds like a small detail,\u201d Elliot said, \u201cbut if\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0saving 30 seconds a hundred times a day, it adds up.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a little thing, but it goes a long way for a project team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Final words<\/h2>\n
Switching platforms\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0have to mean disruption. Cleveland Construction\u2019s experience shows us that when you involve stakeholders early and engage the right implementation partner, migration can become a catalyst for better workflows and stronger collaboration.<\/p>\n
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