Background

Founded more than 30 years ago, Gustavson Wylie Architects is a Vancouver-based architectural and interior design firm serving clients across Western Canada. The firm specializes in commercial, institutional, and multi-unit residential projects and provides construction administration services throughout the project lifecycle.

Like many firms, Gustavson Wylie Architects had experience with a variety of construction administration tools over the years. Some projects required the use of client-mandated platforms, while others relied on internal processes built around spreadsheets, PDFs, email, and manually maintained logs.

As projects became increasingly complex and involved larger consultant and contractor teams, maintaining visibility across drawings, project communications, and outstanding actions required significant coordination.

The Challenge

Before adopting Part3, construction administration relied heavily on manual processes.

Project records were maintained through spreadsheets, PDF documents, shared folders, and email. Important information was available, but locating the latest version of a drawing, tracking outstanding actions, or confirming previous decisions often depended on individual record-keeping and follow-up.

As project complexity increased, maintaining visibility across hundreds of project changes became more challenging.

"How do these documents relate to each other? How does an RFI connect to a change, and then to a change order, and then to a certificate for payment?" says Cameron Evans, Associate at Gustavson Wylie Architects.

The firm also faced a familiar industry challenge: coordinating information across multiple stakeholders while ensuring everyone was working from the latest documentation.

On large projects with extensive drawing revisions and ongoing site instructions, even confirming whether someone had the most current drawing package could become a recurring question.

Creating a Single Source of Truth

Gustavson Wylie Architects was introduced to Part3 while joining a large, multi-phase project where the owner, consultants, contractor, and project team were already using the platform.

What began as a requirement on a single project quickly became a valuable part of the firm's workflow.

Rather than replacing every process at once, the team adopted Part3 gradually. They initially used the platform for site instructions before expanding into consultant reports, submittals, field reports, drawing management, and project coordination.

"The great thing was that you could approach it in pieces," says Evans. "You didn't have to take everything on at once."

Unlike many legacy alternatives that require teams to commit to rigid workflows from day one, Part3 allowed the firm to adopt new capabilities as needed. Teams could start with the workflows most relevant to their projects and expand usage over time.

The intuitive interface made it easy to incorporate new processes without disrupting existing ways of working.

The Results

A Central Hub for Project Communication

Today, Part3 acts as the primary repository for project documentation and coordination.

Consultants can review proposed changes, upload revised documents, provide feedback, and coordinate responses before information is issued to the broader project team.

Instead of relying on lengthy email chains, discussions and documentation remain connected to the specific issue, instruction, or drawing package.

"It's this single repository of all that communication," Evans explains. "Once everything is ready, I can issue it and everybody has the information they need."

Starting Each Day with a Clear View of Every Project

Each morning, Evans begins his day in Part3.

Across multiple active projects, he can quickly review outstanding actions, pending consultant responses, upcoming deadlines, and recently updated documents from a single dashboard.

What once required searching through project emails, reviewing flagged messages, and manually tracking follow-ups now takes only a few minutes.

"Within five or ten minutes, I've done my daily due diligence on each project," says Evans. "I can immediately see what's ready to move forward, what needs follow-up, and where attention is required."

The visibility helps project teams stay proactive and reduces the risk of important items being overlooked.

Confidence That Everyone Is Working from the Latest Drawings

One of the most significant benefits has been drawing management.

Contractors, consultants, and trade partners can access the latest project documentation directly through Part3, reducing uncertainty around revisions and eliminating the need to search through emails for updated files.

On projects with extensive drawing revisions, this creates a reliable source of truth for the entire team.

"Now they have a single point of reference," Evans says. "They can go directly to the latest drawing and know they're looking at the current version."

The ability to review drawing history also helps teams understand when and why changes were made throughout the life of a project.

Less Administrative Work and Better Accountability

Part3 automatically tracks project activity that previously required manual effort.

Document logs, distribution records, status tracking, reminders, and outstanding actions are maintained within the platform, reducing duplicate work and improving accountability.

The result is less time spent managing spreadsheets and email folders, and more time focused on project delivery.

For Evans, one of the biggest advantages is knowing that requests, action items, and project decisions remain visible until they are resolved.

A Platform That Continues to Evolve

For Evans, one of the most valuable aspects of Part3 extends beyond the software itself.

He points to the responsiveness of the Part3 team and their willingness to incorporate customer feedback into the product.

Feature requests, workflow suggestions, and usability feedback are regularly acknowledged and often reflected in future product updates.

"It's remarkable how responsive they are," he says. "You can suggest something and sometimes see it become part of the product."

Equally important, updates are introduced without disrupting established workflows.

The interface remains familiar, allowing teams to benefit from new capabilities without having to relearn the platform.

"It's not static," Evans says. "It's growing and developing in real time based on what people actually need."

Looking Ahead

As the firm continues to expand its use of Part3, interest has grown beyond construction administration.

Design teams are exploring additional ways to use the platform for consultant coordination and document review earlier in the project lifecycle.

For Evans, the value comes down to clarity.

Instead of managing project information across spreadsheets, PDFs, shared drives, and email threads, the entire team has access to a shared workspace built around the realities of construction administration.

"When someone asks, 'What happened here?' or 'Which drawing is current?' we can find the answer quickly," says Evans. "That's incredibly powerful."