With so many moving parts during the construction phase of a project, it can be all too easy to lose track of vital information, and miscommunication is common. Incidences like this can lead to serious project delays as well as rework, budget and scheduling problems, and even safety concerns.
Avoid these types of issues and keep your crew on the same page with the right tools so you can improve communication, align your teams from the field to the office, and create an efficient workflow.
Change Your Workflow with Digital Plans
Say goodbye to the days of carrying around rolls of blueprints and trying to decipher your team’s handwriting. With a tool like SmartUse, your plans are in your (and your crew’s) pocket.
Whether you use Mac, Android, or Windows devices, you can easily pull up the plan pages you need wherever you are – in the field, trailer, or office. Smooth pan and zoom functions make it easy to see what you need on-screen, and you can work offline and sync later in areas with limited Wi-Fi connections.
But SmartUse offers much more than simply simultaneous plan viewing.
What Plan Markup Means for Your Team
Markup tools like clouds, pencils, and highlighters allow you to call attention to areas on plan pages just as you would on paper, but these markups are consistent and easier to read. Sharing notes on the plan means you can create added clarity to a situation as it’s happening.
Have a question about the placement of a wall or fixture? Mark it up on your phone immediately rather than having to remember it and find the right location when you get back to the trailer.
You can have a collaborative, productive, documented interaction with your team directly on the plan pages, and with everyone scattered throughout the jobsite or elsewhere.
A Smoother Workflow with Layers
The old way of working involved various emails and phone calls, inevitably leaving out some key team members along the way and resulting in a lot to be stored in your crew’s brains. Without everyone on the same page, mistakes were bound to happen.
But with your digital plans in SmartUse, you control the flow of information and provide clarity. Layering allows you to share with specific teams and groups, and layers can be public or private. All comments and markup relating to electrical can be relegated to an electrical-specific plan layer, for example, allowing easy access to the right team while not cluttering up the plans for everyone else.
Use layers to stay organized, keep your team aligned and informed, and speed up response times to questions and concerns.
Creating and Resolving Issues with Digital Blueprints
In the past, issues were dealt with using paper plans stored in the trailer, a few minutes’ walk or even a day’s drive away from the site. Not only does this create enormous delays, but it involves relying on too many steps to get it right.
You have to collect the issue on paper or take a photo on your phone, make that trip back to the trailer, remember to fully document the issue when you get there, and figure out how to get your photo off your phone and into your documentation system. What a convoluted process for simply making note of issues!
Now, all of your issue tracking can be done directly on your digital plans. Create an issue in SmartUse, assign it a category and location, and indicate from a list whether it’s a safety observation, damage, punch list item, etc. You can then write up a description of the issue, assign it to the appropriate crew member, and even attach photos directly on the plan at the location of the issue. Adjust due dates and priority levels to ensure your crew plans their time correctly.
By notifying your crew immediately with clear instructions, you’re saving your time and theirs. They are then able to upload photos and alert you when the issue has been resolved. Built-in audit trails, instant notifications, and reporting all allow you to stay on top of ongoing issues as well as punch list item status.
Alignment from Field to Office
With SmartUse’s real-time cloud collaboration, your team’s alignment extends beyond the jobsite to the back office. Your document coordinators need to manage all project documentation. Project engineers need to do QC checks on issue labels, punch list statuses, and crew member assignments. These team members now have instant access to changes you and your crew make while in the field.
Faster quality control and reassignment, along with better documentation and organization, mean your team can cruise along smoothly and efficiently, and focus on the job at hand, not the paperwork.
Ready to increase your productivity by up to 50%? Book a meeting to get started.
