Residential builders, more than ever before, face increasing demands on conformance, cost reduction, quality, and customer service. This coupled with the desire to better manage current (or increased) volume proves a near impossible task for both individual supervisors and builders alike.

Framework Construction Logistics is an exciting addition to Framework, designed specifically to address these issues. Over twelve years of industry consultation, analysis, design, and development has been invested in creating perhaps the most important software solution to be made available to home builders.

Specifically designed for Microsoft ® Windows Tablet PCs and the Tablet PC hardware platform, Construction Logistics is a powerful tool for supervisors in the field, and for the builders to monitor, coordinate, and assist supervisors, suppliers, and trades. Framework Construction Logistics allows supervisors to be in constant communication with the office. At all times the office is aware of on-site progress, problems, and important feedback from resources in the field. Production scheduling puts the office in control of orders management, including re-allocation and calling forward, with instant notifications to supervisors, suppliers, and trades.

Framework Construction Logistics brings together all of the obligations and responsibilities of a supervisor into a single Logistics Programme (LP). The LP includes all supplier/trade orders for the job, the entire call forward programme, construction (progress) programme, customer service, and other non-construction activities that the supervisor must perform.

The Construction Logistics Desktop module supports the logistics process by operating from within the office, informed by, but separate to, Framework ECM. This module is used to manage:

Configuration of Tablet PCs and how they will interact with the office.
Connection protocols.
Allocation of users and jobs.
Creation and maintenance of the Logistics Programmes (Call Forward Programmes).
Setup of Integration pathways.

In the Site group of functions, configuration settings are made and maintained to control how a tablet/site communicates with the office, setting connection protocols, valid software versions, server availability, user allocations, and client allocations.

The Administration section of the module allows for the creation and management of the tools and templates that will be part of the day-to-day functionality of the logistics tablet/site. Activities are defined, detailing the type of order item, cost centre, and supplier type. The LP is assembled from these activities, adding in the expected durations of each task, and utilising the critical path to determine the schedule, order, and dependencies of each activity in the programme. Individual activities are slotted into the analysis programme so the information is available for reporting and can operate as stage triggers. Standard notes and email templates are created so that common or repetitive communications can be streamlined and consistent.

To ensure accurate and timely communication with suppliers and trades, pathways and links with third party estimating or accounting systems. This means that purchase orders created outside Framework are integrated into the LP and can be accessed by the tablet/site.

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