How the Åland Real Estate Authority digitized its project management with SokoPro

The Real Estate Authority of the Province of Åland manages some 400 buildings and facilities together with extensive land areas and bodies of water in Åland, which makes the Authority a key figure in the public infrastructure of the region. With a growing need for greater oversight over and more secure document management, the Authority chose to implement a professional project database. SokoPro, the chosen solution, has since contributed to more efficient partnerships and fewer errors, and markedly improved quality assurance throughout the organization.

Daniel Andersson, an architect at the Province’s Real Estate Authority, explains that the need for a more structured approach became clear as more and more complex projects had to be managed with challenges such as keeping track of files, versions and who was responsible for what. 

When multiple parties are involved in the same project, what information applies where has to be clear. If someone were to use an old drawing, this can lead to mistakes,” Andersson says. 

From dispersed documents to structured project management 

Before SokoPro was implemented, the Authority did not have a unified system for managing project information. Drawings and files were shared in several different ways, which increased the risk of incorrect versions being used or important information not reaching the right person. With SokoPro, the Real Estate Authority gained a central platform where it is easy to manage who has access to what, and to always ensure that everyone is working with the latest version of each document. 

This is especially important in complex construction projects involving many external parties, and where being able to collate all documentation in one place is crucial. 

SokoPro is a quality assurance tool for us. We now know that the right person gets the right information, which saves time and minimizes errors. What’s more, SokoPro means we are more professional in dealing with everyone else involved in projects,” says Andersson. 

User-friendliness is the basis for structured project management 

Functionality wasn’t the only consideration when the Real Estate Authority chose SokoPro – user-friendliness of the interface was another key factor. For a team where not everyone is necessarily familiar with IT systems, it was important to find a tool that colleagues, project managers and external stakeholders could all use without a lengthy learning curve. 

One major advantage has been that the system works just as well in the office as on a construction site, whether it is accessed on a PC, tablet or smartphone. This means that drawings and other project information are always readily available, wherever the user happens to be. Previously, users needed to have access to paper copies or to internal servers. Now, one single login is all it takes. 

You can see that SokoPro is designed for this purpose. It’s secure, convenient and works on both mobile devices and in the office,” says Andersson. 

At the same time, the service provided by the SokoPro team has played an important part in the overall experience. “Professional, friendly and solutions-oriented,” is how Andersson describes contact with the customer service team. The combination of an intuitive system and responsive support has meant that SokoPro has quickly become a natural part of the way the Real Estate Authority works. 

A partnership that is developing 

The partnership has been growing since the start in 2023. The Real Estate Authority is now using SokoPro in more and more projects and can see opportunities to broaden its use to include smaller construction and maintenance jobs – projects that were previously managed via email and documents in many different places. With the aim of creating a consistent working method irrespective of the size of the project. 

The partnership has been seamless from the word go. We feel they listen to us and then always respond quickly,” Andersson says. 

For SokoPro, the relationship with the Real Property Authority has also been a valuable partnership. According to Ilona Huuhtanen, an Account Executive at SokoPro, the team on Åland has shown how a digital tool can be seamlessly integrated into operations that manage everything from hospitals and schools to cultural heritage, nature reserves and infrastructure projects. 

The team at the Real Estate Authority are incredibly autonomous – they start and run the projects on their own, without having to contact support. This is testament both to how intuitive the system is and the professionalism that characterizes their work,” says Huuhtanen. 

Another key to a successful partnership is communication. As SokoPro has employees that can speak both Swedish and English, they are able to communicate on the customer’s terms – something that has been particularly important for the Real Estate Authority as a bilingual organization. 

We have been able to support them in the second official language of the Province and have been proactive in explaining about new features. This has meant the partnership has felt smooth and reciprocal from day one,” says Huuhtanen.