4Projects: 4Mobile. Looking forward: for Android

Last week’s announcement of a new mobile app by Viewpoint Construction Software’s subsidiary, the UK-based SaaS construction collaboration software developer 4Projects, was apparently distributed earlier than planned. There was, therefore, a few days delay before I could talk to 4Projects VP and general manager and Viewpoint SVP Strategy & Corporate Development Matt Harris about the 4Mobile iOS apps.

Matt told me this was the first release of 4Mobile, available from the Apple iStore, and intended to provide key 4Projects functionality to users accessing the system from iPhone and iPad devices. It delivers core interactivity, including the ability to access and view documents, drawings, RFIs, change orders (and associated metadata), etc and allows users to create new tasks, upload photos and manage other communications required on the project site or by mobile knowledge workers. Some administrative tasks are not easily accomplished on a smartphone or tablet, so detailed processes such as configuration of workflows remain a desktop user’s responsibility. However, future releases of 4Mobile are likely to see an expansion of the platform’s field reporting capabilities, including use of geotagging.

The iOS apps are free to download and free to use by existing 4Projects users, and will be followed soon (I was told “September, possibly earlier”) of Android versions. The product team is also keeping its platform strategy under constant review and is monitoring demand for apps to support users of Windows 8 devices.

[Updated (17 July 2013) to include screenshots.]

Updated (5 August 2013) –

The 4Mobile app was developed by Newcastle-based digital agency Shout Digital (reports The Journal). The agency:

“was challenged to design an easy-to-use app that neatly fitted into the collaborative system that 4Projects’ clients are already familiar with. Shout’s designers provided the app for iPhone and iPad, and Android phone and tablet devices, and developed both the creative and user experience (UX) design of the app.”

4Projects shortlisted, but unsuccessful, in Construction News Awards

4Projects was the only technology company to make the shortlist of nominees for this year’s Construction News Award for BIM Initiative of the Year 2013, presented in London last week.

This was the first time the BIM Initiative of the Year Award had been promoted (similar to the new BIM category in the Construction Computing Awards; post) – it was created to recognise outstanding performance in the adoption and application of building information modelling. Applicants included organisations and product teams who had used BIM during 2012 to transform their or their client’s business and performance. The ultimate winner was NBS, for its National BIM Library.