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is a boutique GC/CM firm specializing in new construction remodels in the Denver area, with commercial projects under their belt as large as 44,000 square feet. Bauen’s ���Ǵ��� journey started with CEO and founder Chad Green, who was shopping around for a construction management platform to suit his small company’s unique needs.

Green initially tried platforms that were supposedly geared toward small businesses, but they were not nearly as extensive as he’d hoped.

“They didn’t have the capabilities to hit on all the points that I needed,” Green said. “Someone was telling me about ���Ǵ��� and it sounded exactly like what I needed. I did a demo and absolutely fell in love with it; it was exactly what I had envisioned in terms of connecting all project stakeholders.”

The six-year-old company’s name, Bauen, is the German word meaning “to build,” a nod to Germany’s famously stringent engineering standards and ruthless commitment to quality.

“I named it knowing I wanted to engineer the processes of the company to where it was running as well-oiled as it can on its own,” he said.

That same standard is mirrored in Green’s approach to creating standard operating procedures (SOPs), where every action to be undertaken is meticulously planned out in service of the broader project goals.

“I start with the end goal in mind. What are we intentionally trying to achieve to help us in our purpose? We as a company are working to construct processes to achieve purposeful results,” Green said.

For Bauen Studios, ���Ǵ��� is at the center of all of these systems working in harmony to help the company achieve those results.

���Ǵ��� has been the matrix of our systems. It is where information strategically flows in, through and out of in a multitude of directions. Our processes align with this informational flow.

This means that we aren’t needing to recreate system flows when they already exist within ���Ǵ���. We aim to take what is already provided to us, customize it, streamline it, and implement it in the way that works best for us,” said Green.

For smaller companies especially, keeping costs in line is of paramount importance.

“I think from a small business standpoint there’s a question of whether it’s going to be worth the investment. Ultimately, it’s an investment not just in your company, but your culture. You’ll get a financial ROI, but even more importantly is the big return you’ll get culturally. You’re sowing into the culture of your company that you care about your team’s time, and providing them with the tools they need to do their job well,” Green said.

Crucial to ensuring a company is getting the most out of its investment in ���Ǵ��� is a successful adoption of the platform. To help make sure everyone is extracting maximum value, Bauen brought on a consultant to examine their core processes and make tweaks to any areas where they might not be using ���Ǵ��� to its full extent.

When it comes to rolling out construction software like ���Ǵ��� the best way of ensuring a smooth transition is to be a very good listener.

“Listen to the people around you who use it in different ways. Making sure you’re taking peoples’ experiences and bringing them in, where it’s not just this top-down philosophy. Most often, work is being done out in the field, so you have to be in communication with the people out there so they know they’re being heard,” explained Green.

That same listening philosophy, and being aware of both his company and people’s needs, is core to Bauen’s approach to SOPs with a purpose.

“It’s really looking at your company and recognizing your specific needs. You can’t just take SOPs from other companies in the same industry because ultimately they’re not going to fit your people and who you are. When there’s a purpose behind what you’re doing, there’s a buy-in to it, and it’s meaningful.”

As for any tips and tricks Green has picked up over the course of his ���Ǵ��� journey, he deferred instead to some acquired wisdom from experience.

“You’re only going to get out of it what you put into it. Especially for a small business where you don’t have a tech department, we’ve prioritized the educational component of it to make sure our team really understands it. If you don’t put in that time to understand it and make sure you’re implementing it correctly, you’re only going to get broken results.”