A simple answer to a complex construction problem
Time is one of our most valuable assets, regardless of the sector we work in.
Anything that preserves hours and minutes should be cherished.
With many complex processes at its core, the construction industry is a tough sector to make time-saving a reality.
With so many stakeholders – both internal and external – regulations and guidelines to follow, such as the cladding pledge and the uplifted Regulation 40 Part L, and many moving parts of your business and projects – it means that often you’re powerless to stop your project drifting further away from completion.
With that in mind, we’ve used our experience to put together 5 helpful tips to leverage construction SaaS to ensure that losing time won’t be part of the plan.
1 – Everyone on one platform
As a developer or housebuilder how often do your on-site managers, contractors, inspectors and your supply chain have to wait around, waiting for the right documentation and data?
How often do you and your direct team have to delay your project(s) while you wait for the right information to make a decision?
Working across different systems, tools, and platforms – and even from email attachments coming from different providers – creates a maelstrom of problems, which can mean countless hours wasted.
What it boils down to is everyone on a project working from a single platform – a single source of truth that is inclusive to key project stakeholders, making data visible to all concerned and supporting the decision-making process. This, however, is easier said than done and we advise the transition should be a phased one to encourage trust and adoption.
The beauty of a digital, cloud-based solution, is that everybody can have the data they need to ensure progress toward completion – at any time – and all be working from the correct workflows, templates and forms to ensure your data is accurate, easily findable, preserved, sharable and correct.
Our solutions are configured for your project. We consult with you to understand what workflows, forms and data you need to ensure you can set a process that works across your business and supports your role though the project to completion – and we deliver a solution that brings your team and external stakeholders together, so collaboration is as simple as a push of a finger on a touchscreen.
2 – Data – but tailored for your project
A big problem for construction projects is incomplete, incorrect or missing data. ‘Bad data’ cost the sector more than £1.3 trillion in 2020.
How can your project move forward when the data you or an assessor needs, isn’t accessible, accurate, structured or standardised?
Cladding remediation will demand all concerned businesses to complete this critical work – and data will be pivotal to any cladding project being completed. To obtain an EWS1 form for completed remediation works, relevant safety and maintenance documentation will need to be readily available and correct – while photographic evidence may need to be presented to an assessor to prove the building work done and its safety.
The uplifted Part L of Regulation 40 requires mandatory photographic evidence and housing plot data to be collected, categorised, stored and shared, so assessors can sign off building work for EPC ratings and the BREL report for plot completion.
Without this evidence and specific data tailored to your project, potentially crippling costs can ensue from intrusive works to demonstrate work done to already built developments – something that can easily be avoided.
With a construction SaaS platform built for purpose, all data, information, and processes can be standardised, so evidence can be captured in the right way, and assessors can swiftly inspect this and sign it off work to issue BREL and EPC Reports.
All data that is needed for any regulatory or project sign-off can be made visible and available to review and feedback on, with tailored dashboards that make any relevant information sharable, easy to locate and mark up. Nothing is missed and your project moves like clockwork.
3 – Get a tool built for the job
When choosing a new tool, you’ll look for the option that gives you the most benefits. You wouldn’t choose something that doesn’t make things easier.
The same goes for your project. There are a multitude of options available that can help you with the raft of data you need to accrue, store safely, check and disseminate.
So it makes sense that whatever you choose has the features to hand that you and your team will need to progress your project. Ready-made forms, workflows, templates and a menu that makes everything simple to find and share.
For Part L compliance as an example, a checklist and schedule for photographic evidence at every stage of your build would be desirable. Something that offers transparency when compliance isn’t an option – it’s necessary.
A Construction SaaS platform like Zutec provides sector-specific templates to get you started quickly and before you even begin using the software solution –providing a tool that meets exactly what you need from the moment you press the ‘on’ button.
4 – Cloud-based operating = more freedom
The Cloud sounds hi-tech and its inner workings are pretty detailed, but what it means for those on the ground is that you don’t have to be in the office anymore to complete your work.
You and your team can be on-site and gathering data with various devices without the need for a wi-fi connection – and the information you input stays secure and will be uploaded as soon as you recommence a data connection.
It’s automatic, it’s quick and it’s so easy, you won’t even notice.
And then you’ll wonder how you managed without it.
The photographic evidence you need for proving cladding remediation and Part L compliance, can be correctly collected, stored, shared and ready for assessment.
The hours you will save in avoiding countless trips to the office and back is reason enough to favour a cloud-based, construction SaaS platform. One where you can save time and money by doing all your data processing on site.
5 – All parts of your project made visible
Some of your projects can span years and are more complex than others. No two are the same.
It places even more dependency on your processes and workflows to be standardised and best practice enforced. With such shifting goalposts, it’s important that the framework for work and data that has been completed and is yet to be completed – is clear, concise and transparent.
You need to be able to track milestones, monitor progress, stay on top of problems and risks, and keep your fingers on the pulse of your project. So do your team. The only way to do that is with simple workflows designed to prompt delivery and productivity – and with dashboards that visualise that information in the clearest way so you can understand your project better.
A SaaS construction platform with intuitive, adaptable workflows and dashboards as standard promises to be the solution your project is looking for. With every team member and stakeholder pulling in the same direction, regulation compliance while driving efficiencies will be part of the journey, rather than a tricky prospect.
These five points hold the key to your project achieving PC when you plan it to – rather than fighting against missing data and chasing up information for assessments.
Need more information?
We’ve got our on-demand webinar on ‘Preparing for Part L and the road to data digitisation’ that provides you with the answers you need.
And we’ve got a whitepaper on the finer details of cladding remediation so you’re fully prepared for everything – which you can find here.
Alternatively, click here and you can see how our platform keeps your project on track.
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