First aid for construction challenges and difficulties: Bets on Digitalization

by   CIJ News iDesk III
2022-05-19   14:34
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The role of the construction manager is crucial in the implementation of every construction - whether it is a small or large project, a segment of housing, offices, shops or infrastructure. He is responsible for the implementation of the project and for the overall construction process, which is not an easy task at all. In practice, this means coordinating all involved, supervising the construction site and taking care of safety. At the same time, they must meet all the conditions in terms of quality and standards of construction, and also meet proper deadlines, all within the set budget. Today, due to the current difficulties in the real estate market (rising prices of materials and energy, shortage of labor, etc.), there is more need than ever for professions such as construction managers to function as efficiently as possible. The wider use of digital technologies, enabling greater flexibility, easier and faster construction, can make a significant contribution to this. And ultimately especially higher quality workmanship.

“The role of construction manager requires a number of skills to coordinate many different interrelated tasks. It is he who brings together a team of direct staff and external contractors to best meet the needs of the project and oversees their activities. To do this, it is necessary to manage the management not only technically but also humanly. The construction manager must be able to motivate the whole team and properly delegate the work to lead to the desired result. So it has to be a real leader, "comments Adam Vostárek, an expert at PlanRadar, which focuses on digitizing processes in construction and real estate projects.

Digitization: more safety in the workplace and less collisions:
Solving so many complex problems at once causes many pitfalls that can easily result in errors and collisions. It is not advisable to take them lightly, whether they are shortcomings that increase the construction budget or affect safety. It is therefore necessary to have an absolute overview of everything that happens. The ideal prevention is to have all activities and workflow recorded in an online environment and in real time.

“Construction manager applications such as PlanRadar allow you to upload all drawings and plans to the appropriate interface. You can edit them there at any time. When a collision occurs somewhere on the construction site, anyone can immediately record it in the building model and also describe it in detail, whether in the form of text, photo or voice recording. As the construction manager, you can also acquaint her with the responsible person in the application, who will then be informed of the collision in the form of a notification. This maintains a constant overview of the development of the construction and ensures effective communication between employees," adds Adam Vostárek.

The above benefits of digital applications also play a key role in maintaining security. In the ranking of occupational accidents, construction ranks among one of the most risky fields. A clear system that shows immediately whether all measures have been taken to ensure safety at work will help you prevent accidents. In addition, if an injury already occurs, you always have a document documenting your activities for dealing with insurance companies or other institutions.

Less time for consistent documentation thanks to the online construction diary:
Having everything that happens on the construction site (ie keeping a construction diary) in the register is stipulated by the Building Act No. 183/2006 Coll. This is one of the basic documents that must be available on the construction site in case of inspection. Due to the complexity of the whole process, not only construction managers but also a number of authorized workers participate in its creation. Thus, keeping records in order can often be logistically and time-consuming - naturally, the risk of errors increases again here. The transition from physical form to online application simplifies the entire construction process and brings many undeniable benefits to its participants. "The documentation in the construction diary is usually full of various data so that they can also provide a full audit trail retrospectively - and thus also arguments in the event of delays, defects or additional costs. The diary - as the name implies - should be kept on a daily basis. This takes a lot of time and is easily complicated if someone fills in incorrectly or misses some days. When stressed by meeting all deadlines, it happens that the records are filled in retrospectively, and of course they are far from perfect. In addition, when delegating this activity chaotically to each other, it is often not known who is responsible for a possible problem, "explains Adam Vostárek. However, with the electronic management of a construction diary, most of these inconveniences are eliminated. The record can be entered into the system anytime and anywhere. Specialized software, such as PlanRadar, allows you to create templates for entering data tailored to the needs of the project. The common platform is then accessible to all participants in the construction, who are sure that the data is correct, up-to-date and transparent. All this saves the construction manager not only time and costs, but also prevents unnecessary labor disputes.