Exasperated by the absence of effective construction management software within the industry was a driving factor in founding Glaass. In this blog I’ll tell you five of the most maddening issues that exist within the building game!
No. 5 Multiple Systems
Construction sites, like any other industry, rely upon a series of systems to help manage their information. The problem is these systems are completely disconnected, working independently from one another. Therefore, whichever the task, the workload is always duplicated due to the interconnected nature of building and engineering projects. An RFI is associated with a drawing. Correspondence is linked to scheduling. Quality assurance is tied to programming. It’s one collaborative environment that requires specific interconnectivity that projects simply don’t have.
No. 4 Paper Based Procedures
Most industries have moved away from paper-based systems, for the efficiency driving features software systems bring with it. Not the construction industry. There definitely is a place for paper in construction, but not to the extent it relies upon. It’s another example of how work is constantly duplicated due to the inefficient nature of these systems. As it is, paper exists everywhere in construction. It won’t be eliminated overnight, but the necessary changes must be made to begin digitalising these processes.
No. 3 Finding Drawings
Drawings and their associated documents are some of the most important files on site. They show what is to be built and how it is to be constructed. Remarkably, these are always the hardest files to locate, especially if you are new to a project. Buried beneath a plethora of acronymically titled folders, arranged in a chaotic mess, exists the drawing you desired! But this location rarely carries with it the critical information teams need – has the client approved it? Is this the latest revision? Is it under review? Are there any RFI’s or issues associated with this drawing? It’s an cumbersome operation that has never functioned to the industry’s specific requirements.
No. 2 Servers
Using hard drive servers is yet another example of how construction has tried to upscale a personal application to a corporate one, it just doesn’t work. Let me explain: creating folders and saving documents works because you know where they are, and you know what’s in it. Now, scale this to a team environment and you realise that none of your colleagues were notified you created that folder, or added that drawing to it. Trying to find a document which has been moved is even more infuriating, a file which was once there, is now gone! The fact is, servers give an unlimited level of autonomy to every single user, and it just doesn’t work in team environments, like construction teams.
No. 1 Lack of Traceability
Because the industry has an overly dependent fixation with email (see my blog on where email fails http://blog.glaass.net/content/where-email-fails), it means transparency and traceability amongst team members is virtually non-existent. Taking over from a colleague who is no longer with the company is an extremely difficult task, put lightly. What is outstanding? What has been complete? What is overdue? What current issues exist? Where do I start? It’s a complex maze that has no instruction manual, and unfortunately, it’s a problem that exists on every project!
That was my top five list of downright, mind-numbing issues that exist within the construction sector. At Glaass we are marrying construction and software to create the ultimate platform that allows teams to productively record, track and trace their project!