TL;DR - Start with one live project and one result people will notice. Bring your own people in with Account members, send each person to the right course, tell consultants and clients exactly what you need from them and by when, and check who has joined and what is waiting on whom after week one.
Who this is for
Account admins, BIM managers and information managers who are responsible for getting a team to use Plannerly.
Why it matters
Setting Plannerly up is the quick part. Getting a busy team to use it is the real job. Starting small and showing an early win is what makes new ways of working stick.
1. Before anyone joins
Do the set-up once, so everyone arrives to something that looks like your company.
- Branding: name, logo and colors (Make Plannerly look like your company).
- At least one other account admin, so nothing waits on you (Add your fellow admins).
- Projects grouped into workspaces, each with its own admins (Group projects into workspaces).
- Page setup, text styles, headers and footers, and your template library, so every export looks the same (Choose your template library).
2. Pick one project and one early win
- Choose one live project with a team that is open to trying something new.
- Set its details, statuses and standards, and set out every task team (Create a project, Set up project teams).
- Agree one result people will notice. A good one is the responsibility matrix your project director asks for every week: in Scope, select Export, then Document, and add the RACI Matrix part.
3. Bring your own people in first
- In Account Settings, open Account members and add your staff with a default team and their level for each workspace (Your account members directory).
- No email is sent. They see the projects they can join next time they sign in.
4. Point everyone to the right course
- Start here - about fifteen minutes, for anyone joining a project: find your work, take part with confidence and deliver what is asked of you.
- Plannerly Essentials - for people following the project workflow: documents, scope, information requirements, model checks, files and delivery.
- Plannerly Admin - for anyone who sets things up: standards, templates, access and connections.
Courses are free and finish with a certificate.
5. Invite consultants and your client
Invite them to their own team on the project (Invite people to a project). Tell them what you need from them and by when. Here is a note you can copy and adjust:
6. After the first week
- Open Teams and check who has joined and who is still Pending. Resend invitations that need it.
- Open My tasks on the project dashboard together: is everyone seeing their own work, and what is waiting on whom?
- Ask the team what slowed them down, and fix one thing.
7. After the first month
- Share the early win with the wider business.
- Start the next project from this one and bring the team across (Start the next project from this one, Copy your team to the next project).
- Archive anything finished so live projects stay easy to find (Archive and delete projects).
If it doesn't work
People are not using it
Check they can find their work: send them to the Start here course, and look at My tasks with them. A single weekly result they need, such as the responsibility matrix, works better than asking them to use everything.
Invitations are sitting at Pending
Open the team, find the pending names and use the resend option. Ask the person to check spam. Call out anyone you need before a deadline.
Your staff cannot see the projects
Check they are in Account members with a level other than No access for that workspace. See Your account members directory.
Consultants say they do not know what is expected
Send the invitation note above, naming the one thing you need and the date.
Common questions
How do I get my team to use Plannerly?
Start with one live project, give people one result they will notice, and make it easy to start: bring your staff in through Account members and send everyone to the right course.
Which Plannerly course should each person take?
Start here for anyone doing the work on a project, Plannerly Essentials for people following the full project workflow, and Plannerly Admin for anyone who sets things up.
Do my consultants and client need to pay or install anything?
Viewers are free on every plan and nothing needs installing. Who can edit depends on your plan; see the article on assigning users to your account.
What should I check after the first week?
Who has joined and who is still pending, whether everyone sees their own tasks in My tasks, and what is waiting on whom. Then fix one thing the team found slow.
Related
- Your account members directory - bring your own people in.
- Invite people to a project - invite consultants and clients.
- Roll out a standard update to projects - when your standards change later.
- Free BIM and information management training courses
- Enroll in a Plannerly training course
- How can I assign users to my account?
Take the free Plannerly Admin course - every lesson is a short video like this one, with a certificate when you finish.
