Level Up Construction Project Management with Autodesk Forma

Published by Autodesk on October 7, 2026 · Updated October 7, 2026

• construction-project-management
• project-controls
• workflow-automation
• ai-in-construction
• submittals

Why is construction project management getting harder?

Construction project management is getting harder because teams must manage tighter schedules, labor shortages, evolving risk, and constant coordination across the office, field, and extended project teams.

Many teams still rely on disconnected tools, spreadsheets, emails, and point solutions that create data silos and slow work down. Fragmented systems often lead to duplicate work, manual processes, inconsistent reporting, and limited visibility into what is actually happening on a project.

Autodesk Forma responds to that problem by bringing workflows and project data together in one connected construction management platform.

What does leveling up project management mean for construction teams?

Leveling up project management means giving construction teams tools that help them move faster, reduce manual work, and make smarter decisions in real time.

With connected workflows and shared project data in Autodesk Forma, teams can automate time-consuming processes, streamline communication, surface risks earlier, and turn project information into actionable insights. Instead of constantly reacting to problems, teams can stay ahead of them.

Autodesk Forma also brings automation workflows, reporting capabilities, and AI-powered insights into one platform so project teams can work more efficiently and keep projects on track.

How can Autodesk Forma speed up project startup?

Autodesk Forma speeds up project startup by standardizing setup work that is usually repetitive, inconsistent, and time-consuming.

Project templates in Autodesk Forma help teams get projects up and running faster with preconfigured permissions, workflows, and data management standards already in place. Teams can standardize folder structures, automate access permissions, and configure workflow standards for RFIs, submittals reviews, meeting minutes, cost management activities, reporting, and more.

That means organizations can scale proven standards consistently across teams while still customizing templates to fit specific project or stakeholder needs.

The results are:

• Faster project startup
• Reduced administrative effort
• More consistent execution from day one

How can Autodesk Forma reduce manual work in submittal setup?

Autodesk Forma reduces manual work in submittal setup by using AI to review specifications and generate submittal logs quickly.

Manually reviewing specifications and building submittal logs can take days or even weeks and slow procurement, coordination, and field execution before work begins. With AutoSpecs in Autodesk Forma, AI automatically analyzes specifications, identifies submittal requirements, and generates detailed submittal logs in minutes.

Autodesk Forma also helps identify missing items or gaps that may be overlooked during manual review. Submittals can then flow through connected review workflows with automated routing to the appropriate reviewers.

The results are:

• Faster procurement
• Better coordination
• Reduced delays
• Earlier project starts

How can Autodesk Forma simplify closeout and handover?

Autodesk Forma simplifies closeout and handover by helping teams organize turnover information throughout the project lifecycle instead of waiting until the end.

Closeout often becomes stressful because teams wait until the end of construction to organize manuals, warranties, as-builts, inspection records, and turnover documentation. Autodesk Forma helps standardize closeout requirements, folder structures, and asset organization from day one.

Once those guidelines are established, relevant project data such as RFIs, submittals, sheets, and asset information is automatically pulled into the handover package.

The results are:

• Fewer missing records
• Faster turnover
• A smoother transition from construction into operations

How does Autodesk Forma keep office and field teams aligned in real time?

Autodesk Forma keeps office and field teams aligned by syncing project information in real time across the workflows teams use every day.

Construction projects change constantly, and outdated information can lead to delays, rework, and costly mistakes. Autodesk Forma helps keep teams connected with real-time updates across schedules, drawings, RFIs, submittals, issues, and cost workflows.

When information changes in the office, field teams can access the latest project data from mobile devices. That reduces communication gaps and helps teams avoid working from outdated information.

Automated notifications and activity tracking also keep stakeholders informed without relying on emails or calls.

The result is faster decision-making because everyone is working from the same up-to-date information.

How does Autodesk Forma help teams search project documentation faster?

Autodesk Forma helps teams search project documentation faster with AI-powered specification sectioning.

Specification documents are essential to construction projects, but manually navigating hundreds of pages can slow coordination and increase the risk of missed requirements. Autodesk Forma automatically organizes documents into structured, searchable sections so teams can quickly locate requirements, understand responsibilities, and identify potential risks.

The result is:

• Faster access to information
• Better coordination
• Reduced risk of missed details

How does Autodesk Forma connect field issues to project costs?

Autodesk Forma connects field issues to project costs by linking operational workflows and financial workflows in one system.

When budgets, change management, RFIs, schedules, and field issues live in separate systems, teams spend valuable time reconciling information manually and often identify financial impacts too late. Autodesk Forma connects cost management activities directly to project and field workflows so teams can see budget impacts, committed costs, forecasts, and change activity update in real time as project conditions evolve.

Teams can also reference cost activities directly within RFIs, issues, meeting minutes, schedule tasks, and change workflows to maintain visibility and context.

Built-in approval workflows and forecasting capabilities help teams manage financial risk, improve accountability, and make faster decisions with more confidence.

The result is:

• Better cost visibility
• More accurate forecasting
• Stronger alignment between field execution and financial performance

How does Autodesk Assistant help teams answer project questions faster?

Autodesk Assistant in Autodesk Forma helps teams answer project questions faster by letting them use natural language to interact with connected project data.

Construction teams lose valuable time searching through project documents, reports, and workflows for answers. Autodesk Assistant helps teams ask questions and receive contextual answers pulled directly from project information inside the platform.

Autodesk Assistant can summarize documents, surface project risks, answer questions, automate workflows, and provide real-time insights.

The results are:

• Faster access to information
• Less manual searching
• Quicker decision-making

How do personalized dashboards help construction teams focus on the right work?

Personalized dashboards help construction teams focus on the right work by surfacing the most relevant tasks, updates, and risks for each user.

Project Home in Autodesk Forma gives every user a customizable view into their work, responsibilities, and project status. Instead of manually tracking assignments and updates, Autodesk Forma organizes the information most relevant to each team member.

Teams can quickly see assigned tasks, outstanding RFIs and submittals, recent activity, milestones, open issues, weather forecasts, quality and safety trends, and high-risk areas surfaced by AI.

Because Project Home is customizable, teams can tailor dashboards to match individual roles and workflows.

The result is a more organized project experience with less time spent searching for updates.

How does Autodesk Forma automate manual field workflows?

Autodesk Forma automates manual field workflows by using AI to reduce typing, speed up documentation, and improve visibility without slowing down field execution.

Field teams move quickly, and documentation is often one of the first tasks to get delayed under pressure. Incomplete issue documentation can create communication gaps, missed follow-up, and increased project risk.

Autodesk Forma helps accelerate issue creation with AI-powered capabilities built into mobile workflows. Teams can capture photos, answer a simple prompt, and automatically generate detailed issues with relevant context included. AI helps populate issue details and reduce manual typing in the field. Teams still review and edit before submission.

The results are:

• Faster issue creation
• More complete documentation
• Better project visibility without slowing down field execution

How does Autodesk Forma make RFI workflows faster?

Autodesk Forma makes RFI workflows faster by generating context-rich drafts from a prompt or project question.

Construction projects depend on timely clarification, but manually creating RFIs can be repetitive and time-consuming. Autodesk Forma uses AI-powered RFI creation to draft RFIs using connected project information.

AI can help populate fields such as RFI type, due date, and location details while surfacing related documents and relevant project context that might otherwise be missed. Teams still review, edit, and approve RFIs before submission, so oversight remains in place while manual effort goes down.

Autodesk Forma also supports customizable RFI workflow templates so admins can establish default managers and reviewers for each type of RFI. Once submitted, RFIs are automatically routed to the appropriate ball-in-court based on type.

The results are:

• Faster RFI turnaround
• Improved consistency
• Quicker communication that helps keep projects moving

How do connected workflows improve issue, approval, and change management?

Connected workflows improve issue, approval, and change management by keeping the full history and impact of project changes in one place.

Field issues rarely exist in isolation. Small problems can quickly affect schedules, budgets, and downstream coordination. Autodesk Forma helps teams generate Potential Change Orders directly from issues or RFIs while maintaining the full context and history of project changes.

Teams can track issue status, approvals, review progress, and associated cost impacts in one connected workflow. As updates are made, changes automatically sync across workflows, helping teams maintain visibility, accountability, and alignment between field and office teams.

The results are:

• Faster review cycles
• Better coordination between field and office teams
• Clearer visibility into project risk and financial impacts

How does Autodesk Forma improve project reporting and analytics?

Autodesk Forma improves reporting and analytics by connecting live project data directly to reporting workflows.

Project reporting should help teams make decisions, not create additional administrative work. Autodesk Forma simplifies reporting with automated daily reports and configurable templates that generate reports using real-time information from RFIs, issues, inspections, forms, submittals, schedules, field activity, and more.

Field teams can capture weather, manpower, delays, deliveries, and site activity directly from mobile devices, so information is documented as work happens instead of hours later.

On the financial side, connected cost management reporting gives teams clearer visibility into budget performance and changes over time. Features like Budget Snapshots allow teams to capture and compare budget versions at key milestones, making it easier to identify changes, track variances, and understand how decisions affect financial health.