Latest News from the GovWell team
Hi there,
Here we are again with another incredibly exciting update! The brand new Compare Mode for Plan Reviews is here!
Compare Mode is a brand new tool in your Plan Review toolbox that allows you to compare plan sets, mark them up while comparing, and navigate them all within a seamless, easy-to-use interface in your Plan Viewer. We listened closely to your feedback on what you wished our previous comparison tool had, and got to work to deliver an experience that further meets your needs.
To enter Compare Mode, look for the Compare Versions button at the top right corner of your Plan Viewer (available on version 2 or later only).
Compare Mode switches your view from a single file viewer pane to two. Each pane is labeled with the version, sheet, and page currently being displayed.
This allows you to easily compare the two versions side by side at all times. You can also navigate between pages using the arrows to the right of the plan selector.
Comments and Files are hidden to allow the two versions to fit the screen but if you need them at any time, the button to make them appear is located at the top left corner of the screen.
One of the most exciting features of Compare Mode is the ability to continue working on the current plan set – adding markups, measurements, comments, and more – without ever leaving the comparison viewer!
The sheet labeled Current is the live one. This pane has an orange outline and displays the toolbar beneath it. Comments, stamps, measurements, and more all work here exactly as they do in a normal review!
The Prior sheet now displays the previous review round's comments and markups in their original positions. Not only can you compare the plan files themselves, but you can also compare markups and comments from the previous version against the new plans!
Compare Mode offers you two view options:
Compare Mode highlights new items in blue and removed items in red, but you can select from a color palette to customize how these highlights are displayed.
Diff Opacity lets you turn the opacity of the highlights up, down, or off entirely.
Another great feature: whenever you zoom in or out or move your plans around, the comparison view moves with them.
If the overlay looks shifted or the scale doesn't match, use the Align feature! This allows you to select three matching points on the current sheet, then the same three points on the prior sheet in the same order.
This ensures the plans are properly aligned when using the Overlay comparison view.
If all of the above wasn't enough, we also have the brand new Snap to Content tool! This allows you to snap measurements to the actual line work on the plan files – walls, corners, and more – instead of placing them freehand, which can be imprecise.
Activate this feature by clicking the 🧲 Magnet icon on your toolbar. Once enabled, any measurement tool will detect the ink in the plan files as you draw.
You can also hold Option (or Alt on Windows) to temporarily disable snapping and place a point off the plan lines.
⚠️ Note: This feature works most consistently on vector CAD pages. Scans or flattened plot plans may not deliver consistent results.
💡 If you'd like to learn more about the features available for Plan Reviewers, please check out our Guide to Plan Review!
And that's it for now! We have plenty more in the works, so stay tuned for more updates soon! 🚀
Hi there,
Bruno from the GovWell team here. Buckle up, this is going to be a long (but great) update! Over the past month, our team has introduced a sweeping number of updates to our Plan Review feature. They were inspired by your feedback, so thank you for your input in making GovWell better!
We have many new things to talk about so let's dive in!
You can access the Search tab in the left sidebar or by pressing Command⌘ + F (MacOS) or Ctrl + F (Windows). Type the keyword you're looking for and our system will browse through the text content of every page in the selected plan set. Our system will look for any matches, and show the respective file name, page title, page number, and a snippet.
Plan pages now show up in global search. Click a hit and plan review opens on that page with the keyword highlighted. You don't have to open the record first.
In the Files tab, thumbnails now display auto-detected page titles (e.g. "Floor Plan"). You can edit the titles using the pen icon next to the page title in the thumbnail.
Search for specific pages within plan files using the page selector or the following command in MacOS: Command + G or Windows: Ctrl + G
Select the files from this Plan Set that you want to view from a dedicated dropdown menu.
A new shape that allows you to draw a cloud with a text callout attached to it! Includes customization options such as line thickness and colors.
Freehand Pen - Freely draw draw, sign and make precise annotations with this tool
Highlighter - Use this tool to add semi-transparent area callouts on the plan itself. Great to highlight text and areas of interest!
Easily customize the fill color and opacity in any shapes now! Very useful for calling out areas without relying on comments.
New controls for opacity, rotation, and size can apply to stamps across many pages at once
Easily fit your plans to fit the width of your plan viewer. This is very helpful when a plan set mixes different page sizes.
Undo and redo your last actions. This feature works with any actions related to markups (create/move/edit/delete actions and calibration changes).
Keyboard shortcuts are Command⌘ + Z (undo) / Command⌘ + Shift⇧ + Z (redo) for MacOS devices and Ctrl + Z (undo) / Ctrl + Shift⇧+ Z (redo) for Windows devices
The Corrections Report PDF displays all the comments left by reviewers in each plan page, pointing exactly to the area the comment refers to.
All plan pages also include labels with their respective file name and page number.
Searching in the comments sidebar now matches code book item names, not just the comment body text!
And that's our update! Thanks for sticking with me all the way through this update - I hope these features our engineering team deployed help you deliver even better and quicker plan reviews to your applicants.
We'd also like to invite you to check out our Guide to Plan Review which goes into detail about the Plan Review process and all the tools at your disposal. Stay tuned for more updates!
Hi there,
We are very proud to introduce the brand new Guided Plan Review Corrections journey for applicants!
This new experience delivers a guided, step-by-step flow for applicants when plan reviewers request corrections. Instead of leaving applicants to navigate between different areas of the record page to respond to comments and upload corrections, all required actions are now clearly labeled and completed directly within the Plan Review window.
Here are the new features to help your applicants navigate the Plan Review journey:
The Plan Viewer now displays a step-by-step progress bar that gives applicants a clear, at-a-glance view of where they are in the review process and what still needs to be completed.
This section allows applicants to track and address all comments requiring their attention. The number of comments responded to updates in real time, and a quick link to the next comment needing a response is prominently highlighted for easy access.
Once all comments have been addressed, the tracker updates instantly to reflect completion!
The redesigned Create New Plan Set Version feature gives applicants a clear, intuitive path to submit revised plans when requested by reviewers.
Files currently part of the plan set are displayed with labels identifying which ones carried over from the previous version, and individual Replace buttons make it easy to swap each file with its updated version.
The uploader also now includes duplicate file detection! If an applicant uploads a file to the Additional Files area that already exists in the plan set, the system will flag the potential duplicate and alert the applicant.
If confirmed as a duplicate, the applicant can select which file it should replace – all within the same window. The system will even suggest the most likely match. Simple, smart, and convenient!
If an applicant attempts to leave the page before completing all required actions – such as responding to comments, uploading revised files, or finalizing the plans – they will be reminded of any unfinished tasks before they go.
If they leave the page anyway, an alert will appear next to each outstanding task to draw their attention back to what still needs to be done.
If an applicant goes 2 days without taking any action on their Plan Review tasks, our system will automatically send them a reminder email letting them know there are still outstanding items to complete.
And that's it for now! Stay tuned for more! 🚀
Hi there,
We're incredibly excited to bring you Reporting 2.0!
This major update introduces a suite of improved features to create, schedule, and fully customize reports directly from your Reporting dashboard, giving you a whole new level of customization over your data.
We heard your feedback and we're very happy to bring this update to you. Please watch this video by Noah, our engineer who led this project, for a comprehensive breakdown of this feature!
Narrow down your results with filters and manage which columns appear in your report, just like you can with your table views. A familiar approach to tailoring reports to your specific needs!
You can also create custom columns to pull in form field values or custom task fields.
You can now organize the main Reports Table with sorting options: sort your reports by Name, Report Type, or Schedule
The Reporting feature also features options for sorting, renaming and hiding columns directly from the preview table!
You can easily manage column sorting, names, and visibility by clicking the down arrow next to a column name to open the column menu.
To rename a column, click the Rename button and enter the new name. The new name will be immediately applied to the column in your report!
You can now access GIS data through columns! You can find them in their own subsection of the Manage Columns menu, ready to be added to your reports.
In your Report Configuration menu, you can set a recurring schedule – Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, and more – and have reports automatically delivered by email to teammates or external recipients. This is all set within your main report, so you don't need to set up a scheduled report separately.
When scheduling a report, you can select any date range – such as specific dates – or predetermined periods such as "This Month," "Every Other Week," and more.
The selected date range is independent of the schedule. This means you can set up a report that is delivered daily to your inbox covering a specific date range – such as all permits issued this week, or transactions that occurred this month!
If you'd like to learn more about our Reporting features, please check out our in-depth Help Center guide here!
That's it for now! Stay tuned for more – there's plenty more in the works 🚀
Hi there,
Bruno here with another update!
This time, we are very happy to introduce the ability to manage records and tasks in bulk! This means that, in some common scenarios, you will be able to easily update or close various records and tasks in a single click, instead of having to update them one by one or reach out to our team for assistance.
A new progress bar appears at the top right corner of your screen to display the progress of your bulk actions, allowing you to track progress or cancel the task before it completes if needed.
Another exciting update is that you now have the option to select all items matching the view/filters in your current view, instead of just the maximum of 50 visible on the current page. This is available for records, tasks, and inspections.
That's it for now, but we have plenty more in the works — stay tuned for more!
Hi there,
We've heard your feedback about the invoices you issue in GovWell, and we're excited to announce two new updates to our invoices that will make your life much easier!
Whenever you request a payment, you can now specify who the invoice is being billed to.
You can choose from Property Owner or Applicant, which will pre-fill their details, or specify your own Bill To information with a custom input.
Curious to see these updates in action? Check out this video by our engineer Josh!
Stay tuned for more updates soon!
Hi there,
We're thrilled to introduce a powerful new addition to our AutoCheck feature: AutoCheck is now available in Application Reviews!
This update brings AutoCheck to the very first phase of every new application entered in your system.
Here's what you can expect:
✨Check our video below for a quick tour of this updated feature!
Complete your reviews with confidence – AutoCheck is now live in Application Reviews! 🎉
Hi there,
We're thrilled to introduce Overdue Task Notifications – a new feature designed to make sure you and your team are always aware of important tasks! Whether it's an upcoming Plan Review or a task that's slipped past its due date, GovWell has you covered.
Here's what you can expect:
No more missed deadlines, no more scrambling – just your team staying on top of things and keeping applicants happy. 🎉
Hi there,
Our team is excited to announce the new Planning & Zoning Conditions feature. This feature provides your team with a structured way to capture, store, and reuse conditions of approval. These conditions are directly tied to a parcel or address and record the text, the property, who added the condition, and when/where it came from.
Some highlights:
Conditions can be entered and viewed in different areas of our platform, such as:
With the Planning & Zoning Conditions feature, you can ensure that address and parcel conditions are reliably visible to both staff and applicants.
💡 Want to see it in action? Our engineer Tanuj put together a video tour – check it out below!
Hi there,
Our team has now integrated the Community Assistant directly into the product, allowing your applicants to access our chatbot at any time within the app!
The Community Assistant is GovWell's AI chatbot designed to help your applicants find the answers to common questions about permits, applications, and municipal processes.
You can think of it as a virtual help desk to help your applicants with questions they would normally ask your team and through the entire journey on GovWell from start to finish. The Community Assistant is available 24/7!
For a more detailed outlook of this feature, please check our Help Center article here!
Interested in adding the Community Assistant on your website? Check out our configuration guide here!