📁 Using Plannerly as a Common Data Environment (CDE)

🧱 What is a Common Data Environment (CDE)?

A CDE is a centralized digital space where all project information is gathered, managed, and shared. It supports structured collaboration among all project stakeholders across the lifecycle of a built asset — from planning and design through construction and operation.

✅ Why Plannerly is the Ideal CDE

Plannerly stands out because it not only stores and shares files, but it also:

• Facilitates the creation, approval, and versioning of documents.

• Manages Scope, Milestones, Tasks, and Information Requirements.

• Automates naming, storage, and organization.

• Connects directly to model data via Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC).

• And keeps everything in a secure, controlled environment.

📄 Docs Are Created and Approved in Plannerly

In most CDEs, documents are uploaded from outside sources. In Plannerly, however, the Docs Module allows you to:

• Author documents collaboratively.

• Assign reviewers and set approval workflows.

• Once approved, documents are automatically versioned and archived.

Each approved document is:

• Exported to a PDF or Word

• Automatically stored in your File Manager (CDE),

• Tagged and organized by project structure, and

• Named using auto-naming conventions that follow your standards.

📋 Scope, Timeline, Reports – All Created and Stored

Plannerly enables you to create structured scope directly inside your projects — including:

• Milestones

• Work Packages

• Tasks

• Information Requirements

• and more!

When these components are:

• Exported (PDF, Excel, MS Project, etc.),

• They are also automatically saved in the File Manager, preserving the workflow and version control.

All documents, scopes, and reports are centrally organized in folders or smart filters, making Plannerly your single source of truth.

📆 Task Files and Supporting Information

Every Task in Plannerly can store its own files, such as:

• Construction drawings

• Images or field photos

• Supporting documents

• Checklists and references

These attachments are not only stored within the task for contextual reference — they also appear in the File Manager, organized and searchable alongside all other project files.

This makes it easy to:

• Track the documentation associated with each deliverable

• Maintain a connected workflow from scoping through execution

• Have complete traceability of who added what, where, and when

📂 Upload Any File Type to File Manager

Plannerly doesn’t just store files created inside its modules. You can upload any file directly to the File Manager, including:

• PDFs

• Images

• Excel sheets

• Revit/IFC models

• Contracts or Reports

• and More!

Once uploaded, these files can be organized using saved filters, tagged with custom metadata, and benefit from version control and naming conventions — just like Plannerly-generated files.

🔗 ACC Integration (Autodesk Construction Cloud)

Plannerly also connects with Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC):

• Connect your Verify module to view and interact with models from ACC.

• Manage scopes, link model elements, and validate information.

• Files viewed via ACC also appear in your File Manager and are part of the CDE flow.

This helps you manage both document AND model data in one unified interface.

🔄 Interoperability With Other CDEs (Coming Soon!)

Plannerly can also connect to other CDEs:

• You can export files (automatically named and versioned) and upload them to your organization's preferred system.

• Saved Filters can align with folders in other environments like SharePoint, ACC, or Aconex.

• If the other system supports it, filters can even be mapped or synced.

So even if Plannerly isn’t your organization’s main file storage, it can serve as the source of structured, approved project documentation.

🕺 What Plannerly Does That Other CDEs Don’t

Most traditional CDEs are storage-first tools. They don’t offer:

• Collaborative document authoring.

• Structured BIM scoping tools.

• Auto-linked approval workflows.

• Seamless model validation within the same platform.

With Plannerly, you:

• Create the documents

• Approve them

• Export them

• Store and organize them with metadata and automation

No file duplication. No external document prep. No manual filing.

🎯 Summary: Why Use Plannerly as Your CDE?