How to Run a Successful Fabrication Software Pilot: Lessons from Construction Contractors

Most mechanical contractors have been burned by software at least once. A slick demo. A big rollout. Then six months later, the shop is back on paper and spreadsheets. In one survey of more than 1,000 construction professionals cited by Autodesk, 37% said their company bought software in the past year that it never adopted.

That’s why the smartest buyers don’t start with a full rollout. They start with a pilot. A well-run pilot proves the software works in your shop, with your people, on your work, before you commit the whole operation.

Here’s how construction contractors structure a fabrication shop software pilot that produces a clear yes-or-no answer in 90 days.

Definition: What is a fabrication software pilot? A fabrication software pilot is a limited, time-boxed trial of fab shop management software on one real project or work area. It has a defined scope, named owners and success metrics agreed in advance. The goal isn’t to test features in a demo environment. It’s to prove, with live production data, whether the software improves visibility, labor efficiency and delivery enough to justify a full rollout.

How do advanced contractors run a successful fabrication software pilot program?

1. Start with the problem, not the software

Write down the one or two problems the pilot must solve. “We don’t know where spools are.” “Our labor estimates keep missing.” “QA/QC paperwork is slowing turnover.” Each problem becomes a success metric.

AZCO, a Burns & McDonnell company, is a good example. Its 45,000 sq. ft. pipe fab facility didn’t choose MSUITE for modeling sophistication. The primary driver was operational control: knowing exactly where spools were, what packages were being worked on and how production lined up with plans.

2. Pick the right pilot project

Choose a real job that’s big enough to matter and small enough to control. Good pilot projects:

Start fabrication in the next 30–60 days, so you’re not piloting on a job that’s half done
Run 6–12 weeks in the shop
Use your most common work type (carbon steel spools, plumbing assemblies, duct)
Have a PM and foreman who want to try something new

Avoid your highest-risk, most schedule-critical job. (Here’s why starting small works.) The pilot should prove value, not bet the relationship with a GC.

3. Name a champion and an executive sponsor

Pilots stall without owners. Autodesk’s customer success team recommends a lead champion who drives daily adoption, plus an executive sponsor who clears roadblocks. In the shop, the champion is often the fab shop manager or a lead fabricator. The sponsor is the operations VP or owner.

4. Set success metrics before day one

Agree on 3–5 measurable targets and record a baseline from your current process. Pull them from your shop KPIs (see our guide to the 7 fabrication KPIs every MEP shop manager needs):

Time to answer “where is this spool?”
Labor hours tracked to the spool or package (% of hours captured)
On-time package delivery to the field
First-pass QA/QC yield and time to assemble turnover documents
Admin hours spent printing, updating spreadsheets and chasing status

5. Train the people who touch the work

Training is the top barrier to BIM-driven fabrication. Dodge Construction Network found need for training (37%) and lack of skilled expertise (30%) lead the list of obstacles. Train by role: fabricators, fitters, welders, QA and PMs each need a 15–30 minute walkthrough on what they do in the system. AZCO’s rollout included on-site walkthroughs of sequences and roles, with iPads deployed across welders, fit-up booths, cutters and loaders.

6. Run new work in the system, and let legacy work finish

Don’t migrate old jobs mid-stream. AZCO onboarded new projects in the software while legacy jobs were phased out. That avoids double entry and keeps the floor from juggling two systems on the same package.

7. Review weekly, decide at day 90

Hold a 30-minute weekly check-in with the champion, sponsor and vendor. Log issues, wins and adoption. At day 90, compare results to the baseline and make a go/no-go call.

Pilot programs can vary, but here’s 90-day example for a mechanical contractor?

Phase	Weeks	What happens	Output
Plan	1–2	Define problems, pick project, name champion/sponsor, record baseline metrics	Signed pilot charter
Set up	3–4	Configure stations, workflows and roles; connect BIM/spool drawings; deploy tablets; role-based training	Shop live on pilot project
Run	5–10	Fabricators log status at each station; PMs use dashboards; weekly check-ins	Live production data
Measure & Decide	11–13	Compare to baseline; gather crew and PM feedback; build rollout plan and ROI case	Go/no-go decision and rollout roadmap

Common pilot mistakes to avoid

No baseline. If you didn’t measure the old way, you can’t prove the new way is better.
Too many people, too fast. Start with one crew or work area, then expand.
Running two systems in parallel forever. Pick a cutover date for the pilot project and stick to it.
Measuring features instead of outcomes. “It has a dashboard” isn’t a result. “PMs stopped calling the shop for status” is.
No plan for after day 90. Decide in advance what a “go” looks like and who approves the rollout budget.

Important Return on Investment Metrics

Metric	Source
37% of construction companies bought software in the past year they never adopted	Survey of 1,000+ construction professionals, cited by Autodesk
37% cite need for training as the top obstacle to BIM-driven fabrication	Dodge SmartMarket Brief (2025)
54% of mechanical contractors already use fabrication management software	Dodge SmartMarket Brief (2025)
87% of current users chose a commercial product over homegrown	Dodge SmartMarket Brief (2025)
92% of construction firms report difficulty hiring craft workers	AGC/NCCER 2025 Workforce Survey
Real-time spool location and status for PMs and leadership	AZCO (DEWALT/MSUITE case study)

Running a Pilot sometimes makes the most sense

A pilot can bring great confidence. Pick one real project, name an owner, measure the baseline and give it 90 days. With 92% of construction firms struggling to hire craft workers (AGC/NCCER), you can’t afford a rollout that burns your best people’s time. A focused pilot is the lowest-risk way to find out whether fab shop management software will give them that time back.

FAQ for Construction Contractors

How long should a fabrication software pilot last? Most MEP contractors plan for about 90 days: two weeks to plan, two weeks to set up and train, six weeks of live production and two to three weeks to measure and decide.

What project should I use for a fab shop software pilot? Pick a real job that starts fabrication in the next 30–60 days, runs 6–12 weeks in the shop and uses your most common work type. Avoid your highest-risk, most schedule-critical project.

What metrics should a fabrication software pilot measure? Measure outcomes against a baseline: time to locate spool status, percentage of labor hours captured by package, on-time delivery to the field, first-pass QA/QC yield and admin hours saved.

How do you get shop workers to adopt new fabrication software during a pilot? Train by role in short sessions, put tablets at the stations where work happens, name a respected lead fabricator as champion and run only new work in the system so crews aren’t double-entering.

What happens after a successful pilot? Build a phased rollout plan: add work areas or trades one at a time, carry over the pilot’s configuration and champions, and use pilot data to set targets and justify the investment.

DEWALT Construction Technology helps mechanical contractors work better, faster, and more efficient. See MSUITE Live →

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Sources:

Autodesk Digital Builder, “Experts Share Tips for Successful Construction Technology Implementation”
Dodge Construction Network, Optimizing Digital Fabrication for Mechanical Contractors SmartMarket Brief (survey of 197 U.S. mechanical contractors, August 2025), download via MSUITE
AGC and NCCER, 2025 Construction Workforce Survey
DEWALT/MSUITE, How AZCO Brought Real-Time Control to Pipe Fabrication case study (2026)