Issue 2 Q2 2019

Elevate 2019

Sponsorship opportunities at Elevate 2019 are still available. Don't miss your chance to showcase your brand at the largest owner conference in the nation!

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Quarterly Partner Services Program Update 
By: Jamie Cooke, Partner Services Program Manager

The Partner Services team is establishing a Partner Certification and Training model to support your teams in delivering successful e-Builder Enterprise implementations. We are currently in the process of creating e-Builder Enterprise Implementation Training courses and e-Builder Enterprise Quarterly Product Enhancement review sessions designed specifically for our Partners. Keep an eye out for more details on the levels of Partner Certification that your organization can achieve and the benefits that you will receive at each level.

One of the most essential criteria for awarding e-Builder Partner Certification will be the proven e-Builder experience and skills of the individuals on the Partner team. If you are looking to build or expand your expertise on key e-Builder Enterprise capabilities like Structured Workflows, Cost Management, Scheduling, and Business Intelligence Reporting, there are basic and advanced courses being offered at Elevate 2019 that you may be interested in. You can also acquire formal certification at Elevate as an e-Builder Certified Professional, an e-Builder Certified Professional Trainer, or start on the path to becoming an e-Builder Certified Professional Business Analyst. Elevate course details are provided at http://elevate.e-builder.net/schedule and e-Builder certification details are available at http://elevate.e-builder.net/certification.

If you have any questions on Partner certification and training options, ideas on how we can align the model to your needs or other recommendations, the Partner Services Program has a dedicated point of contact for all Partner feedback at [email protected]. Your input is extremely important to us.


HNTB Gives Tips and Tricks to Attending Elevate, e-Builder's Annual Conference

This quarter, the Partner Spotlight is on Robben Baptiste, Senior Business Analyst and e-Builder Program Manager from HNTB. As an Elevate veteran, he shares his experience on attending this e-Builder conference, how to effectively network with owners at the largest owner conference in the nation, and why he thinks the Elevate experience is unlike other industry conferences. 

Q: How does attending Elevate help you make connections and network with owners?
A:
Elevate allows owners, construction and project managers, and others the opportunity to interact with each other in conducive settings to discuss best practices, and tips and tricks. The most asked questions from users are answered throughout the conference in casual settings, like dinner, or formal settings, like breakout sessions and certification classes. The breakout sessions provide your peers in the industry to get a first-hand understanding of a problem with its solutions. Often, those conversations are continued in groups in the hallways after the sessions have ended. That’s a pretty good barometer of how people are absorbing the tremendous amount of information being shared throughout Elevate.

Q: What is the biggest takeaway HNTB gets from attending Elevate?
A:
You can take the best practices you receive from other end users and e-Builder Enterprise admins back to use at your organization. Attending the conference and receiving certifications provides the credibility to owners that you can operate at a very high level within e-Builder Enterprise to maximize the efficiency of their construction programs. As an e-Builder Certified Professional (EBCP), HNTB has an asset that understands the system in its entirety and can provide important training to the rest of the team and staff. This separates us from other CM/PM firms.

Q: What do you recommend for e-Builder Partners to do to get the most out of attending Elevate?
A:
Allow members of your team to attend certification classes and training. A lot of information is passed around between the "students" as much as from the trainer standing in the front of the room. Attend the breakout sessions where other end users break down best practices and lessons learned with e-Builder Enterprise. Since there is not one, single solution that will work for everyone, this is the chance to see how others are leveraging the system. My top recommendation would be to give a presentation if you can. Elevate is about the end users as much as it is about the system. Having the ability to present a real case scenario that other users can relate to has proven to be very beneficial.

Q: You have presented at Elevate yourself. What was your experience like?
A:
My experience was remarkably positive. The audience tends to be interactive, allowing for a lively session that is full of information, both for the presenter and members of the audience.

Thank you to Robben Baptiste and HNTB for sharing why Elevate is the must-attend conference of the year! If you would like to be featured on the next Partner Spotlight, please email Collaborate editor, Danielle Bradford, at [email protected].


Meet Ellen Long, e-Builder's Partner Services Learning & Development Manager 

Q: How do you define success?
A: I try to encourage and elevate others in everything I do. My personal measure of accomplishment is when someone I helped, in any small way, is flourishing. This is one of the main reasons I am passionate about the Partner training and certification program. Partner success is my success.

Q: What is your favorite quote or motto?
A: “Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” -Mother Teresa

Q: What do you enjoy most about the work that you do?
A: My passion is training. For 27 years, I developed and managed training programs, delivered software training, and completed software implementations. I wholeheartedly believe in e-Builder and the Partner Program. Combining these together is serendipity. I love my job!

Q: Before working at e-Builder, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?
A: I worked on a 4-year software implementation for Halliburton immediately before coming to e-Builder. I lived in the oil field man camps with all the field workers more than once. The most unusual one was in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.
My favorite experience on the implementation was when the managers in the Anchorage, Alaska field office took me on an all-night fly-fishing trip for salmon. Then they surprised me by gifting me with the entire night’s catch. When they took me to the airport, they helped me check two huge insulated boxes full of fully processed and frozen salmon. Ask me about my fish story and I will show you the picture of the salmon I caught that was almost as tall as me!

Q: What is your favorite thing about e-Builder as a company?
A: The culture! I have never before worked for a company that so carefully encourages their giving culture. My teammates are the best in the world. I know they truly care and are willing to help in any way. This starts all the way from the top of the Executive team and roars down like Niagara Falls to every person in the company. This, in turn, flows right out to the Customers and Partners.

Q: Who inspires you?
A: My husband, Tony. He is a USMC Gulf War veteran and a Police Investigator/Negotiator. His life mission is to serve. I am in awe of his capacity for selfless sacrifice as he puts himself in harm’s way every day.

Q: What accomplishment at work are you most proud of and why?
A: Being promoted to Partner Services Learning & Development Manager. From the very first time I delivered Partner training, I was hooked. I could see how valuable it was and what every attendee brought to the table. The Partners with whom I worked were exceptional. This sparked my desire to support them as they lead their Customers to succeed. When I learned e-Builder was building a dedicated Partner team, I quickly threw my hat in the ring. I absolutely loved my former position, and I am even happier now in my new position. This is going to be the best ride ever!


Support for MS Word (.docx) Files in External Workflow Processes
By: Ellen Long, Partner Services Learning and Development Manager

Did you know you can now allow your external users on a process to submit their start document as a .docx file?

Do you have any processes you configured to start offline? (This option must be turned on by your e-Builder Business Analyst during initial configuration, a Support Analyst, or your Account Manager.) Have your external users expressed frustration concerning successful submission with the email in feature? If so, this tip may be just what you have been looking for.

In the past, if an external user filled in the start step process data in MS Word to email into a designated folder, they had to save it as MS Word 2003 to 2007 version file (.doc). This was often time-consuming and/or difficult to relay to the user. This, in turn, caused confusion and time lag in the process flow. Now those external users can save the MS Word document as a 2007 and above version file (.docx). As most companies are using a later version of MS Office, it will enable them to easily start those processes and set them on their merry way.

Let's put it to work:

  1. In the Workflow Properties, allow Workflow to be started via email.
  2. Select the destination folder in the document structure.
  3. Start the process in the project.
  4. Download the start step form.

  5. Fill out the form in Microsoft Word.

  6. Save in the desired file format (.doc or .docx).

  7. Follow the instructions at the bottom of the form to submit the form to e-Builder.




Sponsoring Elevate is the perfect opportunity to
interact and increase your brand awareness at the largest owner-centric conference in North America.

We have over 20 unique opportunities that will increase visibility throughout the week, including networking breaks, special events, conference wi-fi and more! View them all in our 2019 Elevate Sponsorship Prospectus, and contact your Partner representative or Richelle Wilkins at [email protected] to get signed up. Act now - opportunities WILL sell out!