Even during the best of times, productivity is a concern in construction. But during a crisis, that concern can reach new, critical levels. As we’ve learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, a crisis can create major challenges to construction productivity. Many are experiencing problems like: 

• Fewer workers being allowed on the jobsite or having to meet new requirements before they’re authorized to enter

• Available workers having to cover more projects than usual, or projects becoming indefinitely delayed

• New worksite safety guidelines or mandates being put in place that slow down typical project workflows

• Fewer managers and field supervisors onsite, resulting in lowered visibility into daily attendance, productivity, and project progress

A crisis often reveals our vulnerabilities. For general contractors, the COVID crisis may have magnified any problems they previously faced with having visibility into their workforce and jobsites. 

For those who’ve been restricted in their ability to be onsite, the challenges of knowing who’s working, where, at what time, and on what tasks are very real. Threats to productivity—and the subsequent impacts on project profitability—can feel inevitable. But there is a way to stay connected to what’s happening on the ground even when you can’t always be there yourself. A remote worksite monitoring system can give you the visibility you need to measure and maintain productivity from a distance, both during a crisis and the course of normal business.

How Remote Monitoring Tools Keep Productivity on Track

When managers and field supervisors aren’t able to be on the jobsite, they still need a way to know what’s going on. A remote worksite monitoring system gives your team virtual access to what’s happening and who’s present from anywhere and any device. Using a combination of hardware and software, the system gives you the information you need to:

• Know with certainty who showed up. Workers’ ID badges or cards can be scanned at a turnstile when they enter the jobsite to record their attendance. The information is captured in real time and stored in the software where it can be immediately accessed from anywhere.  

• Gain visibility into the work being done. Using real-time daily attendance records, managers can monitor the number and type of trades that are onsite to understand what type of work is being completed and in what volume. They can compare activity happening on the site each day with the labor schedule to track progress and predict what workers are needed and when.

• Keep projects on track. With real-time data at the ready, you can establish “the ground truth” and put it into a larger perspective. You’re able to evaluate risks to the project and make better, faster decisions to maintain productivity and profitability. 

Whether you’re at home, in the office, or on the road, a remote worksite monitoring tool helps you adapt to changing conditions while also keeping up, as often as minute by minute, with the project on the ground. At the same time, labor productivity doesn’t need to suffer or grind to a halt just because you’re not able to be there to keep it on track. 

Stay Productive—Even in a Crisis

Managing construction labor and productivity is already a challenge. When a crisis situation rears up, it’s critical that you’re able to gain visibility into the jobsite and your workforce from wherever you’re located to keep productivity problems at bay. 

A remote worksite monitoring tool gives you the information and visibility you need to keep a pulse on your workforce and jobsites, even when you can’t be there yourself. When you’re able to establish “the ground truth” about the project, you’re able to report accurately on labor, scheduling, and project progress. With continually updated information about what’s happening on the ground, you and other decision makers can head off any risks to the project, make necessary adjustments in work schedules, and maintain productivity to the best of your ability. 

To learn more about how to be prepared before the next crisis strikes, read the white paper.