From PDF to RFI: Automating Your Precon Workflow
How to spend less time on data entry and more time solving problems
Your project engineers didn't get into construction to type data into forms. They got into it to build things—to solve problems, coordinate trades, and keep projects moving. But somewhere along the way, preconstruction became a documentation exercise.
The actual work of finding issues in drawings takes skill and experience. The administrative work of logging those issues into your project management system? That's just overhead. And it's eating hours every week.
The Old Way: Death by Data Entry
Here's the workflow most teams use when reviewing construction documents:
Download from Procore, PlanGrid, or email. Open in Bluebeam or Adobe. Navigate to the relevant sheet.
~2 minutes
Identify the problem area. Draw a cloud or rectangle around it. Add a callout with a note.
~3 minutes
Take a screenshot of the marked-up area. Crop it. Save it somewhere you can find it.
~2 minutes
Switch to your browser. Navigate to the project. Open the RFI tool. Click "Create New."
~1 minute
Type the subject line. Select the assignee. Pick the ball-in-court. Choose the spec section. Set the due date. Write the question.
~4 minutes
Find the screenshot you saved. Upload it. Maybe add the full drawing as a reference too.
~2 minutes
Click submit. Go back to the drawing. Find the next issue. Do it all again.
~1 minute
And that's if you don't get interrupted
If your preconstruction review generates 30 RFIs (a modest number for a medium-sized project), that's 7.5 hours of pure administrative work. Time that could be spent actually solving problems.
The Hidden Cost: Context Switching
The 15 minutes per RFI is just the obvious cost. The real productivity killer is the context switching.
When you're reviewing drawings, you're in "analysis mode." You're looking at the big picture—understanding how systems interact, spotting patterns, identifying risks. This requires focus.
Every time you stop to log an RFI, you switch to "admin mode." You're filling out forms, uploading files, clicking dropdown menus. By the time you get back to the drawing, you've lost your place. You have to re-establish context.
Studies on knowledge workers show that after an interruption, it takes an average of 23 minutes to return to the original task with full focus. Even if you don't take that long, the constant switching degrades the quality of your review.
The New Way: Review Now, Log Later (Automatically)
What if you could stay in analysis mode the entire time? Here's how the workflow looks with automation:
Drag and drop the PDF set into Articulate. The AI immediately begins analyzing every sheet.
~1 minute
Within minutes, you have a list of potential issues—each with the exact location pinpointed on the drawing. Review them, dismiss false positives, add notes to the real ones.
Time varies by drawing complexity
One click per issue. The system auto-populates the RFI with the description, sheet reference, and a cropped image of the marked location.
~10 seconds per issue
The RFI shows up in your project's RFI log instantly. The screenshot is attached. The spec section is pre-filled based on the drawing discipline.
Automatic
Most of which is actual review, not data entry
The Real Comparison: Time Allocation
That's 8 hours saved on a single preconstruction review. For a busy PM running multiple projects, that adds up fast.
What Gets Pushed to Procore
When you click "Push to RFI," here's what transfers automatically:
| Field | Auto-Populated From |
|---|---|
| Subject | Issue description from Articulate |
| Question | Detailed issue text with context |
| Drawing Reference | Sheet number and detail reference |
| Spec Section | Based on discipline (03 for structural, 09 for finishes, etc.) |
| Attachment | Cropped screenshot with issue location marked |
| Custom Fields | Configurable based on your Procore setup |
You can still edit any field before the RFI is created. The automation handles the tedious parts; you keep control of the final content.
Engineering Time vs. Admin Time
The goal isn't to replace your project engineers. It's to let them focus on work that actually requires their expertise:
- Identifying constructability issues
- Spotting code compliance problems
- Evaluating coordination conflicts
- Assessing schedule impacts
- Recommending solutions
- Taking screenshots
- Filling out form fields
- Uploading attachments
- Copying sheet references
- Selecting dropdown options
Your engineers should spend their time on the left column. The right column is where automation belongs.
Stop the Copy-Paste Cycle
Tired of manually logging every issue you find? Articulate's AI can scan your drawings, flag potential issues, and push them directly to Procore with a single click—complete with screenshots and drawing references.
Let your engineers engineer. Let automation handle the admin.
See a Live Demo