The Real Power of Automated Job Site Documentation
What is documentation
Job site documentation maybe the most important thing on site. It contains all about how the building should look like and how to construct it in details. Documentation should be easy to understand and use on site. Hundreds of years people worked with paper and 2D plans (sections, cuts, specs). The process is familiar to millions of workers, but is it effective?
Automated job site documentation
During the last 20 years people invented some innovations how to work with 2D faster and have up to date information at every moment. These opportunities are closely connected with digital age. Documentation can be presented in electronic formats (dwg, pdf, docx, for example) and can be opened using laptops and tablet computers in mobile office or right at the construction site.
The second most important thing is Common data environment: the virtual vault where electronic documentation is kept and managed. It helps to have all project documents available in one place for all the participants, deal with versions and revisions, set workflows of coordination and issue management. If the job site documentation is once changed, everybody will know about it and start using up to date data.
New formats
Digital transformation of construction gives us opportunities not only work with electronic 2D plans, but be much more effective saving time and money. Building information modeling (BIM) comes to construction site. Now you can use 3D model which represents the design and installation idea much better. Each element of the model is the prototype of real equipment or material with its properties and characteristics: quantity, dimensions, volume, weight, cost and more. That is why it’s so easy to understand what is needed to do, calculate the time and manage the process of works.
Another big opportunity – capturing the reality on site. Construction progress photo documentation can be obtained by different technologies, using UAV (drones) or laser scanning, for example. But probably the most affordable and comfortable way now is 360° photo technology.
SIGNAX INSPECTION module makes 360° coverage of job sites which is much more visual than just 2D site documentation or papers. It helps to have clear picture what is really happening on site saving hundreds of hours for construction teams, meetings with contractors and management decisions time.
Advantages
360° cameras become cheaper now. You can put it at any internal point of constructed building and need only some seconds to make a photo. SIGNAX INSPECTION app automatically collects all the data. You can find the visual status of construction for needed day, compare it with the planned result and with BIM model.
It is important to use new technologies and automate job site documentation from the early stages. In this case you will fully understand the entire process of works and will be sure that each report matches the real situation on site. The technology gives you the opportunity to control the project remotely at office or any place. Supervision specialists now can save the time and inspect a list of projects just using the screen of laptop.
Case story
HALS Development Group that works in EMEA region automated the process of using job site documentation in its projects. The company implemented the reports from construction sites in 360° photo format in the SIGNAL INSPECTION module.
Traditionally, on-site photos were uploaded to messenger chats or stored on a hard drive. They could be found and used immediately after the creation, but after a short time the probability of successfully finding the necessary information was reduced to zero.
With the help of SIGNAL INSPECTION technology, it became possible to remotely monitor the volume and quality of work performed at the facility in a format convenient for everyone. HALS Development Group is able to ensure the transfer of information from the construction stage to the operation thanks to a structured repository of images taken on a regular basis from certain points of the construction site. Monitoring of the real situation at the construction site makes the process of working with job site documentation faster in 4 times.