What’s the problem?

Employing foreign workers who can efficiently work on Polish construction sites is a significant undertaking, and the effects of this action may only be assessed after several quarters. On the other hand, training young graduates from technical universities may also require a considerable amount of time. In the article “How to Conduct Inspections Effectively?” I provide an idea on how to expedite this process, but it requires better organization of documents. Recruiting new people to the industry is not a piece of cake – perhaps it’s worth looking for less obvious solutions?

Let’s consider the challenges faced by the construction manager’s team. In industry discussions, the issue of a large number of tasks and situations that need to be managed often comes up, and the omnipresent chaos doesn’t help in this regard.

A lot is happening. The team working on the construction site is performing various tasks that generate questions, problems, and defects that are hard to predict. Not only is there a lot of it, but it’s also scattered in different places. Some reports are written down in a notebook, others have already taken a digital form and exist as Word or Excel files sent by email, while others have been recorded as SMS messages or on the WhatsApp messenger because it’s faster. Does that sound familiar?

Photo by Burst 

No tools?

The characteristic of the mentioned communication tools is that you have to switch between them and remember them. None of these tools was created for managing tasks and defects that arise during construction. It must be said clearly that in such conditions, it is difficult to work efficiently and make good decisions.

What if the construction team used solutions tailored to the specifics of work on the construction site, which have a real impact on the efficiency of tasks? Is there a tool that combines the simplicity of a notepad, the speed of a messenger, and the comprehensiveness of the Microsoft package in one?

Digital construction site?

The idea of a digital construction site is not new, but it is gaining significance today, especially as digitization in the construction industry appears to be necessary in the context of ongoing changes in the labor market.

A digital construction site is a set of tools that facilitate work and provide new possibilities, much like excavators did almost 200 years ago. Today, it’s hard to imagine earthworks without them. Who would think of digging with a shovel? How many people would be needed to achieve the same result at the same time as an excavator? This reference to construction machinery might be amusing, but the process of managing construction personnel is changing as dynamically as the technical infrastructure of construction. The construction site needs modern digital tools to maintain the highest level of dynamism and efficiency.

Someone might ask, “Will this be another revolution?” This revolution is already underway and will continue to develop. The question is whether you will take advantage of it to gain a competitive edge?

Photo by Jamar Penny on Unsplash

What tools do we have?

Let’s pay attention to a few simple tools that improve the work of construction staff.

Managing discrepancies – reporting, monitoring, and resolving discrepancies. Accessibility to information from any device. Additionally, the application allows for quick preparation and sending of reports, even from a phone, which I discuss in detail in the article “Can reporting be simpler?”

Creating inspection templates as a tool to streamline the inspection process and company documents, I discussed this in detail in the article “How to conduct inspections effectively?”

Conducting inspections is one of the fundamental management tools on the construction site. In my opinion, it is a highly underrated area for digitization and automation, more on this topic in the article “How to manage occupational health and safety processes?”

Analytics is the “icing on the cake” of the digital construction site. Access to real-time data without unnecessary “report typing,” asking, and waiting for data. I will expand on this topic in subsequent articles.

Is that everything?

All the tools presented function like excavators on construction sites, relieving people, providing them with new possibilities, and readiness for new challenges.

The above article will be continuously updated, demonstrating the potential of the digital construction site.

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