Trending Tech Tools: What’s Hot on the Jobsite

Jerry Schmidt, senior superintendent with BNBuilders, has been in the construction industry for over 40 years and has witnessed the evolution of technology firsthand through the years. Over the last couple of decades, contractors have gone from faxing RFIs to the design team to today’s instantaneous sharing of information on the cloud in shared working platforms. It has been a monumental shift in the way that companies do business and share information with each other. Schmidt recently shared a variety of areas where his team implements and utilizes technology to get his projects built faster and with more efficiency than has ever before been possible. Below is a sample of tech tools he uses on his projects.

Data Vaults
Data vaults are jobsite storage boxes with a computer, large-screen monitor and printer that are made available to all the tradesmen in the field. These data vaults are strategically placed throughout the projects so they are available in every area where work is being performed. The vaults feature a dashboard on the monitor that is linked up to project-specific files with up-to-date drawings, schedules, submittals and 3-D coordination models. The need to walk down to the construction trailers to ask for an RFI is now eliminated. The day of clouding drawings and pasting RFIs to the back of a single set of record drawings is a thing of the past. Now, each RFI, ASI, etc., is hyperlinked into a digital record set of drawings providing each worker in the field with the same access to the latest and greatest information.

iPads
On the jobs Schmidt oversees, each foreman is required to be equipped with an iPad as a condition of their contract. While they are not totally paperless, the vast majority of information is shared digitally. The company has moved past the times where a dirty old set of rolled-up plans are carried around in the field by the foreman. The leaders of the crews are expected to have consistent technology devices so everyone is working from the same information.

Bluebeam
Bluebeam has proven to be a transformative tool for the industry in regard to sharing information and fostering collaboration. This tech tool is a cloud-based storage platform used to keep information such as record documents, RFIs, submittals, schedules, logistic plans, meeting minutes and other relevant project information. The use of the working Bluebeam studio sessions is commonplace in order to work through the submittals and shop drawings with a wide platform of contributors in a highly efficient manner. In addition to document management, this platform allows a single tool for everything from quantity take-offs for materials to site utilization planning. It is an easy tool to learn and provides for more effective communication on the project for a wide range of areas.

Finishline Pro
Finishline Pro is a cloud-based platform that can be accessed via computers, smart phones or tablets. It is used to compile, maintain and communicate quality control logs and punchlists with trade partners, design teams and clients. Each item can be tagged with a unique ID tag and can be located to an exact location on the project. By combining a description with a picture, it makes it easy to locate and address the items on the lists. Each of the trade partners can provide an update to the software once the punchlist items are addressed. This software has helped to streamline what has historically been a draining and cumbersome effort for the field.

MultiVista
MultiVista is a cloud-based database that allows teams to archive as-built conditions of in-wall, above-ceiling and below-grade utilities prior to being concealed. This has proven to be an inexpensive and effective tool to provide clients with a totally accurate, as-built model throughout their buildings. The tool provides elevations for areas hyperlinked through floor plans. Schmidt believes this will be a lasting tool that will help guide decisions for his firm’s clients for everything from where to hang shelves to determine where to tie into utilities and minimize repairs.

Raken
Raken is a tool the company uses for daily reporting on its projects. It has proven to modernize the necessary task of providing accurate and detailed logs of what is happening on their projects each day. The tool can be updated from a variety of mobile devices, provides exceptional photograph recording and easy-to-read dashboards the entire team can access.

Other trending software in the field includes, but is not limited to:

Asta Powerproject
Asta Powerproject is a project management software solution that allows workers to manage an entire project, from start to finish, with speed-enhancing shortcuts and an intuitive interface. The software provides the team with the ability to view a task’s complete chain of linked predecessor or successor tasks and store the original duration of each task before any progress has been applied, as well as assess and identify risk and share its BIM projects with a BIM-enabled viewer.

NoteVault
NoteVault provides voice-driven innovation enabling mobile workers in the architectural, engineering and construction industries to document and share everything. These solutions enable staff to quickly and easily report project activity from the field using nothing but their voice and mobile phone. Audio notes transcribed by construction professionals ensure immediate notification of issues with accurate, professional reports delivered daily. A Spanish-to-English translation allows workers to speak in their native language to provide more detail.

Jobsight
Jobsight gives companies the ability to acquire, present and analyze insights from aerial data on construction sites over time—allowing clients to view aerial data such as photos, 360 degree images, videos and high-resolution orthomosaic maps of sites. Workers can also annotate, share, measure and export that data for integration into their workflows, as well as retrieve a visual archive of construction projects for improved project management, communication and processes.

There are many options to choose from when it comes to the most up-to-date construction tech tools in the field—all of which can help builders stay ahead of schedule, maintain quality and streamline communication.

Article submitted by BNBuilders. For info, visit www.bnbuilders.com.