Connected Construction Management Software

Features

Onware is project management software for workflow collaboration and document generation. Developed with industry professionals from Architecture, Engineering and Construction, Onware improves workflow, dramatically saving time with its centralized tools and tracking.

For more information about individual modules within Onware:

Also, find out more about our Structure and Format as well as Value Added Features.

Access to the Software

Onware’s software is an Internet application that is accessible through your Internet browser. We try to support as many platforms as possible; we test Onware with Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari. Onware is written using Microsoft’s .NET technologies.

Client workstations require any recent Internet browser and a network connection to the Onware server. A recent version of Adobe Flash Player is required for file uploading. A PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat is recommended.

The software itself as well as the database it relies on will reside on your in-house server(s).

Project Delivery Methods

Onware has been successfully used on projects using different project delivery systems, such as “Design-Bid-Build”, “Design-Build” and “Construction-Management”. There are no restrictions on the software as to when documents can be issued.

Inclusion of Remote Files

Throughout Onware, you will find the ability to make “Attachments” to any of the documents created/tracked by the software. Attachments can be any file type; to make it easy to view the attachments, PDF files are recommended.

It is up to client computers to have the correct viewer or application installed to view attached files. For example, if a DWG file is attached to a Shop Drawing, the client will need to have a DWG viewer installed to view it after they have downloaded it from Onware.

Onware does not have a hard limit for the size of uploads. Rather, storage space on the server and file upload/download times are the main issues when dealing with large files. Therefore, we have a configurable maximum file size to stop excessively large files from being uploaded.

For e-mail notifications, there is a configurable maximum attachment size. If files are larger than the configured size, they will not be included as attachments on notification e-mails from Onware. Instead, a link to the file will be provided in the body of the e-mail. When the link is clicked, the user will have to enter their login ID and password and then the file will be downloaded to their computer.

Workflow

Throughout Onware, we attempt to model the everyday workflow experienced in Contract Administration. We understand that from client to client or even project-to-project, there are differences in the workflow that happens. To help accommodate this, we have included a variety of configuration options to modify and control the workflow in Onware.

The configuration tool is only available to “Administrators” and allows configuration options to be changed on a global (all projects) or on a per-project basis as required.

Some configuration options, such as whether a project will make use of Field Orders are found on the project settings and are available to the Project Manager/Contract Administrator.

If a particular customer/project requests changes in workflow, Onware will typically create additional configuration options as necessary.

An example of a configurable workflow is controlling how RFIs are directed when they are received from the General Contractor. By default the General Contractor is able to select one discipline to direct his RFI to. A configuration option exists with the following options for directing RFIs:

  1. Allow the General Contractor to select multiple disciplines.
  2. Allow the General Contractor to select multiple disciplines, but always send to a pre-set discipline in addition to the one(s) selected.
  3. Allow the General Contractor to select one discipline, but always send to a pre-set discipline in addition to the one selected.
  4. Do not allow the General Contractor to select the discipline; instead send to a pre-set list of disciplines.

Client Requirements

Onware includes a set of default forms for each document generated. When a document is issued, the issuing company’s logo is displayed on the form.

Onware contains features to allow the creation of custom templates for the forms and reports that it produces.

Privacy and Security

We take our responsibilities to our customers seriously; learn more about Onware’s Privacy and Security measures.