Paperwork is far from the top of the “pros” list of the construction industry for any contractor. There’s too much of it, it’s easy to misplace or lose, and it seems like there is a new form to complete every other week.
But like it or not, paperwork is part of the job. Proper documentation demonstrates the following:
- Your company’s due diligence in creating a safe environment for your team.
- Your ability to perform quality work in the capacity that you were paid to.
- Your workforce and equipment compliance, which mitigates risk.
Unfortunately, it’s an issue that has been haunting the industry for years, leading to lost productivity, project rework, wasted labor, and generally costing the industry millions. When addressing these common issues of workforce and equipment documentation in your business, there are three questions you should ask:
1. ARE THERE CLEAR PROCESSES IN PLACE?
The first place to look when addressing an issue is to check that the processes you already have in place make sense. On average, construction workers spend 35% of their time on unproductive tasks like searching for project information. Is there a clearly defined path to get the correct information into the right hands or vague guidelines about passing it up the chain with the hope it makes it to the right inbox eventually? There should be designated endpoints for all documentation, with clear steps on how to get them there, whether it’s through direct hand-off to a supervisor or placing it in a file at the end of the day.
2. WHAT DO THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND HAVE TO SAY?
A process can look good on paper but fail in execution. That’s why it’s important to have feedback from your field workers. Their perspective can lend useful insights into where processes are breaking down or getting disorganized. Talking with your workers also presents you with the opportunity to educate them on the importance of documentation and its purpose. At the same time, these conversations can often result in increased buy-in from these team members for processes that are already in place. Communication and transparency of information with your field workers will improve jobsite productivity, safety, and performance.
3. AM I USING THE BEST TOOLS?
Your tools could also be the reason behind your documentation problem. Paper forms, whiteboards, and excel sheets have been contractors’ go-to methods for workforce management, but it’s time to step into the digital age.
There are a wide variety of construction operations platforms available for contractors looking to embrace tech and improve documentation efforts. However, teams should look for a complete, all-in-one solution for digitizing your workforce. Using a tablet or smartphone, on-site workers can fill out and send documentation in real time and not have to worry about if it makes it into the right hands. Everything from incident reports to daily inspections can be sent and stored in a centralized location in real time that is accessible both onsite and at the office.
There are many solutions currently available on the market. When searching for the solution that is the best fit for your business, be sure to check that it has the ability to integrate with existing systems, such as accounting, payroll and, estimating.
CLOSING THOUGHT
Paperwork isn’t going anywhere, but there are solutions available to help you cut down on administrative tasks, increase your productivity, and help get back to what matters—completing the job, safely and efficiently.
About the Author:
Fred Haynes is a solutions engineer at Assignar. For more, visit www.assignar.com.
Modern Contractor Solutions, March 2022
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