PMWeb 7

Better than apps

Project management apps are great. Except for the part about installing them on every device you use in the course of a day. Or downloading and managing updates. Or, especially, when you realize that apps contain only a subset of the features you need to actually do your job. Of course, for years that has been one of the costs of working with construction apps: gain the portability of an app but lose the power of the desktop applications you need. PMWeb 7 eliminates that tradeoff.

For over a decade, the world’s most demanding construction professionals have relied on PMWeb to provide unrivaled power, flexibility, and ease of use, in a single, integrated, online platform. To add to that feature list, we now add this:

Complete portability. On every device.

PMWeb 7 is optimized to load and run faster on devices large and small, even when managing the huge volume of data that modern projects generate. That applies to every feature in every PMWeb module, not a watered-down subset of field tools. And our new responsive design engine automatically adjusts the entire application to fit the screen you’re viewing. Best of all, every feature of PMWeb is available without installing, maintaining, or worrying about a single app. All you need is a browser and a password to immediately get to work with PMWeb 7. Now you can take all of the best project management platform with you, wherever you go.

Responsive design

This is big. (And small.) PMWeb 7 automatically detects the device you are using and the orientation of the screen and adapts itself to make best use of the available space. Project management’s best feature set, all of your project data, instantly tailored to the device you’re holding. Introducing PMWeb 7, powered by our proprietary responsive design engine.

All new interface

Every page of every record type has been re-coded, refreshed, and refined, in PMWeb 7.

PMWeb Activity Boards

For the first time, PMWeb Activity Boards directly integrate the power and flexibility of a Kanban board with a robust construction project management platform. Kanban boards, a key element in agile project development methodology, give stakeholders a central location to identify work to be done, collaborate on the work process, and monitor its completion.

PMWeb Activity Boards make it simple and easy to create tasks, discuss them with other users, and share progress toward completion. Boards can be created at any time and can represent an entire project or just a portion of one. Best of all, tasks can be directly linked to other PMWeb records, so they can be used to organize anything and everything you do.

PMWeb Document Manager

Through thousands of projects, large and small, PMWeb clients have used Document Manager to store, index, and retrieve millions of electronic files. In version 7, Document Manager has been completely redesigned with all new features and a streamlined look.

Highlights of the new Document Manager include:

• An all-new, file explorer model – The primary (explorer) pane of the window displays the contents of one folder at a time. Double click subfolders to open them.
• Details pane – The Details pane, on the right side of the window, displays attributes of a selected folder or file and interactive action buttons.
• Fully interactive breadcrumbs – Click any segment of the breadcrumbs to navigate to a new location.
• Bookmarks – Users can create their own list of frequently used folders and files.
• Quick and advanced search – Two types of search make it faster to find items and access them.
• Comments log – Create conversations about each folder and file in Document Manager.
• Action buttons – Context-sensitive buttons make it easy to see what actions are available at all times.
• Linked PMWeb records – Each file in Document Manager has a full-fledged PMWeb record behind it.
• Folder groups – Folder permissions have always been granted by user groups and individual users.
• Permissions can now also be managed by Folder groups, which are combinations of user groups.
• Copy attributes – Quickly copy down attribute data to all files being added.

Attachments Tabs

All Attachments tabs have been rebuilt with the new features of Document Manager, including Card and List View. Documents can be assigned to records and viewed within the attachment tab.

PMWeb Inspections

With PMWeb Inspections you can assess the state of anything you want, using criteria that you define yourself. Interactive inspection points can be placed on images if you wish, and you can use an inspection to automatically generate Work Requests, Work Orders, Initiatives, and Projects.

Inspection points can be entered in table form, or as overlays on an image. Inspections are part of the PMWeb Forms module. Before creating Inspection records you must first define at least one Inspection Type.

Inspection Types

Using Inspection Types, you define what criteria, or questions, each inspection point will contain. Inspection Types can contain an unlimited number of questions, and you select a data type for each.

In the screenshot above, each line in the table represents one of those question fields. For each question you can enter a name, select a data type, enter a default value, or enter a width for the field in the Inspections record table. These fields are available:

• Display – Check this box to display the question in Inspection Records.
• Order – This is the order in which the question appears in the Inspection record. This field cannot be directly edited. Instead, with the table in read mode, click a line and drag it up or down in the table to automatically change its order.
• Data Type – The options are: Integer, Double, Currency, Date, Boolean, List (Including system lists and custom list), Text (the default), and Memo.
• Default – You can enter a default value for the question here.
• Width in Table – This is the width of the question in the Details table of the Inspection record, in pixels. The default is 200. These are default widths. PMWeb may adjust these in order to accommodate the width of your screen.

You can use the toggle switch in the header toolbar to make an Inspection Type inactive. Inactive Inspection Types cannot be used in new Inspection records.’

Inspection Records

After defining at least one Inspection Type, you can enter Inspection records. When you select a Project for the record, the Location linked to it appears in a read-only field. The next most important decision you make when adding an Inspection record is selecting a Type. By selecting a type, you are determining which questions will be asked for each inspection point. (See Inspection Types, above, for information about defining Inspection Types.) The Type field is required, and it becomes read-only if there are any lines in the Details table.

Each line in the Details table is an inspection point. Information can be added to the table using:

• The Add Line button
• The Link Assets button – This button is only visible if you elected to Display the Assets field when you defined the Inspection Type. Assets shown are linked to the Location displayed in the header.
• The Paste From Excel button

Inspection points can also be added and edited using the Image Tab, below.

Generating Records

After the Inspection record has been approved you can click the Generate button in the header toolbar and generate a Work Request, Work Order, Initiative, or Project.

Image Tab

Inspection points can be added in the Details table or on the Image tab. It does not matter where you do the editing – every inspection defined in the Details table is available on the Image tab, and vice versa. In the Image tab you can set an image file as a background and then place inspection point markers on it. Inspection points can be dragged around the image area, new points can be defined on the image, and clicking a point displays its questions and lets you edit the answers.

Point details can be shown in the flyout to the left of the image or in a dialog box. You can right-click on the image or click the floating action button in the lower right to see a context menu. Context menu actions can include:

• Add a Point – Opens a new inspection point in the flyout (if it is open) or in the Inspection Details dialog if the flyout is collapsed. After saving, the point will be added to the image at the current cursor location.
• View Details – Opens the inspection point in the flyout (if it is open) or in the Inspection Details dialog if the flyout is collapsed.
  • Remove Selected Point from Image – Clears the inspection point from the image area. This does not delete the line from the Details table or the flyout, it merely removes the point from the image. This causes the Place Point button to appear in the flyout toolbar. To replace the point in the image: Click the point button, click OK in the Place Point dialog, click in the image area.

• Delete Selected Point – Deletes the point from the image and deletes the line from the Details table.
• Change Image – Opens your device’s file browser.
• Delete Image – Removes the image from the record and clears all inspection points. This does not delete lines from the Details table.