Increase productivity and increase profits
Digital tools are rapidly transforming construction. A significant shift towards new technologies is observed in construction companies' efforts to create a new normal and successfully deal with competition both within and outside the industry.
The sooner construction stakeholders realize the need to make their projects more agile and accessible, the easier it will be for them to see more on site, increase productivity and eventually deliver sooner and increase their profits.
Of course, finding and implementing the right tools in your projects is not always an easy task. Many project managers tell us that they still rely on WhatsApp, Messenger or even Excel and emails to communicate their projects.
As good as they are, these tools are not made for construction and cannot provide the context you need when receiving a website update. The result? Fragmented communication between the website and the office, excessive administrative workload and excess information for stakeholders involved in the project.
This is why industry-specific tools are so important. You should always be able to stay in touch with your teams in the field without losing sight of the 3-6 week planning and master schedule.
To achieve this, however, two things are needed: digital solutions developed for the construction industry and a single source of truth. So you can bridge the gap between on-site and office while keeping your project safe from endless complaints that can delay your project both in terms of time and budget.
So it quickly becomes clear that effective mobile field reporting is of paramount importance not only for the success, but in the long term even the survival of your construction company.
Before we dive into more information about how you can beat the competition by increasing website visibility, it's a good idea to take a closer look at the main issues the industry is struggling with right now.
Common problems in construction projects
Construction projects are becoming increasingly digital and agile, but unfortunately, there is still a long way to go. As suggested by Dr. Jan Mischke, partner at McKinsey Global Institute, the productivity gap between construction and the average economy is more than $1.6 billion per year.
In this sense, there is significant room for improvement and many pitfalls to be faced. In a nutshell, here are the key issues the construction industry should focus on:
Broken communication
Lack of collaboration is a major problem in many construction projects to this day. The inability to connect in real time with the various members of your team hurts your project in terms of both money and time.
Limited access to valuable project information naturally leads to broken communication and serious coordination issues that can force your schedule to fall behind.
Additionally, task updates and crucial project details are not delivered on time as coordination through emails and phone calls can simply take too long. Efficiency rates of 30% and budget overruns of 80% are just some of the statistics that document the serious problem construction currently faces.
Digital tools can help the construction sector become more effective, establishing a faster and more direct communication process.
Poor resource management
The lack of visibility on the ground often generates a series of problems when it comes to resource management. More specifically:
- Subcontractors may arrive on site in vain.
- Materials may not be available at the time they are needed. Or they may be ordered too early, leading to unnecessary waste.
- Local teams may be double booked, leading to task delays.
An industry-specific reporting tool will allow construction companies to avoid such problems due to the powerful project insights it can provide. For example, tracking materials throughout the supply chain with the help of sensors can facilitate the automatic ordering and delivery of new bunches on site. This way, construction managers can always be sure that everything will be in place at the right time and place, so the next task can begin without delay.
Delayed claims
In construction, documentation is essential. Many project and site managers spend a lot of time responding to complaints that block their work and cost them thousands of euros. The reason?
- Lack of alignment between location and office.
- Excess information that feeds the administrator's workload.
- Lack of standardization in QHSE processes.
Data waste
The construction industry is throwing away almost 95% of the data it generates. In other words, construction wastes valuable knowledge and design intelligence that could be critical to the sector's development.
Many opportunities for the industry to improve will be wasted and it is no surprise that the construction sector continues to face the same problems. Predictive analytics is a great example of how data can empower the way construction works.
Thanks to its use, construction companies can save a lot of time and effort when designing and executing a new project. And this is because they could have access to important information about previous projects where the same problems were faced (e.g. weather conditions, building regulations in a specific area, etc.).
Excessive administrative burden
Project managers tell us they spend up to 40% of their days writing reports, jumping from meeting to meeting, and chasing people on the website for updates. This practically means that:
- They get buried in details and miss the full picture.
- They can't focus their attention on getting the project moving.
- They don't have time to focus on tasks that really matter.
- They continually have to deal with poor collaboration between stakeholders.
Using an industry-specific digital tool could make your mobile field reporting much more agile and allow you to identify issues early so you can reduce their impact and produce reports with the click of a button.
How to ensure the success of mobile field reports in your construction company
It is now evident that mobile field reporting can provide a significant competitive advantage for your company, provided it is used in the right way.
However, like any other aspect of a construction project, you shouldn't invest in digital just for the sake of it. You must be extra careful in choosing the right tools that can support this digital shift.
In an effort to help you make the right choice, below are the key things you should look for when focusing on your mobile field reporting:
1. Use a single source of truth
You may have already read in many posts on our blog about the importance of having all project information in a single source of truth. There are several benefits behind this approach.
Firstly, you can noticeably reduce your administrative workload as all project communications will be gathered in one place. This is also the smartest way to ensure that all stakeholders in your project are facing the same direction. The reason is simple. Everyone will have access to the necessary information so they can plan their next tasks and make timely adjustments when necessary.
Furthermore, a single source of truth is also a single source of proof. In other words, you can always stay aligned with the site manager and flag critical issues on time. This means you can make or respond to complaints in a matter of hours, instead of days or even weeks. No more searching a million different places for that photo or email that will keep your project safe.
2. Connect website updates to your planning
Tying all field updates to the 3-6 week forecast and master schedule is one of the smartest things you can do to ensure the success of your projects. This way, all interested parties can react to website updates much faster, as they will not lack the overall picture of the project. Simply put, everything comes back to context as we mentioned above.
Connecting website updates to your planning directly enables faster decision-making and makes it considerably easier for project managers to navigate the countless tasks and requests they need to monitor every day.
Furthermore, it also offers a great opportunity to raise the standard of your quality management. Project managers will be able to connect nonconformities directly to the plan, allowing local teams to resolve safety and quality issues as they go. This can save time and money for your projects as there will be no unpleasant surprises waiting for you during deliveries.
3. Count on an easy-to-use app made for construction
Last but not least is choosing the digital tool you will use to manage your mobile field reports. Considering it will be used primarily by people on site, it should be an application that is easy to work with and can understand the time and data fragile processes of a construction project.
This is why, again, it is so essential to find a specific tool for construction and not simply an application that allows you to exchange information in real time. Because at the end of the day it's not just about real-time updates, it's about how those updates affect your short- and long-term planning.
How to connect everyone and beat the competition in construction
If done right, mobile field reporting can be one of the most valuable weapons against negative margins and, eventually, competition in construction.
An industry-specific digital tool, a single source of data and the reduction of excessive administrative workload are, without a doubt, three vital components for the success of this difficult mission.
