Keeping your construction projects on schedule to meet your completion deadline is no easy task. Inclement weather, change orders, supply-chain holdups, subcontractor delays, permits, and inspections are just a few of the things that can throw your timeline off course. Without the proper tools and procedures in place, it's easy for small setbacks to quickly snowball into major delays. Damages and penalties for not hitting your deadline can ruin your profit and hurt your company’s reputation.
Here are five tips to help you keep your construction projects on schedule and within budget by using TraceAir:
Regular Progress Checks
Using TraceAir for progress tracking drastically improves accuracy. Our Time Machine feature makes it easy to visually compare changes between different scans in a given area if you have regular scans. Some changes you can check for include:
- When a stockpile began, grew, shrank, or disappeared
- Equipment and trailer movement and locations
- Equipment arrival
- Grading progress
- Errors or damage
- Area cleanup
- Rainwater removal
We recommend our clients conduct a drone scan at the beginning of their project and then once a week through completion. This allows for very accurate tracking of progress and also a clear record that can always be revisited if needed. Our aerial images are accurate within 1/10th of a foot, identifying and preventing errors in the field before they become costly.
One of our clients was able to use their weekly TraceAir scans to see when the grading contractor mistakenly excavated beyond the limit. By catching this error early, the client estimated they were able to save the project $10,000 in rework costs. Without this weekly scan this most likely would have gone unnoticed.
Communicate and Collaborate
Good communication is key to staying on schedule and the successful completion of projects. Delays, changes, and questions arising are expected. Being able to quickly and clearly communicate is essential. By inviting teams to the platform, users are able to conduct productive, collaborative meetings whether in person or via video conference using TraceAir as a valuable visual tool. TraceAir makes it easy to explain difficult concepts using aerial images overlaid with construction documents and CAD files.
Project collaboration is more than just everyone completing tasks on schedule. It involves building a relationship with all stakeholders based on trust and respect, working together to successfully complete a project. Being able to cooperate and coordinate efforts is essential to maintaining your construction schedule.
Sharing ideas and expertise can aid in problem-solving and determining logistics on your project. Collaboration goes hand in hand with good communication and keeping everyone together on the same page. It requires trusting all parties and valuing their input as integral members of the team.
TraceAir is the best tool for collaboration. We provide unlimited licenses so you can invite all if your team, contactors, and stakeholders to use the platform as one source of data. TraceAir was specifically designed to be extremely easy for everyone to use, no need to be tech-savvy. Our drawing tools make it easy to provide clarification with notes, arrows, and shapes.
Customer Story: Brookfield Properties Improves Collaboration with TraceAir
TraceAir is important for making decisions quickly and getting everyone on board. We get there a lot faster, and it saves us a lot of time solving problems. In essence, TraceAir is an effective communication tool for developers, general contractors, and the entire project team.”
— David Greenstein, Sr. Project Manager, Brookfield Properties
We pull up our TraceAir data for almost every meeting because the picture is much more accurate than looking at the plan. It just saves time because people know exactly what you’re talking about, and they have a realistic picture of what it is that’s out there. TraceAir aids the conversation and usually makes things go a little faster because everybody’s looking at the same thing.”
— Kelly Stockton, Senior Project Manager Plant Construction, L.P.
Plan for Changes
Most projects deviate from the approved design to some degree. The modifications may stem from the client’s design changes, a design flaw, or an unforeseen condition. Leaving room in your schedule for changes can alleviate stress. If this time is unneeded you may be able to finish ahead of schedule.
If a change is needed, use the data within our platform to make decisions and keep the project moving. Once project documents are updated to reflect changes, they can easily uploaded so you can easily compare as-built to as-designed.
That is one of the big advantages of having TraceAir grade our job sites. Sometimes we have to add features to the project such as adding a retention wall. Knowing the elevations through TraceAir makes this an easy field design change through our contractors.”
— Mateo Burbano, Land Development Manager at Lennar Homes
Decisions with Data
A guaranteed way to blow your deadline is to not use data to make decisions. Land Development and Project Managers often rely on engineers, surveyors, and contractors to get the answers they need because they lack the necessary tools to obtain accurate data so they can make decisions. This can take a long time and lead to major delays! TraceAir empowers users to make decisions using real data, allowing little to no room for discrepancies.
Here are a few ways to use TraceAir to eliminate human error:
- Check as-built lots before having them surveyed
- Confirm completed work prior to billing
- Manage dirt balance
- Confirm locations of pipes, manholes, etc.
The visibility and measurement tools provided with TraceAir allow users to make decisions in minutes or seconds that would otherwise require a site visit, consultant, or engineer and take days or weeks to complete or make errors via manual calculations. In addition, should a dispute arise, having accurate, time-stamped data to discuss is hard to argue with.
Customer Story: Oxland uses TraceAir to Make Decisions with Data
Accessible Data
For most Land Development and Project Managers, being able to visit all of your projects everyday, or even every time an issue arises is unattainable. In situations where you need to see the problem in person or conduct measurements, this can lead to major delays. The whole project could come to a halt until you are able to make it to the jobsite, conduct the necessary measurements, and make a decision.
TraceAir allows users to access their scans and data remotely from any location using our cloud-based platform. In this situation, the manager could pull up their TraceAir scan, overlay the design plans, accurately conduct measurements, and make decisions with confidence so the project can continue.
With TraceAir, I've extended my ability to see our projects from the office, from home, or wherever I am.”
— Gonzalo Rodriguez, Vice President of Land Development, Brookfield Residential
It reduces our travel costs significantly and allows me to be more strategic with my time.”
— Jeff Brouellette, Principal, Arroyo Capital
When we started to use TraceAir and realized how user-friendly and accurate it was, we relied on it a lot more and benefited from it significantly. Unlike other software in the industry, TraceAir puts data analytics in the hands of field managers. So, now we do many tasks that were previously done at the office, including measurements.”
— Mike Jensen, Foreman, Independent Construction Company
Get Started
Ready to get started? TraceAir’s state-of-the-art site development acceleration system is used by the top homebuilders and construction companies to stay on schedule, improve communication, and make better decisions. Request a demo to learn more.