Offers more than a service, they offer a partnership.

The Challenge

When Kenham was approached about a large 13-home project, the team was using a number of disparate software solutions to manage projects. But because the systems weren’t integrated, it was difficult to collaborate, track, and manage information efficiently

The Solution

With Procore’s user-friendly tools, Kenham was able to consolidate all project information into a single system, and users could easily access project information. This helped boost collaboration, bolster safety standards, and improve efficiencies both on site and off—allowing Kenham to effectively scale as projects and teams grew.

Reduced administrative work: Each employee saves up to 10 hours a week.

Streamlined data: Teams can access information from one central hub.

Simplifying Kenham’s Tech Stack

When Business and Development Manager Josh Schumann joined Kenham, teams were using a combination of disparate systems and manual processes to manage projects. This included Dropbox, One-Drive, emails, spreadsheets, a shared drive, and a subscription auditing software—among others. Coming from a tech background, Schumann knew the team could benefit from consolidating their tech stack and implementing a single streamlined solution.

Then in 2017, when a developer approached Kenham about a large 13-house project, it was the nudge they needed to begin researching alternatives.

‘It has always been a pet project of mine to bring tech into the construction industry’, explains Schumann. ‘I’ve seen in other industries where tech has helped from a financial and human resources perspective. It’s this idea of getting software to do multiple tasks that are human—which saves man hours. It’s about simplifying the building process. You build your house while the paperwork manages itself, from tendering all the way down to submittals and the end of the project. It allows you to focus on what you do best, which is actually building the projects’.

When Schumann began researching construction management solutions, one aspect in particular stood out about Procore.

‘One of the biggest selling features of Procore was the support functionality. You are guaranteed an answer within 30 seconds—and believe it or not, you actually do. You also get a UK-based Customer Success Manager who helps you onboard, gives you tips and tricks, shows you how to utilise the software, and how to get everyone involved easily. You know that they’re there for you’.

The other aspect that stood out to Schumann was that Kenham could tailor the solution to how they ran processes and workflows, and his team also had the opportunity to help develop new product features.

‘Procore offers more than a service—they offer a partnership. They want to be an extension of your company, and everything works on that capacity. They have a real investment in you using the software correctly and to its best potential’.

Easy to Use, Easy to Adopt

Once Kenham consolidated their tech stack, they began to see improvements in processes, projects, and teams. While moving from disparate manual systems to a streamlined solution drastically cut printing costs, it also helped maintain consistency companywide. It meant everyone—from project managers to architects to engineers—were all working off of the same documents that lived in the same centralised location. It also meant communication and collaboration was much easier and faster.

Plus, with an intuitive interface and user-friendly tools, employees quickly and easily adopted the software. This meant more robust and accurate data, helping improve overall insights across projects.

One of the most noteworthy improvements, however, was that streamlining processes helped eliminate many of the small administrative tasks, saving employees up to two hours a day. This allowed both site and office teams to spend less time chasing down information and more time on the most important tasks.

‘Most of the sites take between 20-60 photos a day’, explains Schumann. ‘From an office point of view, I can easily backtrack through thousands of photos. They’re all there, they load quickly, and it doesn’t matter where I am. I don’t need to call up the site team—instead, I’ve got a photo from two weeks ago right there in front of me that I can pull up’.

Project Manager Karol Dujczynski adds that the Documents Tool has also improved efficiency. ‘Managing documents is now easier, so I can manage my time better. I don’t have as much paperwork as I used to, so that’s really helpful. When I’m on site, I can make an observation, take a photo, and mark up the drawing. Whoever sees the drawing can access my observation’.

He continues, ‘As far as I know the construction industry and its software, I think we’re dealing with the best solution on the market’.

Bolstering Safety Standards

Not only did teams have all information in one central location, but with an unlimited user license, it meant that all collaborators could access the information they needed. Combined with mobile functionality, this was especially powerful when it came to safety. Teams could easily track trends on site—reinforcing the company’s commitment to the highest safety standards.

Head of Health and Safety Kamil Kotowski explains, ‘With Procore, all health and safety issues or areas for improvement are rectified quicker and faster. Communication on health and safety issues has improved which makes sites safer and makes me happy’.

He also says that now he has the ability to assign an observation or issue to team members, allowing them to take immediate action without waiting on others. This helped improve accountability across all project stakeholders to ensure no items were missed.

What’s more, teams could see which items had been closed out and which were outstanding, and with automated notifications, they no longer had to worry about tracking down collaborators for information. Plus, with user permission settings, they reduced the risk of data loss or wasted time trying to find documents on the server.

‘I think my data in Procore is safer now’, says Kotowski. ‘I’m saving a lot of time not emailing, texting, and calling or looking for contact details for the architects, structural engineers, and contractors. I just go to the Project Directory in Procore and all their information is there’.

Gaining a Competitive Edge—Both Now and in the Future

Aside from the business advantage of greater efficiency, the real benefits come down to the people. ‘If the guys doing the work are happy and the environment that they work in is just a little bit less stressful, then they can actually look into a project with a better scope and produce something better at the end’, says Schumann.

While this helped produce faster and higher-quality projects, it also helped Kenham’s team and business grow. Procore offered a scalable system which allowed Kenham to easily transition from a staff of four to twelve—all while increasing the number of projects in their portfolio. 

‘Procore backs you up and makes sure you can handle the extra workload. It really gives you that extra comfort knowing that you can achieve that same level of quality—but on a larger scale’, he says.

Additionally, it wasn’t only internal teams who benefited from Kenham’s streamlined processes. Clients took notice as well.

Dujczynski explains, ‘Our clients love that we use Procore because the communication is better and when it comes to submittals, accepting proposals, and exchanging information, they have access and it’s easier for them to track information’.

With an evolving world (and industry), ensuring client satisfaction is just part of the picture. It’s also crucial to stay innovative in order to ensure the business stays competitive for years to come.

Schumann explains, ‘There’s an analogy I used a while back where a guy’s fixing timber. Back in the day, he would use a nail and a hammer. Nowadays, he’ll use a nail gun. If you gave the guy back in the day a nail gun, would he say, "Oh, I don’t want to use that—that’ll make me quicker, faster, more efficient”? No, he’d probably say, "I don’t know how to use it”. But once he learned how to use it, he would suddenly realise that it’s an amazing tool’.

He adds, ‘If you look at any industry, software has become a dominant feature, so it’s only a matter of time before it’s the case for construction. It’s nice to be at the forefront of that sort of progression’.