While the construction industry has been relatively slow to adopt new tools, the iPad is quickly becoming the most valuable tool found on a construction job sites.
Let’s take a quick look at some notable ways the iPad has changed how construction job site managers have improved their workflow with this mobile office platform.
The Modern Mobile Office Platform
While many industries relying on mobility have found ways to leverage the power of tablets like the iPad, the growing reliance on data collection and analyis outside the office has really showcased the power of this mobile computing tool. A site manager can now access (and generate):
- Daily field reports
- Purchase orders
- Open invoices
- Progress Reports
- Change orders
- Project statuses
- Cost analysis and projections
- Employee schedules
- Jobsite security feeds
- Inventory lists
- Safety issues
All without ever having to visit the job site office. What once required a few hundred pounds of binders filled with notes, paper receipts, spreadsheets, and even blueprints, can all be carried in a lightweight tablet.
Construction Managers Saving Trees?
You would be hard pressed to find many reasons for your typical conservationist to applaud the construction industry, but the fact that the iPad kicked off a trend in paperless business practices is one.
The ease with which real-time data sharing through the iPad has changed how construction job site managers and administrators communicate with each other and clients cannot be overlooked. Yet, it is the ability to nearly eliminate paper from a job site that is one of the most important aspects of this new technology that should be celebrated.
Prior to the introduction of the iPad in 2010, it is safe to say that paperwork in the field nearly crippled the industry. Today, the near complete digitalization of construction project paperwork not only saves a construction firm storage space, but time and even money.
The Beauty of ROI
There is no escaping the fact that most technologies can be expensive. The question is whether investment in technology greatly outweighs the cost. Here are a few ways the iPad has delivered on that investment in the field:
Saving Man Hours. Time is the most valuable currency a project manager has. If you consider that each time you can access a document you would have normally run to the office to get or reference, that’s 10-15 minutes saved. Multiply that a few dozen times a day, and it is a considerable amount of time saved walking to and from the truck or office.
Mobile Assistant. You’ll never have to guess with an iPad. In an industry where a 1-inch mistake can cost millions of dollars, it is reassuring that with an iPad you can access all your project plans, utility locations, or safety documents without needing to stop work to find the answers.
Instant Inspections. Superintendents are constantly looking for ways to speed up processes. On a job site with an iPad they can take a photo of a problem, make a note, and send it to decision makers for immediate review and get solutions in real-time. Without ever returning to the office or work truck.
Meeting Facetime to Facetime. Every decision maker on a jobsite probably is constantly required to attend meetings, but with an iPad, the whole team can meet as often as necessary with built in video conferencing.
Leveraging Technology Technology is often a dirty word in many industries that pride themselves on craftsmanship, but there is no reason why construction professionals should shy away from adopting new and productive technologies like the iPad. SiteKick is helping construction companies discover the power of mobile computing, and changing how projects are managed, monitored and secured. To find out how we’re part of the construction industry’s technology revolution, contact us today!
