Remote Management in Construction is here to stay

For project executives and owner’s reps responsible for managing multiple projects, the use of new software applications and technology on the jobsite has made remote management easier than ever.

With the advancement of technology, managing a construction site remotely is more accessible than ever. With this technology, project managers can simultaneously maintain efficiency and enforce new safety protocols. Owners can make critical decisions without physically walking the job sites. City inspectors can define processes for conducting inspections virtually. Architects and engineers can collaborate with contractors to clarify RFI’s via video chat.

In the past, critical decisions were constrained by the need to be on-site. However, remote management technology has become mainstream, and with this new perspective, construction technology is uniquely positioned for enabling remote project management in the real world.

While leading construction firms embrace the idea that you can effectively manage a job site with a limited on-site presence, this is not without challenges. For construction companies now trying to manage their construction sites remotely, the struggle often begins with keeping their workforce connected and developing employees with the skills necessary to utilize technological improvements.

‍The following article outlines best practices for successfully leveraging technology to manage jobsites remotely.

Emerging reality capture technology has made it possible for project executives to gather progress data on construction projects without physically walking the jobsite. However, getting the most out of this new paradigm requires developing new skill sets and following best practices.

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Best practices for managing remote construction teams.

Connecting project stakeholders has long been a challenge in construction. From owners to project executives to finance and scheduling teams, many project management individuals are not on-site at the project every day. In leveraging technology to facilitate communication with the field, project managers can succeed by following a basic set of best practices.

“Many stakeholders, from owners to project executives and finance teams, are not on-site at the project every day. Project Managers can use technology to connect parties by following a basic set of best practices.”

Use a standard communication platform.

Effective communication is the key to any relationship, personal or business. Project Managers need to address communication with construction employees working in the field. Standardizing the lines of communication across a preferred channel will help manage expectations for how Foremen, Superintendents, and trade contractors communicate. Email, text, telephone are all viable, but establishing a protocol can help ensure important messages don’t get lost in the shuffle.

In addition, choosing a single software platform to manage project updates will help establish a single source of truth.‍‍

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‍Communicate with your team daily.

‍Another aspect of remote management that construction project managers need to consider is the frequency of communicating with team members. This entirely depends on your management style and the needs of a specific construction project.

Many stakeholders, from owners to project executives and finance teams, are not on-site at the project every day. Project Managers can use technology to connect parties by following a basic set of best practices.

One more benefit of daily communication is it lets you improve your relationship with your team members. Unfortunately, there is no water cooler or corridor to meet colleagues and chat in an office environment. That is why project managers need to be proactive in creating opportunities to foster authentic interpersonal connections.‍

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Recognize hard work and achievement.‍

One of the best ways to improve employee engagement is recognizing their valuable contributions to the company. This is even more important in a remote construction team setting.

Monetary compensation may be an excellent incentive to motivate employees, but employee achievements deserve recognition and reward. Writing about their accomplishments in a company blog and newsletter is another way to show that you appreciate their work.‍

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Listen more, talk less.‍

While communicating effectively is an excellent skill for a project manager, listening is even more critical in a remote team setting.

A remote team setting is different from an office environment where you can gauge a person’s feelings through visual cues. Remote team members may not be as open to discussing issues at work. That is why team managers must create an environment where they feel comfortable talking about their work challenges. Ask the right questions and let them do the talking.‍

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Meet your team face to face.

Socialization is crucial in remote teams, and project managers must stay proactive in building meaningful connections.

One of the best ways is to find time to visit construction sites and meet the people you work with periodically. As lockdowns and restrictions “ebb and flow,” project managers need to visit teams if possible. Going out of your way to meet your team face to face can make a substantial positive impact on employee morale and further boosts your team rapport.

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Keeping projects on schedule with remote management.

As a Project Manager, you spend countless hours approximating the percent complete for your projects - by floor, by trade, or a combination of both. After accumulating years of experience walking job sites and reviewing plans, you become more confident providing these numbers, and generally, people tend to trust your approximations.

But what if there was an easier, more accurate way of reporting this type of progress? What if you could pair your reality capture data, BIM models, and project schedules to provide a measured and objective status update based on accurate data? Reality capture technology provides that data and saves you from physically walking the job site to track progress.

When compared with BIM data, LIDAR scans and 360-degree photography can detect the status of elements. This tracks the completion percentage by trade and provides the context needed to evaluate progress against schedule.

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Avvir can automatically quantify the work completed on-site and measure overall progress against your project schedule. Our algorithm detects whether or not an element is built by comparing the point cloud scan to the BIM model and plots progress over time against your intended baseline schedule. In addition, we have integrated our platform with Procore to make generating 2D reports seamless and accessible for all parties involved.

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Resolving issues in the field remotely.

Let’s explore the life cycle of an RFI. When an issue arises on-site, an RFI is passed from sub to GC to engineer to the owner until eventually, a week has passed, and the determination is, “let’s review this together at the next Owner/Architect/Contractor (OAC) Meeting.”

The issue lies dormant until everyone gathers around and concludes that the engineers need to take this back to the drawing board and respond later. At this point, the issue is no longer the issue itself but simply the time it has taken to get information to the right people to empower a decision and move forward. What if we skipped the step of gathering data on-site and immediately went to work resolving the issue in a BIM environment?

More people may choose to rely on digital media to resolve field issues in the remote world. A quick video call can replace commuting hours and save all parties time and money. The Avvir algorithm detects when elements on site have been installed in incorrect locations. Identify where work in place is deviated from the design by user-defined tolerance as low as ⅛”. Utilize Avvir to discuss these deviations with a remote team and anticipate where deviations will cause rework downstream. Our web-based platform can be viewed from anywhere.

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The Avvir algorithm detects when elements on site have been installed in incorrect locations. Identify where work in place is deviated from the design by user-defined tolerance as low as ⅛”. Utilize Avvir to discuss these deviations with a remote team and anticipate where deviations will cause rework downstream. Our web-based platform can be viewed from anywhere.

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Capturing as-built construction without the tape measure.

As-Built drawings are generally updated at the end of a project. However, by this time, so many things have happened on site that it’s a considerable effort to retroactively capture all of the changes. Therefore, in today’s best-case scenario, subs periodically update their drawings, but a review and sign-off by an AOR or EOR will not occur until they are complete.

Instead of waiting until the end of a job to start creating your As-Built, why not generate this in real-time during ongoing construction? Rather than measuring as-installed conditions by hand on-site, why not use reality capture technology like LIDAR scans and 360 imagery that are more accurate and can be viewed from any location?

With advances in reality capture software, data has become more digestible. Deviations can be flagged, mitigated, and pushed into an updated BIM model. This data can then be shared with project stakeholders working from anywhere.

Utilize Avvir Inspect to automatically calculate deviated elements and push the as-built location back to your source BIM. In addition, Avvir can export IFC files so that you can import the as-installed models into whatever authoring tool you are using. Avoid the hours spent on-site with a tape measure and achieve more accurate and automated results with Avvir.

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Embracing remote project management in construction.

Now, more than ever, project managers have options available that allow them to measure construction progress remotely. From tracking the completion percentage to verifying the accuracy of as-built construction, much of the data necessary to keep projects on schedule can be captured without setting foot on the jobsite.

While technology is unlikely to replace on-site walkthroughs fully, it does give project executives a foundation for sharing real-time progress updates with stakeholders and can identify deviations preventing schedule delays and costly rework.

At Avvir, we are a fully remote team with employees and clients working worldwide. We hope our tools can empower you to contribute to the success of your project, regardless of your location.

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