Field documentation is vital for recording and tracking construction-related work, yet construction businesses are still managing their field documentation in very manual ways. These inefficient manual methods continue to cost companies substantial amounts of time and money.

In my last post on ‘quick wins’ for construction contractors, I focused on how companies can automate time tracking processes to increase profitability on their projects. Time tracking is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the various workflows contractors can start to automate to take their businesses to the next level. Next, I’d like to focus on how we can start to automate field documentation.

Unfortunately for us in the construction industry, as we all know, the quality of our work is never solely measured by the hands-on construction work itself. A large part of a construction company’s responsibilities also comes down to how the physical work is documented. Whether it’s ensuring safety procedures are followed, or documenting progress to ensure that your business will be paid correctly and promptly, documentation is your source of truth throughout the project lifecycle.

Throughout the industry’s history, construction businesses have largely relied on purely manual methods for their field documentation, such as pen and paper. This reliance on pen and paper is not only hugely damaging in terms of the environmental impact, but it is also extremely inefficient when it comes to time and cost management.

To put these inefficiencies into perspective, recent industry surveys have found that nearly 60% of construction managers complained that they see incomplete data on work quality due to manual documentation methods, while another 65% of managers claim that manual methods cause work and change orders to be missed frequently.

These numbers are not only staggering, but should serve as a huge wake up call for construction contractors to start improving their documentation practices. But managers aren’t the only ones affected by these manual documentation methods either.

Think about your field staff for a second. Let’s be honest, does anyone really like filling out paper forms while they’re on the jobsite? Can’t find a pen? Paper got damaged? Forgot to hand the completed form to the right person?

Also, what does it say about the company you work for when you’re still being asked to fill in printed pieces of paper to record your work? With the rapid rise of digital technologies, conditions like this are no longer acceptable for businesses that are vying to attract scarcely available young talent across the industry.

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