Overcoming Productivity Challenges in the Heavy Civil Construction Industry

by John Sheedy

John is the product manager for B2W Software. He has had a leadership role in the development of the company’s specialized B2W Track element for equipment maintenance and repairs and the B2W Schedule element for resource scheduling and dispatching.

Real-Time Performance Tracking for Field Data Collection and Analysis

The heavy civil construction industry is facing a big problem: projects are increasing in size and scale, but productivity levels are stagnant, making it more and more difficult to complete them on time and within budget.

According to a report by consulting firm McKinsey & Company, productivity in the construction industry has remained flat over the past two decades in the U.S. and Western Europe, even while it’s nearly doubled in other industries like manufacturing.

What causes lagging productivity? Outdated technologies or inefficient, paper-based processes certainly slow projects down. Other factors, like poor organization or communication, problems with short-term planning or an inability to leverage large amounts of data quickly and efficiently, will also hinder your ability to enhance and grow your business. When the workforce isn’t aware of the critical information they need to do their jobs, decision-making processes suffer as a result.

To combat this trend—and get a leg up over the competition—it’s in your best interests to help improve productivity within your organization. Thoroughly evaluating the processes and the tools you use to record, communicate and analyze information about productivity and performance in the field is a great place to start.

Paper Processes Aren’t Perfect

It’s hardly controversial to say that even today, construction companies are still dominated by paper-based processes for performance tracking and analysis. According to another McKinsey report, construction is one of the least digitized industries across all economic sectors, ahead of only agriculture and hunting.

Physical documents are not the ideal solution for this critical workflow. Companies using outdated, manual paper processes for capturing and reporting performance in the field will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage–not to mention at risk of liability.

1. Paper processes are inefficient. When data must be collected via time cards, paper spreadsheets or written reports, it takes time to prepare the information and to enter and process it. More time means less efficiency.
2. Paper processes are less accurate. Data integrity is put at risk when a heavy civil construction company relies on paper for information. Between writing up reports from the field or shop and having it inputted in the office, there can be errors like illegibility and missing or misinterpreted information.
3. Paper processes cause lag time and delays. Using paper field logs can take time to make their way back to the office and management team, which increases the chances of compromising the accuracy and relevance of the data. Sometimes, it may be a week or two before project managers realize that they’ve gone over hours or that the crew is behind where it needs to be.

Why Use Specialized Software?

Specialized field tracking and analysis software help your workers be more accurate and efficient. It’s that simple. When managers know where things stand in real-time, they can make important management decisions better.

These advantages apply to all critical areas of work being performed in the field daily. With specialized software, you can collect and record data more accurately. Your electronic daily field log is fully customizable, allowing you to immediately see what is done daily.

• Labour

Specialized software allows you to see all labour and hours worked daily. Replace paper timecards and other inefficient paper processes that can slow down operations or keep you from knowing what’s happening in the field.

• Productivity

Specialized software provides instant insight into productivity, so you know exactly what work was completed on any given day, down to the total feet of road paved. No more waiting until the end of the week or for paper reports to be entered and finalized.

• Equipment

Specialized software gives you immediate access to all fleet information, including the equipment being used, its location, the hours each piece of equipment was used for and the jobs it performed. Easily track the status and availability of your fleet anytime.

• Materials

Specialized software makes it easy to capture and communicate important information about the type and quantity of materials being used each day as part of the daily field logs.

• Data Inputs

Another benefit of using specialized field tracking software is the ability to import helpful data. Populate your daily field log with data from the original bid, which can eliminate redundant data entry and enable an accurate analysis of estimated versus actual costs.

Data can also be automatically imported from the field log to accounting, creating an accurate link between the two workflows.

Access to this data as needed allows you to make better decisions and respond faster if issues arise. Nothing will bog down productivity like finding out that a piece of equipment is down when it’s too late to respond and avoid costly delays. Real-time reporting and analysis are key for keeping your projects moving forward.

Making Field Tracking Mobile

Utilizing a mobile component is a critical enhancement for your field tracking software solution that truly enables instantaneous data visibility.

With mobile phones and tablets, workers out in the field have the power to capture information when and where it happens, making the difference between informative data that fuels better decisions and simply not knowing important project information.

Allowing workers to access the field tracking tool with the devices they’re already using every day also can encourage reporting and adoption of the software.

Bringing a Specialized Software Solution to Your Workforce

Making a transition from paper-based processes to a technological solution is by no means easy. Many heavy civil construction companies typically face some resistance or fear from older employees who like and are used to paper processes. Moving to digital can feel like completely new territory for many; however, most companies also report these workers find electronic field logs easier to use and wind up favouring them over their paper processes.

Your company will likely have to experience a bit of a culture shift to use field tracking software to its full effectiveness. Some of the best practices when moving to a new tech solution include:

• Training for all employees who will be expected to use the software.
• Ensuring easy integration with your existing processes.
• Setting measurable goals for your new solution that can be evaluated once the software is in place.

It’s not enough just to switch to field tracking software in the hopes that you’ll become more efficient; you actually need to commit to the change as an organization. However, any growing pains that you might experience as a result are well worth it. The benefits of a digital workflow for the construction industry — and for your company — are immeasurable.