Forward Works Viewer

The Forward Works Viewer allows anyone involved in managing or delivering large scale projects or events in the Queenstown Lakes District to take a holistic approach to strategic planning.     

Users can see what other work is planned in the same area enabling communication and collaboration across projects to identify efficiencies and opportunities and importantly minimise disruption for our communities.

Anyone who is managing or planning a large-scale project and has the intent to provide and utilise data can sign up to Forward Works Viewer. The viewer is given a high-level view of all projects happening in the vicinity of specific developments or events, increasing awareness and facilitating communication. The tool provides shared knowledge to work together and utilise resources to minimize disruption.

• Single authoritative view of work within the city

• Shared knowledge and new opportunities for communication and collaborative work

• Coordination of work across different organisations

• Searchable projects with map display

• Awareness of coordination risks

• Evidence of work underway/ Evidence of completed work

• Visibility of location of essential utilities and services

• Project contact details are displayed to assist communication

• Dashboard programme reporting for stakeholders

The tool also helps understand potential impacts on projects in the early stages of planning and helps work through any potential clashes. Clashes happen when more than one project stage occurs at the same time, in the same space. They are potential opportunities for two project stages to work together as they are intending to be in the same place at the same time. Identifying clashes allows enhanced communication and collaboration and for high level relationships to be created.

For example; one trench dug in a development project can be used for telecommunications cables, water supply pipes, power supply cables and gas supply pipes. This way the work can be done once rather than separate entities digging a trench in the same vicinity multiple times.

Opportunities arise when projects are planned in the same place but occur at different times. In this case there is an opportunity to adjust project stage states to align so the work can happen at the same time. All project contact details are displayed to assist developers in communicating with each other.

The tool was originally developed to support a coordinated approach to recovery following the 2010/11 Canterbury earthquakes. Forward Works Viewer is being used successfully in both the Canterbury and Auckland regions and is currently being released in Wellington. The future goal is to create a single portal for private and government run projects in New Zealand to enable industry leaders to communicate and collaborate on projects like road work, telecommunications, water, gas, construction and development.