NEW (VIRTUAL) WORLD ORDER FOR CALLISON

BY LUCY BODILLY
Special to the Journal

No more nervous mornings waiting for the Fed-Ex delivery. No more long waits while documents are copied. And no more wondering who said what whom.

At The Callison Partnership, transmitting information, across town or across the world has become virtually as easy as hitting a few computer keys, with one caveat: The computer user has to know how to type.

The 300-person firm is one of the first in the architecture field to use computer technology on such a grand scale. The new system is a customized version of a software program called FirstClass. It allows all Callison employees, consultants and clients to access information about different projects by using the Internet or, in the Puget Sound area, by dialing a local number.

With an office in Seattle, but projects all over the world, the company opted to take advantage of technology rather than open branch offices. "When we started expanding in the 1980s our game plan was to keep the Seattle headquarters, but work around the world," said Eric LeMay, corporate communications officer. Developing a technological base helped keep costs down by saving money on rent, air fare and extra support staff, he said.

Callison On-Line is a money saver, but it also saves time by allowing instantaneous communication between team members. One step beyond e-mail, the software rises to the challenge of having to communicate with architects worldwide by allowing everything from memos from project owners to detailed drawings of a project to be easily accessed from literally anywhere in the world. That is, if you have the right passwords.

"When you get into international situations, we would have teams waiting for as long as week for documents that were sent by Fed Ex," LeMay said.

Now the information can be sent via computer, and printed out at the new location. "You aren't limited to a certain size, like you would be on a fax machine, said David R. Morton, of Callison information Services, the information specialist who designed the on-line system.

The most obvious advantage is that team members can receive electronic messages that relay the latest information on a project. "In a way you are no longer limited by time and space," Morton said. "This becomes especially important when working overseas, where architects battle deadlines in all different time zones."

Access via the Internet, which needs only a local phone call to connect to an Internet Service Provider, can save as much as $55 per hour in phone costs. And not only can people convey information overnight, they can talk in real time. And for projects that take several years to complete, a separate server can be set up in the project owner's office, so they don't need to use the Internet every time they want to check up on the project. Callison can then connect to the server through Callison On-Line and continue to seamlessly communicate with the owners.

The system is icon driven, and user friendly even for the computer illiterate. Most importantly it has a tight security system. The main menu is accessible only with a password. All other files are accessible only by approved persons. And, no permanent changes can be made to documents without special clearance. Typically, a user would have access to the project drawings, team meeting minutes, general communications and project schedules. Also included is a file just for communication between Callison employees.

Such a hierchy of access allows Callison employees, clients and subconsultants to collaborate on a project without usurping the power structure of the firm. A client or design assistant can suggest a change to a project, but in order for it to become a permanent revision, it must still go through the proper channels of approval.

The system also has special advantages during a dispute. The computer automatically keeps track of what information was sent, who received it and who accessed it. "It gets rid of the finger pointing, because we have proof of who said what and whether the other person received it," Morton said. The tracking system also saves time because "lost" documents can be quickly resent, or found on the computer.

Everyone using the system does not have to have the same software, Morton said. "You can use compatible software and buy add-on packages, to be able to do the same things as Callison On-line." For example, individual software may not allow a user to circle items on the drawings, or highlight meeting notes. But a add-on package could allow that for about $100, he said.

Because of owner sensitivity, LeMay and Morton would not mention specific projects. Callison considers details about the customized software proprietary information and owners can be just as fussy. They did say that one owner will not discuss the software is because it feels that the money it saves during the construction process gives it a huge competitive advantage.

Though company members rave about the system, it does have one drawback. "We have been using it one year, and we have seen that it increases expectations from our clients." LeMay said. Login records show that the system is used 24 hours a day. Even when it is shut down for maintenance, usually between midnight and 4 a.m., people call to complain that it is not available.

Many companies could have spent thousands on such a system, but Morton said it only cost $5,000 to customize it to meet the firm's needs. "We could have spent a lot more, but we don't want to be afraid to change things because we have too much invested in software."