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Technology Trends
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Since the daily log is the pulse on a construction project, it makes sense to streamline and automate the process with digital check-in.
Creating a project plan and schedule can be challenging, but it’s easy compared to turning a project vision into reality. As a way to make it easier, a slew of construction project management software has emerged. Products like Microsoft Project, PlanGrid and Procore immediately come to mind, and it’s not unheard of to see three or four project management solutions within the same company.
After a plan is baseline, each requires lots of data entry, primarily from jobsite daily logs, to match actual to planned work. Project management software is in the 21st century, but jobsite technology often is not, especially when it comes to filling out the daily log, which is still a largely paperbased process requiring manual data entry.
Since the daily log is the pulse on the project, it makes sense to streamline and automate the process. In other words, bring it into the 21st century and then integrate it with construction project management software so that the data flows seamlessly. For the person or people responsible for data entry, this is a significant time saver. For the general contractor (GC), that time savings and timely data help steer projects to greater profitability.
3 QUESTIONS WHEN SELECTING PROJECT MANAGEMENT
There are lots of project management software solutions available, but not all are the right fit for each GC or even each project. Here are three considerations when selecting a construction project management solution.
˜ How easily does it integrate with other software you’re
using? As more technology is introduced in the office and field, there is more data that can impact the progress and profitability of a project. The insight from this data should be easy to import into the project management solution.
˜ How tech savvy is your
team? If employees are not comfortable with the interface, making it part of their daily routine is going to be an uphill battle. While there’s a learning curve with most project management software, and you can incentivize key personnel to become
adept at using it, some solutions are easier to master than others. ˜ What is the total cost? It’s not just how much you’re paying for the software, it’s how much of your employees’ time is spent training, using and managing it compared to how much value it provides.
Once you’ve determined the right project management solution, it’s time to take a closer look at the dated processes being used on jobsites.
SHIFT TO DIGITAL CHECK-IN
One of the more recent shifts has been the increasing use of digital field check-in. It started as a way to conduct private health screenings during the pandemic and eliminate paper logs. But now, project managers are seeing additional benefits, specifically to replace paper-based project management updates from daily logs. Immediate benefits include reconciling hours worked against plan, validating invoices and always knowing who is or was on a jobsite or even uploading pictures of a job’s status or a worker’s vaccination card.
According to Brian Junginger, construction litigation attorney at McInerney & Dillon, “The information gained from digital check-in apps is critical in providing accurate information to OSHA investigators and insurance companies. It also provides necessary information to company management to prevent future similar accidents.”
GCs realized that by eliminating paper processes, they’re improving safety by replacing them with digital records. According to Kasey Duffy, senior business analyst at Pepper Construction, “Knowing who is or was on your jobsite is vital for safety, compliance and liability protection. Digital check-in is a critical safety tool that we’ll continue to use after the pandemic.”
Given how much insight is now being digitized and collected from the jobsite, it only makes sense to integrate checkin data with project management software. Digital data at both HQ and the field is how construction will achieve the productivity needed to build better in the next decade. ET
7Ways to Leverage the Power of Big Data
Today’s real-time collaborative technologies are mining large data repositories to get game-changing benefits.
The pandemic accelerated adoption of technologies that are changing the building business model, improving collaboration and productivity and driving up salaries and profit margins.
Tools such as 5D BIM, data analytics, drones, mobile solutions and collaborative tools such as common data environments are becoming more common among larger construction companies. While they improve productivity in real time, they are perhaps more significant in paving the way for more disruptive technologies to be adopted in the future.
“Big data” provides construction companies with a method to collect, analyze and apply vast amounts of information to help solve business problems and provide critical, informed insight for future activities. It helps companies complete projects on time, bid more accurately and build more efficiently. Big data, however, also poses a significant challenge when it comes to collecting, sharing and using the data generated across the complex construction ecosystem.
BIG DATA MANAGEMENT TIPS
Today’s construction firms are starting to adopt collaborative technology such as real-time, cloud-powered analytics to mine large structured and unstructured data repositories to make sure all stakeholders — architects, consultants, engineers, subcontractors, specialty tradesmen, clients, operators, agents, and suppliers — are on the same page and informed with realtime data. These technologies have the potential to redefine the industry by offering game-changing benefits.
˜ Prioritize digital tech-
nology: Big data enables construction and engineering companies to collect and analyze cost-related information, site-based transactions, photographs, communications, planning changes and more.
The construction industry is awash with data — literally thousands of pieces of information are generated for every project. Without digital technology, it is nearly impossible to identify key data items to enable a swift reaction to potential problems or apply positive outcomes to future projects. ˜ Mitigate risks: Harvesting and analyzing big data from construction projects can help identify potential risks and problems. For example, by analyzing productivity of key resources such as labor and equipment, big data solutions can inform the project team of potential delays, possible fatigue and overall project time and cost overruns. In addition, by collecting both structured and unstructured data, it is possible to overlay project-centric information with corporate data to help identify trends. If a negative trend is ignored, the entire business could be exposed to unacceptable risk.
˜ Leverage predictability:
Using big data systems alongside disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning provides critical information and insight before a project even breaks ground.
This allows potential issues such as coordination problems on construction sites, conflicts between different disciplines and trades and even the weather impact to be addressed before it’s too late. Research suggests that 98% of mega-projects suffer cost overruns of more than 30% and 77% are completed at least 40% late. The ability to pivot based on data insights could make a significant impact on reducing costs and time overruns.
˜ Utilize building information
modeling: With a proper data analytics tool in place, huge volumes of information can be quickly analyzed and used to determine probabilities and patterns that will help forecast potential issues that may impact projects throughout the construction phase. Feeding that data back into a BIM solution can create an even clearer and more accurate overview of the construction process. Integration of big data and BIM is worth the investment. When the data-driven BIM solution integrates with the back office and operational ERP systems, the opportunity to drive further productivity improvements is significant. ˜ Eliminate waste: According to a report from Transparency
Market Research, the volume of construction waste generated worldwide every year will nearly double to 2.2 billion tons by the year 2025.
Considering the digital technology available today, there’s simply no excuse for this level of waste in terms of resources
such as materials, equipment and time. With a recent focus on the principles of lean construction to reduce material waste, companies are turning to analytics tools. These tools provide the entire project team access to real-time information, which enables a more efficient delivery and utilization of materials, plants and equipment.
˜ Improve plant and equip-
ment productivity: Sensors are used on modern construction sites for gathering plant and machinery data to drive productivity improvements. Having these devices attached to on-site operational equipment generates a huge amount of information about the performance and utilization of instrumented construction machines.
Sensor data can show the idle and active times of machinery, thus showing contractors how to boost fuel efficiency and productivity and tell them whether it’s more costeffective to buy, lease or rent such equipment.
˜ Maintain a healthy and safe
workforce: Sensor-enabled wearable devices are having a profound impact on improving workplace conditions for site personnel. Not only can these sensors monitor environmental conditions that affect workplace safety, but biometric sensors within the wearable can monitor the health of the workers.
PREPARE FOR DISRUPTION
Familiarity with today’s technologies, and improving operations by using the big data flowing from them, opens the door for the next generation of technology and its truly disruptive potential for construction. 5D printing, IoT sensors, process automation, robotics, digital twins, cognitive machine learning and AI have already proven to be transformative in other industries, and we can expect to see the same elemental effects in the construction industry.
Early adopters face a basic lack of knowledge and a limited number of success stories about application of these technologies in construction to support the investment. But a key benefit that can be derived from IoT solutions in particular addresses one of construction’s most pernicious challenges: workforce management.
Digitizing workforce management will help construction companies recognize some impressive benefits including: ˜ reduction in labor costs through more accurate budgeting and planning, ˜ risk mitigation through simplified legal and internal policy compliance, ˜ enhanced employee experience through optimized scheduling, ˜ and improved productivity via automated administrative tasks.
It is time for the construction industry to embrace the digital age and start realizing technology’s potential to positively impact operations in 2021 and beyond. ET
Bill Vellante is vice president and general manager for Infor’s North America Services Industries.
