Tracking field productivity with construction tech | An iFieldSmart perspective.

Unleash your team’s complete field potential with advanced productivity tracking tech.

Inconsistencies create exceptional opportunities.

• Costs due to field personnel or labor.

Field team productivity measurements can take up a significant portion of a construction budget. Furthermore, if inefficiencies go unnoticed or are left unchecked could produce cost and schedule overages leading to distorted profit margins. Even well-planned field processes can lead to onsite surprises Uncontrolled job sites, unplanned operational ambiguities, inaccurate budgets, and schedules do need adjustments.

• USCC has reported 62% of contractors find it challenging to find skilled workers.

Based on a survey by McKinsey, 98% of large-scale construction projects are 30% over budget, and 77% are 40% delayed. The average cost inflation is almost 80% of the planned value with a delay of 1 year and 8 months. These outcomes are a result of impeded labor efficiency. Construction effectiveness and efficiency arise due to a myriad of reasons including:

• Outdated processes, systems, and tech
• Inefficient scalability
• Lack of communication
• Absence of real-time tracking
• Deficient visibility
• Low or zero accountability

Although productivity has plagued the construction sector for decades, general contractors, sub-contractors, and other field personnel have started to deploy construction management software to plug productivity gaps. This enables field teams to identify and resolve issues in real-time. It also leads to effective schedules and budgets that ensure greater profit margins.

• Based on the US Chamber of Commerce, 73% of companies have listed labor shortage as their core concern.
•  “We do have tracking processes and tools in place – what are we doing wrong?”

Although several construction companies track productivity, a lot of times data stays fragmented with higher manual intervention. Delays in data access by weeks can lead to erroneous work outcomes. The absence of real-time visualization leaves no room for project teams to course-correct problems or deploy strategic production. General contractors and Specialty contractors need to track project areas that are causing losses in the budget, generating schedule setbacks, and cutting profit margins.

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage of a construction employee was $32.87.

The reality is utilizing inaccurate, incomplete, and outdated data within inefficient construction management tech leads to issues before they can be detected.

 Every path leads to a Digital transformation.

• To understand the consequences of labor productivity monitoring, the state of the present construction industry needs to be analyzed.  

As the construction industry continues to face complexities, client needs, and labor challenges, the need for high-quality labor remains steep. A large number of AEC firms are considering the adoption of new technology to improve and track field operations. General contractors and specialty contractors also need to be decisive about effective labor management.

Outdated methods of logging field hours in Excel sheets or workbooks, manual intervention, or following large email trails do not deliver the required outcomes. As contractors continue to fall under pressure for cost improvements, achieving timelines, and reaching efficiencies, it is crucial to subscribe to a construction management plan that fuels real-time collaboration, maintain a competitive edge, reduces costs, and mitigates project delays. Higher productivity isn’t a luxury, but a necessity for improved decision-making and greater project health.  

• According to a study by JBK, 62.4% of firms utilize mobile devices for daily field reporting.

The rewards of preemptive labor tracking.

• Tracking true labor hours with a task management dashboard can improve labor management and support project completion within budget and timelines.

Utilizing a simple, yet feature-packed construction management tool supports contractors and realty contractors to analyze labor budgets – track overruns.

Reports generated from task management tools support teams understand labor work on the field. Leveraging data within the platform supports tracking of labor quantities in real-time to derive valuable judgment and identify any inefficiency. Measuring completed work can help stakeholders visualize a broader productivity scope and resolve cost risk factors.

• Autodesk and FMI report 35% of construction professionals spend time on non-productive tasks that include searching for project data, conflict diagnosis, and performing rework.

The missing piece of the puzzle: Tracking Installation Progress.

• Tracking field productivity through perpetual installation monitoring supports general contractors, specialty contractors, and field personnel production targets.

Being truly effective and efficient requires teams with complete access to updated field data and real-time visualization of project completion. Workforce productivity can only be augmented if production information and labor are harmonized leading to positive project health. Furthermore, accurate and real-time data support field teams with informed decision-making, effective production, and secure profit math.

• Based on Dodge Data and Analytics and Autodesk, 68% of trades cite bad schedule management as a reason for low labor productivity.

Top software essentials to boost productivity.

• A myriad of construction management platforms claim to enhance field productivity. Learn 3 essential needs for construction management software to be effective.

With a laundry list of construction field productivity software claiming to augment field results, field teams must identify 3 features within construction management software. The field tracking application must ensure field personnel has updated data to stay within timelines and budget.

• According to the US Chamber of Commerce and USG, 70% of contractors believe productivity can be enhanced by new and advanced tech.

#1. Simplicity.

The Issue – Delayed payroll.

Various AEC firms navigate toward manual or outdated processes for data logging that are inaccurate, erroneous, and time-gripping. As a result, there are issues with labor payroll leading to delays and clashes prompting poor back-office to-field communication and collaboration.

• Based on a study by Autodesk, 19% of UK construction companies utilize paper-based systems for their projects.

The Resolution – Simple and quick productivity tracking platforms.

Easy field productivity

tracking leans toward fast and intuitive operation and features reinforced by simplistic employee utilization. It also means the expulsion of manual or paper-based processes to enhance accuracy, whilst saving costs, time, and field hassles.

• JB Knowledge reports 21.4% of construction companies utilize 3 or more mobile apps for projects.

#2. Adaptive or Real-time data.

The Issue – Data Availability.

Repeatedly, project or field data is not available when required or during an ongoing project. Getting data in hand after the construction is complete makes it difficult or impossible to course-correct problems. This has a direct impact on the project cost and schedule.  

• Based on Autodesk and FMI, 30% of companies have claimed 50% of their data is unacceptable.

The Resolution – Expedited data access.

Cloud-based or mobile tools provide remote access for teams to manage data and personnel from the field, office, or trailer. With higher visibility and updated information, expedited resolutions for problems can be achieved and projects can be kept on track.

• Based on Dodge Data and Analytics and Autodesk, 53% of top general contractors utilize software for inspections and safety management on half of the projects.

#3. Integrated Solutions.

The Issue – Multiple and fragmented data systems.

Field crew data is often logged within disparate construction management systems to update payroll and budget information. This creates a higher room for errors, double entries, and field-to-office problems that chew away productivity.

• According to JB Knowledge, 23.6% of respondents have said none of the software applications can integrate.

The Resolution – Cloud-based construction management platforms.

An integrated platform ensures complete collaboration across various teams as general contractors, sub-contractors, and field personnel only need to enter data once for greater accuracy, better communication, and transparent visibility. Implementing productivity tracking tools that are quick, easy, real-time, and integrated augment productivity. Firms can not only secure their profit numbers but improve productivity. This can help a lot of firms to bridge the gap between productivity and profits.

• KPMG studies report only 16% of surveyed executives within their organizations utilize fully integrated tools and systems.

Heading to a conclusion…

Enhancing construction results in terms of budget, quality, and safety is the ultimate advantage of a digital metamorphosis. Transformations and progress begin from stem to stern with a toolkit that drives digitized efficiency, construction management, and business management. What’s required is construction evolution.

Talk to iFieldSmart Technologies about how we can support you by resolving field challenges and changing the outcomes of your project.  

Visit Us: www.ifieldsmart.com