Archive for category: Construction

Mobile technology isn’t a new concept for construction, but over the past 10 years, construction sites have changed dramatically, putting a stronger emphasis than ever before on mobile technology. There are multiple factors that are driving mobile at construction sites: larger mobile workforces, demand from leadership, and the need to have information instantly available to all levels of an organization. Leveraging mobile technology helps get the job done faster and better, reducing overall risk and cost. How? Mobile technology allows us to capture and consume information for every person on the job site. We’ve broken it down into three categories: speed, control, and accuracy.

Speed

Specifically in two areas: speed of work and speed of information (they go hand in hand). Construction sites are dynamic and constantly changing. As these changes occur information is created, information that other tasks are dependent on. The faster we can push this information to the contractors the faster they are able to complete their jobs. Mobile devices are used to capture these changes and to consume the updated information.

Control

Maintaining effective control of a job site requires you to have up-to-date information to make decisions and track progress. Understanding where you are is essential to know how close you are to the finish line. This type of thinking is causing executives to push new mobile tools into the workplace so that they can effectively capture the information they need to make decisions.

Accuracy

These days budgets are being squeezed more than ever before so that our margins are stronger. When you mix this with the fact that competition is driving prices down, it creates a paradox. Mobile technology helps this scenario because it increases our accuracy, therefore reducing risk and unnecessary spending. When every contractor is empowered to share and see the latest information you’ll be able to avoid unforeseen mistakes and costs.

According to JBKnowledge’s 2014 Construction Technology Report, 50.1% of construction professionals surveyed use a tablet for work purposes. Now, in 2016, we can expect this number to be closer to 60% and growing. Mobile technology is already a significant part of the construction site, but the impact of mobile will continue to grow, meaning that mobile will only be leveraged more in the future.

As the days of handling projects with fine old brainpower and foolscaps transformed into days of shoeboxes and spreadsheets, people began to realize that spreadsheets could, in fact, present them with an improved way of carrying out projects. Nowadays we are going through a comparable transition from shoeboxes and spreadsheets to even superior ways of undertaking projects with dedicated, specialized project documentation software. Nevertheless, human nature indicates that we are quite resistant to change, and this is entirely comprehensible with a decision to spend in construction management software, since it is often a significant investment.

Having said that, project documentation software is totally different to what was available back in the day as it can be easily customized to suit your particular industry or business. If you’re still unsure whether to dive right in and steer clear of spreadsheets, here are four benefits of project documentation software which you could be losing if you don’t:

A Central Database

With project documentation software, you have a core repository for all your project data, rather than spreadsheets spread over different workers’ local hard disks. Two, you can gain access to the central repository from anyplace with an internet access, meaning if you’ve offices in different places, or workers wanting to access files from the site, they’re able to all access the same data. In addition, a central database means your employees work more efficiently as each one has accessibility to most drawing management data. Also, project documentation software commonly provides communication tools which can help teams in discussing challenges in real-time.  The advantage is that each member is usually kept updated, quickly addressing issues as they occur.

Greater Document Control

With a central repository comes better control over all of your project documents. They’re easily retrievable in case of a claim or dispute and are never misplaced or lost. There is also greater personal accountability as each and every user has an account (login), and you may then quickly monitor who created, approved or modified certain documents.

Seamless Integration

Construction document management software allows you integrate all project information with your own accounting system. What this means is there is no wasted time reproducing data from your project crew to the accounting unit.

Standardized Processes

With construction document management software, all your procedures become consistent across the company. Everyone enters similarly required data when generating new documents, and all the reports for every single document feels and looks the same and provides the same information. That time when different employees created different document templates is long gone, and this offers your firm and project team better unity and consistency if they’re all operating from the same data/info presented in a similar manner.

Before investing in project documentation software, it is crucial to assess the requirements of your organization.  Knowing precisely which features will be required will help to simplify the decision-making process.  Properly creating a list of characteristics and functions in terms of required and optional will assist you in deciding which software most closely fits the needs of the firm.

Remove communication problems, eliminate costly mistakes and always keep your entire team up-to-date on your project by using the construction documentation software from FASTTAC. Whether you’re in the field or in the office, our easy-to-use project management software keeps everyone on the same page on the project’s progress. Stop working with old drawings and poor project management and start taking control of your construction site with help from FASTTAC.

As a project manager or contractor, your profitability is directly tied to your productivity. According to McKinsey & Company, a research and business management consulting firm, the investment value in infrastructure projects worldwide will more than double from $6 trillion in 2012 to $13 trillion by the year 2030. The use of project coordination software, construction apps, and project document management software are just some of the tools that can aid your efforts to improve your bottom line.

There are at least three project management solutions to consider that will have a discernible impact on your site’s productivity. These solutions include tools designed to improve the planning, management, and organization of your projects, mobile-based apps and project document management software to manage the essential paperwork associated with your project.

Construction Project Coordination Software

Industry specific project management software is indispensable in the coordination of the elements related to the successful completion of your construction project. One important benefit of project coordination software is the streamlining of standardization of the processes related to construction. This allows others to quickly assess progress, move required processes and keep a client abreast of the work being done to complete the project on time and on or near budget.

Mobile-based Construction Apps

With more than half of Americans relying on a smartphone or tablet, according to a recent Pew Research Internet Project report, it is reasonable to assume that more and more construction sites also rely on mobile technology in order to complete required documents or management essential elements of the construction process. Mobile-based construction apps, therefore, are an important complement to the use of mobile technology for the management of your site project. Construction apps allow you, your supervisors and other site workers to effectively communicate with each other, provide real-time updates and status reports and cut down on the amount of time needed to transfer paper-based data into an electronic form in order to complete required documents.

Software for Project Document Management

The management of all of your construction related documents is easily accomplished through the use of project document management software. Project document management software allows you to upload the specifics of your project, link and index required documents and extract the required data from these documents to file oversight reports, manage timelines and determine productivity. This software, coupled with mobile construction apps and coordination software, gives you all of the tools you need to properly document, manage and complete your construction project.

Keep your entire team on the same page whether they are on or off the construction site with help from FASTTAC. Our construction collaboration software provides construction companies with tech level communication for improved productivity, management and workflow across the board. If you are looking for a way to improve your workflow, remove communication problems and lower your overall costs, contact FASTTAC today to schedule your live demo of our construction project collaboration software.

Long ago the process of building something involved the creation of designs and blueprints, filing duplicate copies with the local building inspector and the maintenance of boxes or drawers full of invoices, work orders, change orders and other documentation. This way of doing things may have been adequate for many small builders but as more and more requirements for building design and safety came about, the need for a more efficient and better way of communicating information among construction project stakeholders became a necessity.

The changes that have taken place in construction through the availability of technology has allowed you to build better, safer buildings faster and at a lower cost than in the past. Here is a discussion of the evolution of the tools and technology used in construction and how the development of technology enables collaboration among building stakeholders (i.e. architects, designers, site managers and contractors).

The Evolution of Tools and Technology Used in Construction

The concept of project management became synonymous with construction management beginning in the 1950s. Larger contractors working on federal projects employed project management techniques in order to compete for large dollar projects. These techniques involve avoiding problems that may arise during the course of the project, establishing new techniques, achieving objectives in an efficient and fast manner and managing the complexities of group dynamics.

How Changes in Technology Enable Collaboration

The concept of project management has been defined for construction project management in terms of the following: requirements; forward thinking; communications and evaluation. The use of these concepts motivates those members of your team and allows group thinking toward the proper completion of the project. Communication allows construction project stakeholders to discuss required construction documents and ensure that all participants in the project are well informed and up-to-date on important requirements. Technology helps link all of the aspects of project management into a seamless flow, allowing changes and updates to be communicated quickly and efficiently through the use of everyday devices we all have access to in our daily lives.

Today’s Tools: Changing the Way Contractors and Site Managers Communicate

Tools that are available for you to consider as part of your construction management include apps designed for mobile devices such as the iPad or smartphones. In addition to apps, other tools that can provide you with the tools needed to complete your project on time and on budget include the use of USB flash drives to store information that can be easily used by multiple users on the job site, Dropbox, a file sharing facility that has project management capabilities built in, and construction documents (CDs) managed by construction document software. All of these solutions cause the users of the technology to be trained in their use and to manage most of their own data.  This can be a challenge for the majority of users and distract them from their primary job functions.  This must be overcome to permit these technologies to be adopted.  The advent of technology has ushered in a different way in which construction projects are completed and represent a catalyst for future of how buildings are built.  The savvy team understands that adopting the technology is absolutely necessary, it also understands that selecting the right technology for the team is absolutely essential for technology to be used effectively.

Change the way your construction project stakeholders stay connected with help from FASTTAC. Our easy-to-use construction collaboration software, which simplifies the processes mentioned above and fosters faster adoption, creates a streamlined channel of communication that keeps everyone on the same page. Give your crew the most powerful tool they can have and request your free demo of the construction collaboration software from FASTTAC today.

If you remember the days before cloud-based construction management software, FRI’s can be contentious. Often they can feel like a contract in and of themselves, adding numerous details that can feel like roadblocks instead of legitimate help on a project. Thanks to modern drawing management and markup software, however, all of this has changed. The nature of virtualization that can be done with modern cloud-based construction software can change what might have been a more adversarial relationship in the past to a constructive, helpful one now making Requests for Information not just a contractual necessity, but a useful guideline to improve visual representation before construction work begins or during specific changes.

The Power of the Cloud Reaches the Construction Industry

Construction management in the cloud is more than just project documentation software; there are ways to do everything from managing remote employees to sharing blueprints and schematics directly in the cloud for real-time communication with clients, vendors, contractors, and anyone else you need on the job. Whereas before the cloud, RFI’s might have felt like they were a sudden curve ball thrown into a project, now, with the ability for entities to communicate in the cloud, construction crews can work in real time to make sure that everything looks and works the way their clients want the first time.

Cloud construction software includes management software, which allows you to react to changes with your crews in real-time. Some software can help you accurately estimate increased cost for jobs, to make sure that it can be laid out clearly what’s needed to make sure the project is completed according to the customers’ wishes.

With this in mind, even the nature of the RFI itself may change as it becomes more a consultative tool than anything else. With construction work being handled in the cloud, project delays will eventually become a thing of the past as increased communication between everyone involved in project management becomes basically seamless. And that means fewer delays, fewer miscommunications, better integration of a project management team and ultimately a more efficiently completed final project.

How Cloud-Based Construction Management Software is Changing the Nature of Construction

With the advent of the cloud, the days of project management snafus are ultimately behind us. As cloud construction management has matured, companies are now better connected than ever and able to accomplish more remotely than was ever accomplished in dozens of meetings. The power of connectivity has changed everything in the construction industry, and this is a net positive for both builders and their clients. After all, with better communication and real-time access, companies will find that they can make the changes they need that will be successful for their businesses on the spot. More efficient construction naturally follows, and in the end, that’s the ultimate goal: to get construction completed on time, on budget, and with more satisfied clients overall.

Keep every member of your team up to date and good to go with help from the construction collaboration software from FASTTAC.  Our cloud-based construction management capabilities allow you to access your drawings anytime and anywhere, instantly sharing updates with your team whether on site or across the country. Start rethinking the way you communicate and collaborate and request a free demo of FASTTAC’s construction management software today.