Controlling Construction Site with Apposite Monitoring

Advanced Construction Site Monitoring with Enlaps' Tikee Camera for Time-Lapse Photography

One of the major advancements in construction site monitoring is the use of digital tools like Enlaps' Tikee camera. If you are curious about how to follow the evolution of a construction site effectively, understanding how project managers control these sites is crucial.

This article will provide tips and tricks to help you have proper control over your construction site, especially using time-lapse photography.The post-pandemic era emphasizes the need to use such smart tools to control construction work better.

During the pandemic, people were forced to work from homes, and monitoring work became challenging. However, the dexterous minds of the millennials found various methods to overcome this problem and espoused various techniques to control the construction sites properly.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Control the Construction Sites

Before you jump on to understand the various techniques of Controlling and Monitoring the site, it is important to understand why is construction planning important? First, you need a proper construction plan to decode a successful blueprint for your project. Second, you can save time, cost and utilize your resources efficiently when you have a suitable construction plan.

How to optimize building site monitoring for construction businesses?

During your career, you will often hear these words : construction site monitoring. What really is monitoring, and how to guarantee that you will supervise your construction work the best way possible?

Follow this monitoring guide and learn the key points to keep in mind, the mistakes and consequences that can occur because of a lack of monitoring

How to make a successful construction site monitoring?

One of the main purposes of construction site monitoring is to identify the problems and mistakes before and during the project, in order to prevent the occurrence of errors or non-compliance with the design or technical standards. Also, the professional in charge of the site, or site monitoring team, must coordinate all activities and functions between decision makers, developers, contractors and suppliers.

The larger and more complex the work site, the greater the knowledge and skills of the monitoring team must be, to deal with the various situations that such a site involves.

On a general level, you must :

• Have certain technical skills in monitoring, directing, communication, and delegation,

• Have knowledge of certain legal aspects to guarantee the safety of workers,

• Be somewhat creative to find fast and effective solutions to the problems,

• Have a strong sense of ethics, transparency and accountability.

1. Scheduling

The first step of construction site monitoring consists of making a detailed and strategic schedule. The more complex the project, the more time and resources you’ll need to invest in scheduling. A well scheduled construction site maximizes efficiency and provides a step by step roadmap to complete activities on time, on budget and to the highest quality standards.

During scheduling, the key aspects are defined as :

• Scope,

• Timeline,

• Personnel,

• Materials,

• Equipment,

• Other resources required to perform the work.

The project’s steps are established and directive lines are defined for good coordination between the builder, the contractors or subcontractors, the monitor and other stakeholders. This way, all strategic and relevant aspects of the construction site will be aligned and will aim to achieve the objectives.

Among the other aspects that need to be established during the scheduling phase, are the development of a security plan, communication and business continuity plans, and the completion of a risk assessment and mitigation plan.

2. Monitoring

Once the project has started, the goal is to ensure that all aspects are progressing as much as possible according to plan. A construction site is often sidetracked by a number of factors that lead to delays and cost overruns. According to a McKinsey & Company study, 98% of construction sites are over budget and 77% experience significant delays due to :

• Poor organization : decision-making processes lack speed and timeliness.

• Inadequate communication : inconsistencies in communication or reporting lead to a lack of understanding by subcontractors, contractors and owners.

• Poor performance management : Problems that are not resolved in a timely manner accumulate and negatively influence the achievement of project goals.

• Contractual misunderstandings : The procurement team typically negotiates the contract, which often proves to be a dense and complex process. As a result, site managers can often be confused about how to proceed due to a lack of understanding of the contract.

• Missed connections : there are different levels of planning: from high-level preparation to daily schedules. If daily work is not completed, managers need to have the information to update the status in real time to make timely decisions on new priorities and work plans.

• Poor short-term planning : companies are typically able to understand what needs to happen in the next two to three months, but not plan for the next week or two, which can lead to rework or inefficient execution of tasks.

• Insufficient risk management : an adequate risk assessment must be performed and risks that materialize must be monitored at all times during execution, as well as compliance with the implementation of their mitigation plan.

• Limited talent management : A proper personnel selection process should be implemented to ensure that the best people are available for each position.

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To properly monitor a job site, it is important to carefully analyze daily progress reports, control the budget and schedule, and manage risks with a high level of attention to detail.

3. The key points of site monitoring

In order to carry out your site monitoring, you will need to :

1. Identify problem(s) or deviations that may occur during the work,

2. Examine if a task or activity is behind schedule to identify the cause of the delay,

3. If productivity is low, analyze whether it is due to unskilled or underperforming labor or if there are problems with the method of execution or materials.

Once the causes of the problems have been discovered, the necessary adjustments should be made to resolve the problems.

4. Communication

Good communication can improve teamwork and lead to better collaboration on the job site, while poor communication can lead to misunderstandings, delays and problems that have a significant impact on the project in the short, medium and long term.

Communication methods for specific assignments and information exchange must be established at the beginning of the project and agreed upon by all stakeholders. Similarly, contract documents, including drawings, specifications, change order forms, requests for information, and progress reports, should be the basis for establishing proper communication during construction.

Therefore, it is highly important that any direct communication not described in the contract documents be properly disclosed, receive proper authorization, and that any schedule or budget changes be documented and reported through the appropriate channels.

5. Collaboration

The term "collaboration" refers not only to the timely completion of assignments by all project stakeholders. It also implies the bond between the parties, based on trust and respect. The goal is to successfully achieve the defined plans and objectives. It is about cooperation and coordination of efforts to improve productivity.

An effective way to achieve good collaboration is to involve team members in the planning phase, and to share ideas and experiences in problem solving and logistics. Collaboration goes hand in hand with good communication and keeping everyone on the same page. It's about trusting all parties and valuing their contributions as integral members of the team.

The goal of these recommendations is to ensure that all tasks and activities that need to be completed during the job site are integrated into the daily routine.

3 tips for monitoring your site, your schedule and your budget

Preliminary examination of the construction technique to be applied

Building site monitoring can be a determining factor in the success or failure of a project. Many structural and service problems in the construction industry are not due to design or material defects, but mainly to poor site management and monitoring.

The professional who works as a project manager on a construction site, or site manager, is confronted not only with problems of a technical nature but also with conflicts generated by human interaction. In addition to the skills needed to deal with technical and human problems, the manager must have a set of values and positive attitudes for the proper execution of his work.

Before you start supervising the work, you need to consider what will be done on the site. In particular, you will need to check :

• The adequacy of the construction detail,

• The compatibility of the materials,

• The possibility to optimize or improve it, both technically and economically, or to shorten its execution time.

Of course, with experience, this task is so internalized that it comes out by itself. And it is not a question of undertaking this revision of all the units of the work at once, but at the right time, well coupled with the rest of the tasks and following a precise order.

Convey instructions in the right way

In addition, you will need to have the ability and mechanisms in place to ensure that other parties involved in the job receive the appropriate changes and directions in a timely manner. And particularly on :

• Contract extensions,

• Discussions on economic issues with the various subcontractors during the execution of the contract,

• Monitoring of the work,

• Detection and correction of errors,

• …

Having a good transmission of information facilitates and promotes a better result for all stakeholders.

Equip yourself with adapted software to computerize the management of your building sites

For a construction company, when we talk about software or application it is above all to optimize the follow-up and the management of its building site. It is not rare to face difficulties linked to the digitization of processes. However, this follow-up implies a reduction of the errors of transmissions of information, an automation of the calculations of costs and a broad vision of the follow-up of the building site.

To begin with, we're going to find all the software dedicated to site monitoring. The myTikee solution uses timelapse as a new monitoring tool to illustrate your work, enhance the progress of the work and communicate, downstream, about the large-scale sites your company has managed.

Moreover, software exists to optimize the follow-up of the building site planning. We will find free solutions, such as Google Sheet, Excel (or Numbers for Mac). These tools facilitate the creation of follow-up tables, the stages of work, the details of each task to be carried out as well as calculation sheets dedicated to your budget.

Finally, we will find complete site management software dedicated to construction companies. Very often paying, they will be useful to assist you on the global follow-up of the works, on your budget, the evolution of the building site, the management of the planning and to facilitate exchanges with all the participants of the project. The sites that are equipped with these digital tools observe an improvement in the management of the sites thanks to the standardization of the follow-up process on a single software. Create estimates, generate invoices, exchange with your suppliers, consult your plans and your control reports will be possible while optimizing your time!

Construction site delivery : the ultimate step!

Meeting deadlines is as important as the quality of a service. In the construction market, it's not different : you have to be careful to deliver the job on time.

What are the objectives of site monitoring?

There are three basic objectives in job tracking :

1. Cost monitoring : The comparative parameter for monitoring the cost of the work is provided by the agency's authorized unit price catalog in effect on the date of the review. The basis on which the review operation begins is the budget, the total amount of which corresponds to the total amount of the work contract.

2. Time Tracking : The role of the site manager is to ensure that the progress of the work is in accordance with what is stipulated in the work contract. If this is not the case, the site manager must inform the agency and require the contractor to take appropriate action to comply with the terms of the contract.

3. Monitoring the quality of the work : Quality is governed by the specifications as well as by the regulatory and traditional technical standards issued by the manufacturers of materials or equipment.

The profile of the site manager

The site manager, or project manager, is the representative of the entity financing the work, whose main activity is to supervise the execution of the work carried out by the contractor, controlling the time, quality and cost of the work.

A Project Manager must be a professional in one of the construction related careers with sufficient ability to :

• Monitor compliance with contractual commitments,

• Control the progress of the work,

• Have the right knowledge, skills, common sense and foresight to foresee drawbacks that may arise during the development of the work.

After having read these recommendations, you have the keys to take in hand the good management of your building site!

Use a jobsite camera to control the construction sites

There are numerous benefits of using a jobsite camera. The construction site is one of the places where it can help and control situations. All the construction sites have one feature in common, no matter how big or small a job is, safety must be a priority here. A tool helps to ensure maximum productivity and ensure maximum safety on the site more than ever. Tikee 3 PRO allows you to solve a variety of tasks while working on the site.

Controlling a construction site is a huge task. In many ways, the control of the site relies solely on the contractor's ability to communicate with his or her team on-site. Tikee 3 PRO camera helps to ensure maximum productivity and ensure maximum safety on the site more than ever.

Controlling a construction site is not as easy as it seems. The construction site is an area where the slightest mistake can lead to large losses. With the Tikee 3 PRO specialized to the job site camera, you can get rid of the unnecessary site supervision, get control over the maximum productivity and safety of operation on a construction site.

The Primary Stage of Resource Planning

It is also important for you to determine how to do resource planning in a construction site? Improper utilization of resources might delay the project and lead to wastage of raw materials or assets. Resource planning in construction site enables you to assign tasks so that your immediate tasks or milestones are completed within the assured timeframe.

Let us now look at the various steps to help you control your construction sites better:

Proper Flow of Communication

Communication is one of the most important aspects of project completion, and you must maintain proper flow during the entire phase of your construction projects. You can use any work execution platform and sync your documents, video, photos, calendar, etc., at a single place to help you control and monitor your project.

Make a Habit of Continuous Planning

Planning is imperative in a construction project. A good project manager or management would never stop planning. In fact, planning starts even before the project's commencement and should continue until the project is completed successfully.

When you are involved in a construction project, you have to plan for contingencies that are not in your hands. These unpredictable events can occur anytime, and a good manager should always be ready with a plan for such occasions.

Have an Inquisitive Attitude

A construction project requires an inquisitive project leader — someone who has many questions and is very observant. Administering and controlling the project requires the project leader to get familiarized with every aspect of the project.

The construction industry is consistently upgraded with modern tools, equipment, safety practices, and technologies. A project leader must be inquisitive enough to ask about these and seek answers. You would be able to streamline all the phases of your project once you know the ins and outs of the project.

Budget Projects with a Work Execution Platform

A construction project undertaking requires a huge amount of transactions, and monitoring and controlling each trade is important. An efficient project manager has proper control over the expenses of the project.

Using Modern Tools, systems and solutions to have better control on the project

You can make use of various modern tools to control your project efficiently. The next section highlights some of the tools that you could adapt to your project to help you have better financial control.

Holobuilder

HoloBuilder is an AI-driven and enterprise-grade 360 ​​degrees progress documentation and analysis platform for the team. They call it a 360-degree platform because you can replicate your construction site on this platform and access it remotely from anywhere. You can stay updated with the current site development at any point in time, create handover documents, track and analyze the construction progress, monitor it, reduce the documentation time, and use "SiteAI" to automate the construction process.

B2W

B2W is a very flexible software that can be customized as per the requirements of your project. You can choose a template and create / select discrete sections and later decide how they should appear. A good thing about this software is that it can detect missing data or errors and inform the users before they submit. B2W Track and Schedule helps you monitor the progress of your project against specific labor. You can also differentiate fixed price work from T&M work and track both in the same log. Additionally, you can set cost limits and generate a report to allow the customers to approve the same.

Builderstorm

If you need flexible software that can be built per your requirement, consider checking out BuilderStorm. Systems like these will allow you to build a package with the required features (like surveillance) and create an interface as per your specifications. BuilderStorm is a perfect tool for those who want a proper work completion record on specific projects and those who prefer security. It helps you keep track of the costs and monitor the vehicle usage too. The BIM or building information modeling compliance is also an added benefit of Builderstorm. You can have remote access with this tool.

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Timelapse is one of the most efficient ways to present long-term work and showcase the result. 

And Time lapse ?

For time lapse construction site monitoring, you can opt for construction time lapse cameras. It comes with numerous professional Video and still features that can help you with your construction site.

Construction monitoring : the Tikee solution will change everything!

Using Enlaps' Tikee Camera for your construction monitoring

It is undeniable that in the construction sector, technology has been implemented in all its phases. The machines have evolved incredibly, but not only the machines: a construction goes from the study of the ground, the creation of plans through software, to the tools used for the finishing touches.

The video monitoring of your construction sites records the evolution of the tasks at each step of the process. It takes into account three variables: cost, time and quality. They must be monitored and supervised in order to respect the plan established by the construction company, in which the start and end dates of each stage of the work are set.

REMOTE CONTROL OF THE CONSTRUCTION SITE
Control the progress of the work in real time from anywhere via cell phone, tablet or computer.

MARKETING AND PROMOTION
Videos offer a powerful marketing system! Show your customers timelapse videos of your construction through the web and social networks.

Why choose Tikee for Time-Lapse Photography?

Technology is progressing and so are we. Here we can see how this technology helps us give shape to your ideas, or to your project. The timelapse technique is a tool you can use to convey the essence and values of your company. Tracking a job is essential when it comes to controlling resources and showing your clients the progress of the project as well as its completion.

6K TIMELAPSES
We use the most recent technology in terms of cameras, which allows us to obtain a very high resolution and wide dynamic range.

WEATHER RESISTANT
Our products are rain and humidity resistant

SOLAR ENERGY
Our cameras have a built in solar panel so they can work in places where there is not electrical installation

MONTHS OF CONSTRUCTION IN A FEW MINUTES
We have no limits. We monitor construction sites that last for months or even years. At the end of the project, you can get an accelerated video of the whole process in just a few clicks.

MONITORING
You can optimize the management of all your Tikee cameras at a glance.

ADVANCED SHARING
You can create a private interface with an enhanced image gallery.

STORYTELLING
You can choose the best content suggestions to talk about your project, all in one click!

For more information on using Enlaps' Tikee cameras for effective construction site monitoring, visit Enlaps.