Superintendents’ Survey Reveals Communication Challenges, Tools of the Trade

By Daryl Lang

Today, when everything is becoming more automated and electronic, certain jobs still require — and place a high value on — human judgment. There’s no better example of such a job than the construction superintendent. It’s a job that requires something no software or checklist can accomplish: how to understand people, and how to communicate with them.

There seems to be little doubt that superintendents have one of the hardest jobs in construction. To the open-ended question: “Who has the hardest job in construction?” the most popular answer among the construction professionals surveyed by FieldLens, a mobile-first communication platform app, at 16 percent of respondents, was “superintendent” or “super.” (For comparison, the next most popular answer, at 4 percent of respondents, was concrete work.)

Another anonymous, open-ended question was posed to superintendents to help better understand: “What’s the hardest part of your job?” Some responses included poor construction drawings, slow responses to RFIs, keeping subcontractors on track, dealing with county inspectors, there is not enough time in the day, and paperwork and keeping it to date and accurate.

Superintendents also described a variety of demands that keep them in constant motion. “When you”re a superintendent, you never have the chance to walk through a building without somebody approaching you,” says Mitch Kennedy, a superintendent with Rogers-O’Brien Construction.

In addition to keeping up with communication, superintendents have to manage people and keep their poise while doing it. As Kennedy explains, “Superintendents have the ability to take on multiple tasks, digest it all, come back and find the correct answer or direction, and just be able to get that back to the people who don”t understand (either the plans or job situation). It’s like being the ringmaster of the three-ring circus — or it can be like adult day care — depending on which day of the week it is.”

Technology has added new ways for superintendents to keep up with the persistent challenges of the job. But now they have to keep up with the technology, too.

Many superintendents have been in the construction industry since prior to wide usage of the handheld mobile phone, and well before the phone became “smart.” “I had the first phone on the job at Kier,” recalls Jeff Chapman, a superintendent with Kier Construction. “It was an analog. We used to call it “The Brick,” and we’d joke that if you forgot your hammer you could use that phone.”

Ever since these earlier days, whether it’s new software to store and share files, tools to capture images and other media on the project or new scheduling and project management programs, superintendents are expected to seamlessly integrate new technological tools into their daily routines. Superintendents might not always burst into applause when greeted with the latest gadget or app, but they are masters at one thing: learning.

Chapman says, “You”re never too old to learn. If you”re not a stick in the mud, you can learn something new every day from the younger guys, especially on electronics.” Some superintendents might long for simpler times when they didn’t have to worry about keeping pace from year to year, but many others embrace the new normal as enthusiastically as a virtual design and construction manager or one of the youngest guys on the job.

“Construction is another world today, and all for the better,” says Jim White, superintendent at Tatum Brown Custom Homes. “When someone says, “They don”t build “em like they used to,” I say, “You should be glad.” Both structurally and administratively, things are much better today.” He elaborated, “When I started there were no cell phones, no Internet. That says a lot. We had yellow pads, pagers… dimes and quarters to make phone calls. We had to go back to our trailers. Now we can FaceTime walk a house for a client who’s on vacation to show them what they”re coming home to.”

In the survey, 76 percent of superintendents said they use their mobile devices at least once an hour, slightly more than construction professionals on average. Furthermore, 95 percent of superintendents said mobile technology makes their jobs easier. In interviews, superintendents stressed that technology helps them cover more ground — literally being in more than one place at once. “A big problem for supers is going back and forth from field to office. Now drawings are digital, and you can share and mark up, and comment easily. [With my phone] I can do safety inspections, drawings and photos and check the weather out in the field,” said Levi Brush, a superintendent with Rogers-O’Brien Construction.

Another superintendent, Marc Minster with Wadman Corporation, called out an example of how mobile tech helps superintendents make the office feel like they”re synced up with activity in the field, “Now we”re to the point of mobile communication where things are instantaneous. I’ve heard from people in my office, ‘Hey, that concrete you”re pouring right now looks good.'”

If you’ve noticed more Apple products on jobsites lately, this is because the iPhone is the most popular of all the mobile devices used by superintendents surveyed, with the iPad being the most popular tablet. Many superintendents use multiple devices. On one jobsite recently visited by FieldLens representatives, a superintendent was juggling a Blackberry, an iPad and an iPad Mini all at once to keep communication flowing on the project.

As smartphones and other technological wonders empower superintendents to work more efficiently, owners expect them to finish jobs faster. They”re walking through virtual renderings of buildings at the same time they”re expected to patch together paper reports back in the trailer. And they”re still the person walking through the building without a moment’s peace.

Construction firms should recognize the growing expectations superintendents have to contend with today. Companies that equip superintendents with the best tools and technology will better positi
on their construction projects for overall success.

This article is based on a survey of 163 construction professionals published in “Superviews: Stories, Stats and Secrets of Construction Superintendents,” a free ebook by FieldLens. For more information, visit info.fieldlens.com/superviews.

Daryl Lang is FieldLens’ managing editor and helps spread the word about FieldLens through blog posts, emails, the FieldLens website and more.