Mobile technology is changing the way we interact with the world. With over two billion active users and counting, there’s no doubt that mobile apps have become an integral part of our lives. From checking the weather, to banking and shopping, to increasing your productivity at work, there’s an app for everything. And as the popularity continues to grow, we are starting to see a significant increase in mobile apps being used for effective construction project management too.
In this blog, we take a deep dive into mobile technology and how it is transforming the construction industry for the better.
Table of contents
- Why does the construction industry need mobile technology?
- The current situation?
- The key benefits of mobile technology
- How apps improve onsite work
- Switching to LiveSite.
Why does the construction industry need mobile technology?
Even though projects are designed and planned in offices, the actual execution happens on site. A project that is meticulously designed and carefully planned will, however, fail if the team is unable to execute those plans on the ground effectively.
This is where construction management techniques come into play. It is common knowledge that managing construction projects has always been stressful and demanding. There are so many things that a construction project manager has to have a grip on, from keeping track of their teams and subcontractors to monitoring the project progress daily. Now, with digitalisation, this process is starting to become more streamlined.
However, consider this. Would it not be easier to carry your mobile phone or tablet to the worksite than a laptop? Wouldn’t it be easier if the project management process moves to a mobile app-based environment? And even more, rather than pour over multiple data sets with different browser windows, won’t it be easier if you have a single panel where you can see all your tasks stacked up and assign them quickly? We are not talking about a distant future here, but something the industry is embracing as we write this.
Where does the industry stand now?
The construction industry now is in a state of flux. Since the adoption of technology, the landscape has been changing practically every day. Mobile apps are now being widely used for a range of construction project management operations. Here is a look at some recent statistics
90.9% of firms report using smartphones daily for work purposes.
[JB Knowledge]
62.4% of companies report using mobile devices in the field for daily reporting.
21.4% of construction firms use 3 or more mobile apps for their projects.
This shows the industry taking an obvious route towards adoption of mobile technology for efficient construction management. And that brings us to the next question.
What are the key benefits of mobile technology in construction industry?
So, allow us to draw a parallel here. Given a choice between an app and a browser, what would you pick and why? The winner, hands down, would be the app because it is easier to use, provides you, the user, with prompt notifications giving you real-time updates from site. When it comes to construction management apps, the mobility factor counts too. An app allows you to have simple listings of the site activities that are relevant to your profile on the work site. You do not have to sift through irrelevant tasks shown to other individual users. And what’s more, an app will help you post relevant information, like photographic evidence specific to each task from the work site so that decisions can be taken quickly.
Keeping these points in mind, here are the top four key benefits of implementing cloud-based and mobile construction management solutions for your construction project.
1) Maximising the efficiency and productivity of the workforce
When it comes to construction, there is always room for improvement in efficiency and productivity. With mobile apps integrated into every process, the accuracy of project sequences improves manifold and that too at a lesser cost. All you need to have in place is the correct research into the best app for your requirements. What follows will be the customisations for your specific processes. This will do away with tiresome manual processes and reduce costs.
Now, consider this scenario. You are going through the process of identifying the constraints in your look-ahead directly from site without waiting for a weekly meeting, by using a mobile app. This will do away with countless reams of paperwork and considerably speed up the process.
2) Improves communication and collaboration
Keeping everyone on the same page at all times has been one of the greatest challenges in the construction industry. Mobile apps help bridge the gap between the field and the office by streamlining the communication channels. These apps also make the workforce accountable and hard metrics are provided upon the completion of each service. This helps enhance the relationship between all the stakeholders in the construction project. It also helps reduce human error, which is a major bane of the construction industry. And what’s more, a streamlined workflow also allows projects to be completed on schedule thereby cutting costs.
3) Automate processes and prevent errors
Human errors are a bane in the construction industry. With the industry going digital, the time-consuming manual processes like filling up endless excel sheets are being replaced by a click of a button app that saves the data in the cloud. This prevents human errors and gives a project manager more time to reduce construction delays and hence, costs.
4) Real-Time Analytics
There are many complex processes involved in construction and there is a huge stress on Business intelligence and big data for gaining insights. However, the need of the hour is accuracy and speed, making real time collaboration and data analysis absolutely necessary. A mobile app is the answer to this issue.
So, how does it work?
Forget about poor data visibility, inaccurate project information, and inefficient communication. When the stakeholders start using a mobile app in the field it helps them keep track of project risks and issues in real-time, and take remedial measures. And that is not all. With BIM integrations it will be easier for the field staff to conceptualise the project even before the foundation is dug up. This also gives the field staff accurate measurements and reduces the amount of rework thereby cutting costs. Reporting and document control are enhanced too when they use an app.
Switching to LiveSite
At its core, VisiLean has always stood for bridging the gap between the office and the project worksites. LiveSite is an intuitive, cloud-based app developed by VisiLean that allows this dream to be a reality. This Next Gen Mobile App for Construction Project Management enables easy coordination and communication between the worksite and office to manage and control daily tasks and reports. With absolute ease of access and usability, 74% of VisiLean Customers have reported better communication between teams.
LiveSite gives your teams more power to manage and control your everyday work. The app enables field-based access to the construction tasks, location of the job, make-ready needs, and any potential constraints hindering the execution of the work on the ground. What’s more, it allows you to communicate with the rest of the team through an instant text-messaging interface, as well as voice notes, files, and photographs.
LiveSite is designed to simplify your everyday work; whether you’re a construction manager on the field reviewing delays or constraints at the various project locations, or a supervisor reviewing your specific team’s activities for the day, or a site engineer executing your tasks on-site, the app will provide instant access to the information you need in the palm of your hand.
What’s more, LiveSite offers a dedicated snagging and quality approval module wherein Quality and Safety Managers can review works completed for these aspects and flag and issues directly from the app while on the move. You can even review and fill checklists related to safety and quality workflows as well.
With LiveSite you can create tasks on the move, and report on progress, issues, and manage communication between stakeholders seamlessly. To ensure you never miss an update, LiveSite provides you with dedicated push notifications that will notify you on the exact information or update you require, customised to you!
In a nutshell, LiveSite is the next-gen app for construction for the following reasons
- Live Dashboard for Real-time project review
- Review delays and issues on-the-move
- Empower teams on the ground with the exact information about work to be executed
- Real-time updates from the ground on progress, challenges, and issues
- Communicate with your teams, both on-site as well as the office
- Capture updates anytime, anywhere, even in remote locations using the offline mode
- Customised to you and supporting 8 different languages
You can get in touch with us to see these features in action. With LiveSite, your team will be able to visualize these capabilities first-hand, allowing you to begin enhancing your workflows from the office to the field.
Want to know more about us? Head to https://youtu.be/vALoybf0zpM, or visit our website, https://visilean.com to learn about all our features! You can also book a demo with our team!
