How Byrne Consultants Improved Multi-Office Collaboration and CAD Control Across a Growing Engineering Business

The Challenge

As Byrne Consultants grew its team and opened a second office, the business needed a better way to collaborate across locations while maintaining strong quality assurance standards. The team had been relying on cloud file-sharing tools such as Dropbox and OneDrive to move files between offices, with manual processes used to file, track and manage information.

This created challenges around document quality assurance, version control, duplication and data transfer times. Staff often had to copy files down to local drives, make edits, then upload them back again — without confidence that they were always working from the latest version.

With teams split across two offices 3,400km apart, Byrne needed a system that could support multi-office collaboration, flexible working and productive CAD workflows without compromising data integrity.

The Solutions

Byrne implemented 12d Synergy to create a centralized Common Data Environment for all project information. The platform gave the team one place to manage emails, documents, CAD drawings, 12d Model projects and TUFLOW models, helping reduce duplication and improve visibility across both offices.

The rollout itself was straightforward. Byrne first reviewed its job structure and defined how it wanted data organized in the system. Once the new document structure had been communicated internally, the software was installed on the server and deployed to users who required remote access. A go-live date was then set and the team transitioned across.

According to Phillip Weightman, Principal at Byrne Consultants, staff who had used a previous document management system were generally up and running within 30 minutes to 1 hour, while recent graduates could typically be onboarded in 1 to 2 hours following an initial guidance session.

The Result

• Created a central environment for 40 staff across design, drafting and administration.
• Supported collaboration across 2 offices located 3,400km apart.
• Reduced transferred data volumes by up to 91% for large engineering datasets.
• Enabled teams to work across 4 to 6 projects at a time, with 50 to 100 drawings per project.
• Improved onboarding, with experienced users up and running in 30 minutes to 1 hour

A growing business needed stronger multi-office workflow control

For Byrne Consultants, the real challenge was not a single project but the growing complexity of delivering work across multiple locations. What had once been manageable with shared cloud folders and manual file handling became increasingly inefficient as the team expanded.

With staff working across the Gold Coast, Darwin and remote locations, the business needed a more consistent and traceable way to manage project information, CAD files and document control as part of daily delivery.

Spotlight: Transforming Byrne’s multi-office engineering workflow

12d Synergy helped Byrne replace fragmented file-sharing processes with a more structured and controlled environment. Standard folder structures, file naming conventions and drafting standards gave the team a more consistent way to manage project data across both offices.

This became especially important in CAD workflows, where duplication, title block management and document version control had previously created unnecessary risk. Drawings and Xrefs could now be tracked more confidently, with clear visibility over who was working on what and when. Byrne also used the Bulk File Attribute Editor to update title blocks and attributes without opening AutoCAD, reducing manual effort and making cross-office coordination easier.

Kerrie Signorini described the Bulk File Attribute Editor as her favorite feature, noting that it made title block changes “far easier” and helped make the process seamless when working across two offices and different teams.

Strengthening quality assurance and collaboration

With 12d Synergy in place, Byrne gained full traceability across its project data, from CAD files and 12d Model projects through to routine office documentation. This made it easier to look back at earlier revisions, confirm who had worked on a drawing and maintain stronger QA across the business.

The platform also improved collaboration well beyond the core office team. Remote staff, contractors, clients and authorities could connect securely to the system, while Intelligent Data Transferring reduced the amount of data moved by up to 91%, making it practical to work with large engineering datasets across offices or from home.

This also improved day-to-day project interactions. Byrne was able to access and present data more easily in client meetings, including showing how designs looked at different points in time.

Supporting flexible work and future growth

12d Synergy also helped Byrne create a more flexible working environment. Staff could work from home, in the field, on the road or from either office without losing access to project information. That flexibility supported both business continuity during COVID restrictions and longer-term talent attraction and retention.

Kerrie Signorini noted that being able to move easily between home, the Gold Coast office and the Darwin office made day-to-day work significantly easier. For Byrne, this meant recruitment could focus more on skill and less on geography, helping the business remain competitive as it continued to grow.

Positioned for more competitive project delivery

For Byrne Consultants, 12d Synergy became more than a document management system. It gave the business a more structured and scalable way to manage quality assurance, CAD workflows and collaboration across offices, remote staff and external stakeholders.

That has helped Byrne work more confidently across projects of varying complexity while giving the business a stronger platform for future growth. Phillip Weightman also noted that because many larger consultancies already use 12d Synergy, Byrne can collaborate more effectively on larger projects and gain a competitive advantage over other small to medium-sized firms.