Lets approach the linking of everyone and everything at our job sites in sensible stages.
Talking and
corresponding with contractors and vendors about “the connected job site” has
been an interesting and thought-provoking exercise. There are almost as many
opinions as people contacted, but there are also areas where everybody agrees.
“We must go forward. We must make our sector of the construction industry as
efficient—and profitable—as possible.” Some contractors do not see how all the
systems and software recommended can bring them more profit or efficiency,
because they tally up the hours saved, the expenses saved, and the improved use
of equipment, and they do not see where the total beats the amount of money they
must spend to achieve the results. One concern reiterated many times was that
the owner would have to hire new personnel “just to manage the system,” and
these are not times when hiring new employees seems prudent. That perception
would apply mostly to those contractors whose payroll is only a few people,
perhaps just family members. It’s not a new challenge.
When computers
first appeared and were marketed, many of us could not envisage their eventual
value to our businesses or lifestyles. Even now, most of us come across computer
users and vendors whose talk is incomprehensible because it has sunk into a pond
of terms, initials, buzzwords, and add-ons that most of us do not need on a
daily basis. If some colleagues or competitors seem to have started a new
language to describe in complicated terms what we have been doing simply and
successfully for years, consider it a low hurdle over which we must jump with
confidence. Don’t be intimidated by the talk of those who know only the tools
and not the reasons for having them! Switch off the prattlers and start by
deciding where you want to go, how you can reach there, and when you can afford
each stage. As with computers, as with wheel loaders and graders, as with
pickups, there are levels to success. There is some excellent equipment to help
you, within your budget, so don’t let yourself be put off by those who are,
frankly, too enthusiastic and rarin’ to go to extreme solutions. Every pass is
not a touchdown and every hit is not a homer. Let’s recognize that smaller,
steady steps can get us there, too, to win the game.
Thousands of
grading and excavation contractors (with both big and small companies) use
instruments to make their work more accurate, efficient, and profitable. That
has been Stage Two. Stage One was accepting that there are techniques and
technologies available that are new and helpful. Most contractors have done
that. They know that the methods of 50, 40, and 30 years ago may have been
excellent for their time, but that habit of denouncing anything
new as useless has gone in most businesses. In other industrial sectors,
manufacturing companies that have not upgraded their production techniques—and
that have been unable to produce their goods competitively at prices and a
quality that customers will accept—have gone out of business. Even some large
companies have failed, proving that merely throwing money at a problem is not
necessarily the path to success in business. In all our efforts to improve our
business, let us never forget that earthmoving is what we do, and we do it well.
Everything we investigate to help us forward must recognize that there are tasks
at the core of our business which cannot be neglected. Connecting the job site
does not mean ignoring the basic skills of grading and excavation. It makes the
business we already know a more productive and profitable affair.
In our sector
of construction, we try to keep in mind that the best result for our
earthmoving, for our client and ourselves, is always our goal, regardless of the
tools used to achieve it. That may be why contractors as an industrial group
have seemed to be slower than others to modernize their techniques. A look at
our national business activity of the last year, with its many failures and
harmful effects on employment and lifestyle for so many families, may reinforce
the belief that changing established good practices and ignoring criteria for
growth is an advance that requires the most careful research and diligence. But
we need to make progress, and now is probably the best time in years for
researching and acquiring excellent products that will help us to stay
competitive, to survive, and even to grow in these challenging days.
The first
question a good contractor asks of any new program that promises better results
is: “Will it really work?” Just one week ago I received information from Topcon
that some contractors using their 3D-M[² system have
reported productivity gains of more than twice that of regular 3D
machine-control systems. All over the country contractors have also mentioned
that they can use their dozers at twice the normal grading speed and still get
“incredible accuracy and smoothness.” “We’re talking about an incredible
technological innovation,” comments Murray Lodge, vice president of construction
for Topcon Positioning Systems. “This is not just a technology that any company
can do. Anybody can use sensors and think of the concept of getting a dozer to
go faster with increased accuracy. What’s different is that Topcon used the
combination of proper algorithms, satellite signal filters, revised arithmetic
formulae. Scientists and engineers at our company have accomplished yet another
world’s-first construction development.” A single 3D dozer doing the heavy work
of two 3D dozers? A dozer making a cut that compares favorably to the speed and
smoothness of a grader? Those are the results that appeal to earthmoving
contractors. They are why we should investigate new technologies and, yes, find
out if they really work.
The
First Levels of Success
Contractors
have proved that the use of instruments (such as lasers) to control production
efficiency and accuracy has been worthwhile. There are several companies that
have provided products and systems to help us in earthmoving and construction
projects. I’ll list some here, and select a few features and benefits at random
from the list. If you are a beginner in the world of earthmoving excellence,
research these companies to see what they have available to help you become
quickly efficient. Do some research online on these: Topcon, Vertigraph, HCSS,
Maxwell Systems, Trimble, Insite Sitework, ProEst Software, Carlson Software,
MC², Leica Geosystems, Sokkia, OnCenter Software,
WinEstimator. You’ll find they have thousands of customers already who will
vouch for their helpfulness in such varied tasks as estimating, machine control,
eliminating stakes in earthmoving, precise grading, job costing, billing,
timecard entry, and surveying. Some systems available from those companies may
be more than you can cope with this month; that only emphasizes how we should
approach this entire challenge of job-site connection. Start with a simple step
forward—something for grader and dozer control, for example. When you’re
convinced of the benefits (as you will be) consider another level.
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Photo: John Francis
Waiting to work? With good connectivity, the costs of downtime can be reduced dramatically. |
What we are
aiming for is the situation where everybody in your company who needs to do so
can access information, not just bidding information but the latest status of
earthmoving, the position of the project today, and where it should be and will
be tomorrow. It can be done without having to drive to the job site in a
maneuver like the old one of jumping into the pickup and driving 30 miles that
can waste fuel and time, especially when you should have been preparing bids or
studying specs at the office. We made the baby steps in this progress when we
started to use telephones and then cell phones or two-way radios to communicate
with people miles away. That seems so obvious and everyday now, doesn’t it? If
anything can suffer regularly with cell phones and similar, remote, spoken-only
communications, it is accuracy. With the programs we recommend for our readers’
homework, you are assured of accuracy along with the timeliness. You can get
words and pictures—in the office, at the site, in your vehicle, anywhere—to
describe the current scene, yesterday’s progress, and tomorrow’s work.
Let’s look a
little more closely at one program, designed specially for grade contractors.
“Carlson Grade Supervisor allows contractors to know their grade instantly,”
notes Randy Noland, vice president of marketing for Carlson Software Inc. “For
bid verification, they will always know the accurate starting surface volumes
with Grade Supervisor v1.0, before they move any dirt. It’s an easy-to-use
program and provides all the tools needed for total grade management with any
complexity. As accuracy is improved, productivity and profitability will
increase. This software will help you tighten bid specs.” Carlson Grade
Supervisor v1.0 will provide direct import of DWG files, DXF files, and machine
control files (including tn3, gc3, and In3). Supervisors can access volumes on a
weekly, daily, or anytime schedule. They can track cut-and-fill as it is
happening, as well as collect and stake points. The software supports most
GPS/GNSS receivers and is compatible with Windows XP and Vista.
Other companies
in the list above will have programs to tell your operators and machines what to
do, where to go, how much to move, and they will tell you when it has been done
right, exactly as specified. Let’s move a step forward, up a level, as it
were.
Climbing to Another
Level
Staying with
Carlson Software, we find a program that tells the user what his workers are
doing and for whom, what inventory he has and what projects are lined up, which
jobs are on schedule and which are not. The Carlson Business Suite tells you
also what you owe and when it should be paid, who owes you, and when and what
they should pay you. In other words, the program connects more than just the
operator and the machine. It connects all the information from operators and
machines with you at the head of the organization, and tells you the
significance of every move and task completed.
HCSS offers a
solution called HeavyJob; there are three versions. With HeavyJob/Manager you
can collect all data from all your jobs and consolidate them, to give you an
accurate summary of profitability, productivity, use of your equipment, and
more. This program will also export data to your accounting department and give
reports for all projects. HeavyJob/Field gives you a complete analysis of any
job at the job site, allowing the supervisor to keep the work on schedule and
under budget. HeavyJob/Pocket is an inexpensive option that allows a contractor
to move data back to the office for review in a timely, accurate manner. The
information from HeavyJob is useful because it can include items like payroll
hours, timecards, analysis of how equipment has been used, analysis of materials
involved, and helpful notes on the project from the job site.
What persuades
most contractors to go that step further? Mentioned most often by users is the
need to standardize project management practices and a lack of document control.
Have you ever thought you might drown in the sea of documents that floats your
way when bidding is done, the contract won, and the project ready for its
beginning? The bigger the project, the bigger the sea and all its seaweed and
debris! A program that controls all that paperwork is worth its weight in gold
to a busy contractor. Again, the biggest fear may be that there is too much
demanded to run a management program; included in “too much” is often the hiring
of employees (who may never have sat on a dozer or maneuvered an excavator).
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Photo: Topcon
The performance of every type of earthmoving machine can be tracked and recorded accurately. |
 |
Photo: Topcon
How are all your machines and vehicles doing? Find out and keep the information. |
With most
project management programs that help to connect your job site with everybody
who should be involved, you can start simply and graduate to more complicated
work as your business requires it. If you are managing your projects with sticky
folders and bits of paper in somebody’s possession, or even organized folders
and whiteboards, the biggest challenge may be to know where they are, who has
them, where should they be today, and what do we do if just cannot find the
right piece of information. In one case, I heard the person with the vital
information (all in his head, and he never forgets anything) was away for two
weeks because of a family illness. Job management software gives the accurate
information to anyone who has a right to see it, whether that person is in the
office, on the job site, or anywhere.
One of the
leading software programs popular with grading and excavation contractors is
Prolog from Meridian Systems (a Trimble company). I asked Bruno Berti, senior
director of product management, if a user can start with a simple program and
gradually increase its usefulness as his company expands. “For Prolog, it is
absolutely designed to grow with the needs of the organization,” advises Berti.
“A company can simply start with a small number of licenses on a single project,
then grow as the project numbers grow as well. In fact, many of our general
contractors and customers started that way. They used Prolog with a single
project manager on a single project. Then, over time, they standardized on
Prolog for all projects.”
At the end of
2008, Meridian Systems announced the release of Prolog Connect, a new Web
services platform extension for Prolog Manager. The two applications work
together to improve ease of use, supply chain collaboration, and software
integration flexibility. “The strategy behind Prolog Connect is to allow
construction firms and building owners to converge their Prolog project
management system with Microsoft productivity applications,” notes Bruno Berti.
“By using the latest in Internet technology, Prolog Connect allows end users to
work the way they want to. They use familiar desktop tools. Organizations
capture critical project data in one project management system of record.”
Prolog Connect features a Collaboration Pack that comprises several
preconfigured Microsoft office business applications, or OBAs, to streamline
workflows around daily work journals, punch lists, RFIs, submittals, meeting
minutes, and reports.
Most HCSS
customers start simply and develop their progressive programs from there.
“It all starts
with the estimate,” explains Steve McGough, chief operating officer at HCSS.
“HeavyBid, our estimating software, allows a contractor to send [electronically
to the accounting software] the budget information, and the setup information to
our field-management software, HeavyJob. We encourage customers to start
HeavyJob with a single job, a pilot program. By starting a pilot program, the
customers have a chance to work out any issues they may have before implementing
companywide. The pilot program allows the customer to get the business process
documented, plus the training and implementation, and export to payroll setup on
a single job. Then they can slowly scale that into the rest of the company. The
key is that the frontline workers can now tell how they are doing against the
budget on a daily basis. Using HeavyJob to get next-day job cost is critical if
you want to be competitive in today’s market. Tighter margins on jobs leave
little room for error. Connecting the job site to office makes critical
information transparent and available across your entire organization.”
Let me add here
that HCSS achieves its targets with low risk for the customer. It offers a
12-month, money-back guarantee on all software as long as the customer takes the
recommended amount of training. “As the company grows,” adds McGough, “they
usually purchase more of our software. We currently offer six software products
plus GPS units. Our goal is to automate the operations of our customers’
business.”
So what can go
wrong? Most of the problems experienced by contractors when they start a
job-site connection program are well intentioned. They tend to be the result of
trying to get things accomplished too fast and of being unwilling to let go of
previous methods. You may not remember this, but I’ll bet you didn’t jump onto a
bicycle and start riding it perfectly first time. A common mistake is to devote
too little time to understanding and planning for your new system (like trying
to run a new dozer or loader with no training or consideration of the
manufacturer’s recommendations). The suppliers of connected-job-site programs
will offer helpful implementation plans and training, so it would be seem
impractical to ignore them. Equally impractical would be not to contact your
program provider if you experience difficulties setting up or progressing
smoothly.
One helpful
hint I received was that the contractor new to this kind of management should
appoint one person at his or her company to be responsible for the
implementation, use, and evaluation of the program as it progresses. That person
could be the owner, of course, or the person most comfortable with
computer-related business. And, yes, you may have to pay someone to be in
charge, but it will almost certainly be worth the investment.
A reasonable
concern expressed frequently is that these kids of programs seem to change so
quickly. How can a contractor keep up, or know what is the best available for
his projects? The changes are most frequently improvements by software designers
(many of them the results of suggestions from users in the field, like you) and
it seems that the makers are making it as easy as possible to keep up, to
advance, to stay on the cutting edge. New programs are not thrown at you without
reference to previous programs. At the beginning of this year, for example,
Trimble introduced Access software, described as a field-and-office solution
that expedites data collection, processing, analysis, and project information
delivery through improved workflows, collaboration, and control. It is enabled
by constant wireless connectivity (there’s that connection theme again) between
the members of your project team. It should be noted here, of course, that the
level of connectivity in the field may depend on the coverage of the data
provider and mobile phones.
In surveying,
this program from Trimble will accelerate both normal and specialized tasks,
enabling quick, easy two-way information sharing between your field crew and the
office. “Minimizing rework and improving productivity are the basis for
Trimble’s ongoing focus on Connected Site solutions,” observes Chris Gibson,
general manager of the company’s Survey Division. “The principle of connectivity
and total workflow integration provide surveyors with the day-to-day flexibility
to adapt to a variety of situations in the field and office, in near real
time.”
Trimble’s
Connected Community is a good example of the whole concept of the connected job
site. It provides the backbone infrastructure, enabling all parties working on a
project to share a wide range of information immediately throughout the project
life cycle. Management at the head office, teams at site offices, and field
crews can share information securely and collaborate on all appropriate aspects
of a project through the Trimble Connected Community portal or similar programs.
“Our online
service integrates today’s advanced information technologies [IT] to address the
customers’ most fundamental IT infrastructure, collaboration, and data
management needs,” explains Gibson. “All of this collaboration and connectivity
is provided in a secure, hosted environment, without extensive IT investments.”
Today you can connect your site positioning systems, grade-control systems, the
information for your equipment, and mobile assets in a collaborative manner that
will help efficiency and reduce delays associated with communications and
information-sharing.
While the
advantages are more evident for projects where there are many stakeholders
involved, they can be as profitable relatively for contractors with smaller jobs
and fewer parties involved. If there is anybody but you yourself involved, you
should really consider how to connect everybody. It’s possible, it’s not
terrifying, and it is becoming pleasantly affordable.