Although I'm always more excited about iPad apps for construction (we're up to 5 in use in our department!), here is a comparable list for the Android.

I'm in the process of listing out the Tocci recommended iPad applications for our internal users - although my list won't be nearly as exhaustive as Derek's, I'll post it as soon as I find the time to finish up!

Revit Top Cat

We always wonder how to assess someone's Revit skill, but never really feel the need to implement anything - given our integrated team of power users. Maybe this is it.

I found it interesting that a Revit MEP user won; I'm not too surprised, I think Revit MEP is more technically demanding and requires that you know how to use quite a few features in Architecture/Structure.

This actually might be an interesting internal exercise - bring out everyone's competitive streak...

Countdown to Atomization

It's official: the countdown until the end of Tocci's VDC department is running! About 6 months ago, we decided to explore "atomizing" our VDC department, deploying VDC staff to roles in Cost Engineering, Project Management and Field Operations. Our team already serves hybrid roles on projects, with some functions overlapping between more traditional roles. Looking more closely at this, we determined that the only way to further integrate VDC into our process was to decentralize it. So, by June 5, 2012 (at 5pm), our VDC department will be no more. About 80% of the team will transition to roles in the departments mentioned above; the remaining team will figure out how to maintain innovation, standards and training in a new department (to be named later!) without becoming arbitrary or standing in the way of projects. Or maybe, everyone will transition out and we'll figure out the rest later! More updates as the clock counts down.

Cautionary Tale? or Alarmist Scare Tactics?

[From CCC]

Another piece of tenuous journalism has recently been making a buzz in the industry, attempting to discredit the remarkable progress of IPD. A buzz, however, is all that this lackluster movement can muster against the force that is transforming the industry in positive directions not seen in decades. If you have not yet read the piece, you can find the link below as well as John Tocci’s response.

A Cautionary Digital Tale

John’s response:

Nadine, Nadine, why do you do the things you do? This is yet another article with a scary title but vacuous text which fails to support the title’s chilling claim and sends the unknowing screaming down the road like an Edvard Munch painting . We know at heart you are not an enemy of professional progress and collaboration (quite to the contrary) but it’s hard to see this from the steady diet of fear-filled articles such as last May’s “IPD…Flashing Red Lights” (complete with a toxic IPD cover page) and webinars like “Goodbye IPD, Hello ID”. Citing unspecified IPD risks and fears, the webinar promised a fairy world of IPD benefits while maintaining conventional (defective) contracts. Not.

Back to this article, one has to ask, why would any author rely on a ‘fact set’ from a single, non-expert source such as the PL carrier, especially this one? The other commentators (who responded to the web posting) rightly observe the true facts; this case (at least as presented here) has little or nothing to do with BIM and everything to do with disciplines continuing to act in silos of isolation, blame and self-interest. Moreover, we fully agree with the commentator who laments the article’s probable effect on liability insurers and others (“…running scared from BIM”).

The devil needs no additional advocates. Unfounded fear abounds in the oceans of ignorance. And the status quo needs no defense. What we do need is solid journalism with validated facts to help us restore a once noble profession and join our industry’s efforts to emerge from litigation and dismal performance– not another horror title. Help us will ya?