Blogs Archive

Maximizing Efficiency: How Lean Planning Tools Can Reduce Waste in Construction

As a general contractor, one of the most important aspects of your job is maximizing efficiency. You want to complete projects on time and on budget, while also delivering high-quality work. However, the construction industry is notorious for waste, which can eat away at your profits and hinder your success. That’s where Lean planning tools can help.

Lean planning tools allow project teams to streamline processes, reduce costs, and improve the overall quality of work. In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of Lean planning tools and how you can implement them in your construction projects.

Reduce Waste

The first and most obvious benefit of lean planning tools is that they can help reduce waste. Construction projects are often rife with waste, from excess materials to inefficient workflows. By using lean planning tools, construction project teams can identify areas where waste is occurring and take steps to eliminate it. This can save money on materials and labor, while also reducing the environmental impact.

Improve Communication

Communication is key in any construction project, but it can be challenging when multiple teams are working on different tasks. Lean planning tools can improve communication by creating a centralized platform where everyone can access project information in real-time. This can reduce the risk of miscommunication, delays, and rework.

Streamline Processes

Another core benefit of lean planning tools is that they streamline construction processes. By analyzing workflows and identifying areas where the project team can eliminate unnecessary steps or automate tasks, the time and effort required to complete each task can be reduced. This increases productivity and helps the construction team finish projects ahead of schedule.

Enhance Collaboration

Collaboration is essential in construction, but it can be difficult when multiple teams are working on different aspects of a project. Lean planning tools enhance collaboration by providing a platform for teams to share information, coordinate tasks, and work together more effectively. This can reduce the risk of delays, budget slippages, and more time spent in planning meetings.

Improve Quality

By reducing waste, improving communication, streamlining processes, and enhancing collaboration, Lean planning tools improve the overall quality of construction projects. This can lead to greater customer satisfaction, increased referrals, and a stronger reputation in the industry.

Increase Profitability

Finally, by reducing waste, improving efficiency, and delivering high-quality work, Lean planning tools can increase profitability. Projects are completed quicker, which reduces the cost of materials and labor, and improves contractor’s reputation, which can all contribute to a better bottom line.

In conclusion, Lean planning tools are essential for general contractors who want to maximize efficiency and reduce waste in construction projects. They improve communication, streamlines processes, enhances collaboration, and delivers high-quality work, all while increasing profitability. Contractors that are not already utilizing Lean Planning tools like Touchplan, check out a walk-through of the platform and get started today.

Learn about Touchplan’s Latest Feature – Hover Over

Touchplan added a new feature called Hover Over which allows teams to more effectively hold huddles/meetings to review their tickets and keep them in the context of the overall plan.

We sat down with the Touchplan product team for a quick Q&A to learn more about the feature.

Please tell us what Hover Over is all about and how it helps customers?

Hover-over allows users to see the key details of their tickets without the need to click or change the zoom. They can move the mouse cursor over the ticket to see the information. We give users the ability to customize what fields will appear in the hover-over to help them keep the focus on the things that are important to them and reduce visual clutter.

What pain point does Hover Over solve for customers?

Customers want to view their plans at a high zoomed-out level and still be able to look at the details of their tickets. The problem is that the only way to see the details of a ticket right now is to click on the ticket, which causes the view to zoom into the ticket and open the ticket editor. The view remains zoomed in when the user closes the ticket editor, so they’ve lost their place on the larger plan view. Hover Over solves that problem.

As a product developer, what excites you most about this new feature?

It’s gratifying to create features and improvements to Touchplan that boost our customers’ productivity. Hover Over makes navigating and managing large plans significantly easier, and I look forward to hearing how we can make it even better.

For more information on Touchplan’s Hover Over feature and how to best utilize it, please contact our customer success team.

A Little Tech Adds A Lot of Safety

The top priority for any construction company is to ensure the safety of all workers on the job site. While there have been significant improvements in safety standards and practices throughout the construction industry, there is always room for improvement. More recently, the implementation of construction planning software like Touchplan has shown great promise in reducing the number of safety incidents on jobsites by 3%.

Let’s look at some ways that construction software platforms can enhance safety on construction sites, along with some statistics to back it up.

Reducing Human Error

With the help of construction planning software, project managers and superintendents can better plan and organize, reducing the likelihood of errors and omissions that can lead to safety incidents. A construction software platform can help ensure that all necessary safety measures are in place, that equipment is properly maintained, and workers are trained and prepared for their tasks.

Improving Communication

Construction planning software streamlines communication on jobsites. Construction project teams can collaborate in real-time, share information and data, and identify and address potential safety concerns before they become significant issues. This can help prevent accidents and keep workers safe.

Real-time Monitoring

Monitoring construction sites in real-time allows PMs and Supers to track the movement of workers and equipment, identify potential hazards, and respond quickly to emergencies. This real-time monitoring can help prevent accidents and minimize the impact of any incidents that do occur.

Statistics

There is strong evidence that construction planning software platforms have led to a reduction in injuries and other safety incidents on construction sites. A recent study by Hobson & Company found that companies that have implemented construction technology have experienced a 20% reduction in rework rates, a 50% reduction in planning-related project delays, and an 85% reduction in time spent aggregating, analyzing, and reporting on updated construction plans. These improvements are directly related to the use of technology, including construction planning software.

Another study by the Center for Construction Research and Training found that the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) software resulted in a 50% reduction in the number of accidents on construction sites. These models can be used to identify potential safety issues and to plan and coordinate construction activities.

Conclusion

Construction planning software can enhance safety on construction sites by reducing human error, improving communication, and enabling real-time monitoring. As more property owners, general contractors, and specialty trades adopt this technology, the number of safety incidents on jobsites should continue to decline.

How Collaborative Planning is the Key to On-Time Project Delivery: A Webinar Recap

63% of commercial property owners identified schedule as their top priority for value related to construction project performance. With this notion top of mind, Touchplan recently hosted a webinar on commercial property owners’ satisfaction as it relates to construction projects.

Touchplan’s Head of Reseller partnerships, Noah Baker, hosted a discussion with collaborative planning experts Dan Facuhier, Daniel Shakespeare, and Andy Fulton. The group discussed how owners can revise their scheduling specifications to include collaborative planning and the steps construction project teams can take to deliver on-time and under-budget projects.

Some of the key takeaways from the webinar include:

Collaborative planning allows for trust to be built among general contractors, designers, owners, and tradespeople. This only enhances the timeliness and quality of work and allows owners to deliver their projects on time and safely.
Digital planning platforms allow for easy access to data that can accelerate the building of trust and reliability among all parties and the accumulation of information about project hiccups and reasons for setbacks.
Collaborative planning fosters better buy-in and a greater chance of future project bids due to the ease of communication and involvement of all parties at every level of the planning process.

If you want to watch the entire webinar, you can find it on our website.

Every Path Needs a Plan

In honor of Women in Construction Week, we sat down with Heather Mendez, Vice President of Project controls for MOCA Services.

Heather has over 20 years of experience in cost engineering and project management; and has worked with government agencies, including the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Veterans Administration, General Services Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the US Department of Energy.

We asked Heather to provide her thoughts as a leader in the construction industry on what others should do to build their path within the industry.

What do you love most about working in the construction industry?

I love the endless opportunities you find in the construction industry. There is something for everyone in this field, from Engineering, Design, Project Management, Accounting, Building, and more. The possibilities for career movement, continuing education, and leadership are only limited by what you want to achieve.

Who was your biggest influence/inspiration during your career?

I have been fortunate to work with dedicated individuals during my entire career. Early in my career, I looked up to two female small business owners who spent many hours teaching me what they knew and how they acquired their knowledge. Jodie and Candy, you have and continue to develop women in the industry.

What does it take to attain the leadership level that you have reached?

In this order: Self-Awareness. Vision. Goals. Patience. When I stopped trying to fit in and decided to “be my best self and bring my best talents to the team,” my entire career changed. I saw how much I brought to a team and where I needed additional development to create goals.

What can Women Leaders in Construction like yourself do to get more young women interested in working in Construction?

The average person sees construction simply as the worker outside in the hard hat. There is SO MUCH more to construction. Share your experience, journey, and successes with others in and out of the construction industry.

What advice would you give young women who want to be leaders in Construction?

Number one: Advocate for yourself. Tell your boss/team/HR what you want from your career. Be specific with tasks, training, and dates. Take the initiative and accountability to build the career you deserve that fits your work/life balance.

Second: Look for the Builders. Surround yourself with Team Builders, Business Builders, and People Builders. You will encounter adversity, be prepared to pivot to stay on track.

Let’s Build UP Women in Construction

I started in construction in the 1980s. There weren’t very many women in the business, but at the same time, I didn’t perceive a lot of limitations. It can still be intimidating and challenging today, but the industry is more open than in 1985. While women still face limitations, I think inclusivity in the construction industry is being addressed more candidly today.

Within the industry, there remains a challenge of feeling accepted or being left out. Currently, 8 out of 10 women working in construction feel this way today, even though companies recognize the value women bring to the process.

Progress

Construction is an honorable, profitable, and rewarding career.

Increasingly, women start from the construction trailer or as detail architects and become leaders in their own design and construction companies. So let’s attract more young women to the industry! How?

Start early. The industry needs to start earlier, and we should make it a collaborative effort. Owners, Project Managers, Contractors, Industry Organizations, and Trades could begin outreach when young women are in high school or middle school to share about the fantastic opportunities in construction. Share the following benefits:

Good pay. One area of enticement to focus on in the construction industry is that the wage gap between men and women is fairly non-existent. NAWIC just published an article stating that women earn virtually as much as men (99.1%), which is one of the smallest gender pay gaps in the U.S. Currently, 13% of construction firms are women owned.
Leadership potential: Women comprise 11% of the total construction workforce. 7.5% of construction managers are women. While the statistics on the surface could be better, it’s an opportunity for firms to mentor women into leadership roles in the field, not just the office. Providing women the opportunity to work directly in the field on construction projects is where they can earn some of the best experience. Presently, 87% of women work solely in office positions.

When you add in the excitement of the art of building, good pay, and a challenged labor market, it proves that a career in construction could be just as rewarding as other professional career track.

Resources

The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) is a phenomenal organization for women working in construction. They offer a wealth of career development and advancement resources. But beyond NAWIC, organizations like the Association of General Contractors(AGC), the Construction Management Association(CMAA), the Association of Builders & Contractors(ABC), and several others offer lots of support.

In terms of developing the next generation, the ACE Mentoring Program and Girls Inc., are phenomenal institutions that introduce young people to careers in Construction, Development, and other STEM fields.

It’s Time to Act

Leaders within the design and construction industry have a fantastic opportunity to refine the industry’s brand. Somewhere along the way, construction became perceived as an industry one went to because they failed at something else. Nothing could be further from the truth. I love the construction industry and have worked with highly talented people from the field to management. Construction is challenging, an art, and exceedingly rewarding!

I was fortunate enough as a child to be surrounded by bright, talented, unique women who told me I could do anything I wanted. That is the message we as an industry must deliver to young women. They can join the construction profession and have an extremely bright and rewarding career. Let’s continue the momentum!

Supply Chain Management 101: (Post 5) Integrated management of the supply chain and the jobsite.

In Post #2, we discussed an analog approach. The superintendent is doing a good job with planning and communicates the resulting demand signals to a supply chain manager [the project manager]. Now, we will focus on the interface between the supply chain and the jobsite.

In a phrase… It starts with Collaboration and Blossoms with Data.

Collaboration and Tech Integration

The first step is better collaboration across suppliers and contractors. When I brought up this idea in a round table discussion last week, an architect actually scoffed and said “good luck”. Refer back to post #3, where I emphasized the importance of partner collaboration. Step 4 in the chart below is next for Touchplan, and Step 5 is where we are headed.

What We Can Do Now: Expectation Management through Smarter Forecasting

Your project requires a particular piece of equipment, and the request looks feasible based on what the supplier is telling you is a reliable delivery date. What if your supplier is misinforming you because they aren’t actually forecasting?

The trade contractors doing most of the procurement typically act as go-betweens between the vendor and owner, and it puts them in a tight spot. Owners do not like being told their project schedules are slipping because of things outside of their control. However, a trade contractor could be able to do better expectation management by changing the conversation from “Well, they told me the lead for this vital piece of equipment is six months but they just told me it looks like it’s going to be another six months” to “The supplier gave me a lead time of six months, but looking at our own historical procurement data and a data set provided by the supplier, it’s likely to be more like 12 months,” and then provide a recommendation from there.

At present, you can use existing data to forecast with multiple regression or Monte Carlo. An integrated supply chain solution would automate projections of your supplier’s ship dates, continuously inform feasible production plans and adjust need-by dates and deliveries accordingly.

Systems That Talk to One Another

The next step is to automate the process through systems integration. Imagine if your project team didn’t have to do all of the planning in one place, then go to a procurement log somewhere and update need-by dates, and then make a phone call or send an email to communicate the data you just updated in the procurement log.

The ideal end state is one where supply chains respond to the production plan, and gives instant feedback about what is feasible.

That is the problem we are trying to solve by working with partners like Intelliwave, BitRip and PLOT. If you’re a contractor, supplier, owner, or tech platform, we are interested in working with you to move the industry towards integrated management of the supply chain and the jobsite. We’d love to talk. Reach out to [email protected] to hear more.

Guest Blog: Stop Trying to Motivate Your Employees

STOP? Surely that’s a typo in the title?

In fact, no typo; completely intentional. My question is, why would you need to motivate your employees?

You employed the right people, didn’t you? They were motivated to accept your offer of employment, weren’t they? When they walked through your front door on day one, they were motivated to do well, were they not? So, why do you now need to spend time, money, and energy on motivating them?

It’s not the role of leadership to motivate their employees but rather to identify the leadership behaviors that are actually demotivating them. And no, this is not semantics. Contingent on having employed the right people in the first place, staff are self-motivated, and if their leadership provides a climate that engages them, meets their needs, and provides the career paths that they are looking for, then they will stay motivated. Thirty years serving in HM forces taught me that, and in many companies in my 14 years in civilian life, I have had that opinion reinforced.

What I have learnt is that it’s the actions and inactions of leadership that demotivates staff. As a consultant, I sometimes hear business owners say that their staff needs to be re-motivated. This needs to be reframed as it’s my experience that sometimes businesses hire the right people but then turn them into the wrong people, at which point they lose the motivation that they brought with them to the job.

So, if you have a problem with staff motivation, look inward and not outward.

If you have demotivated staff, what can you do today to provide a culture that will sustain the motivation your people had when they first walked through your front door?

Dr. Anthony Kenneson-Adams is a partner and head of learning and knowledge at Project 7. He has expertise training, mentoring, and coaching senior executives to shop floor leaders in customer focused leadership of operational excellence and organisational development. He is recognized for building self-sustaining Lean and 6 Sigma cultures that engage leaders and teams to excel as corporate citizens. If you are interested in understanding in learning how to maintain a culture of motivation, you can connect with him on LinkedIn.

Leverage Technology to Better Manage Your Supply Chain: A Webinar Recap

Touchplan recently hosted a webinar that featured our Lead of Strategic Partnerships, Andrew Piland and Jeff Houtz, Supply Chain Leader at TritenIAG.

The two discussed how supply chain initiatives could be improved by leveraging technology and enhancing collaboration.

Some of the key takeaways from the webinar include:

Communication between parties is essential and can save a lot of time but also promote creativity. Communicating with the supply chain managers allows supers, trades, and owners to have transparency on when material will be delivered or what can be done if plans need to pivot.
Planning, particularly using technology, is the most beneficial part of better managing your supply chain. Yes, you can manually use Excel or a pen and paper to plan, but these tech platforms make it so much more integrated end to end and put your fingers exactly on what you need. It also compiles historical data to understand the trends of how teams are/were performing to make realistic decisions and commitments on what they can do moving forward, especially regarding the supply chain.
Understand ownership and expertise. Many supers think they know what to do and feel like they have to put fires out everywhere, but there should be a focus on what you can’t control instead of just having emotional reactions to everything that’s going wrong. With technology, you can identify the inefficiencies you didn’t even know existed previously, and you can also gain more creativity when working with others and focusing on what you can do now. With data, you’ll be able to recognize pain points and what can be done.

If you want to watch the entire webinar, you can find it on our website.

Supply Chain Management 101: (Post 4) Move Construction Activities from the Jobsite into the Supply Chain

Prefabrication and off-site construction are not novel concepts, but it has yet to be mainstream for commercial construction. More sophisticated MEP trades and some wall panel companies are pulling the industry in that direction.

I recently talked with a superintendent who had seven weeks in his schedule for exterior framing and sheathing on a 50,000 SF green field church project. By switching to pre-fab, the total on-site time was three weeks. He also cited the gains in safety due to less manpower required and removing the requirement for workers to hoist individual sheets from boom lifts. When you think about it, most of the time, doing sheathing on-site is a waste. The predominant activity is moving the lift to position material instead of fastening it to the studs.

Aside from the obvious time savings on the jobsite, there are higher-level and more strategic benefits to building off-site. You guessed it; it has to do with the supply chain, and most of it deals with eliminating waste.

Why is this? Reference back to the intro to this series. There is a trade-off between efficiency and responsiveness. Efficient supply chains have less waste but are less resilient. Remember the toilet paper crisis? Efficient, but not so resilient to a shock in demand. Construction supply chains have typically been responsive at the expense of efficiency due to the dynamic nature of projects. The trade-off requires the supply chain to allow for waste in the form of inventory.

Describing the Baseline Construction Supply Chain without pre-fabrication

The standard construction supply chain is a conglomeration of fragmented sub-supply chains that converge to the place where value is added. The unique bit about construction is that the final location where value is added is also the end product’s final destination. The jobsite is the construction factory, and no two are alike. Creating steady flow [efficiency] in such a system is nearly impossible.

From the superintendent’s vignette above, he mentioned the almost just-in-time nature of his experience with pre-fab resulted in a cleaner site and less inventory waste. Sure, the factory where the panels are made may have to maintain some inventory; however, due to reduced cycle time to build in the factory and installation on the jobsite, raw materials have less net storage time in the supply chain. In this case, up to four weeks less as the material would have sat on the jobsite until it was ready to be installed.

Every stakeholder in the value chain should care about this because it ties directly to the project’s bottom line.

Owners, if you walk out to your project and see stacks and stacks of inventory sitting on-site, you are paying for it. Regardless of the purchase price your project team was able to secure, there are secondary and tertiary costs associated with storing material.

What prefabrication will help us do in the future

Prefabrication is essential to building more certainly by eliminating waste associated with traditional construction. Additionally, the benefits of safety and quality cannot be ignored. One lesson from the pre-fab wall panel example above is that the superintendent knows he would have saved more time had he coordinated early enough to add waterproofing scope in the factory. Doing so would have allowed for more certain quality control, reduced time having workers in lifts, and more savings to the schedule.

How prefabrication plus integrated technology makes project delivery more certain

Prefabrication alone is great, but it’s only one component of industrialized construction. The next step is to couple prefabrication with technology, data, and analytics. One platform that I am excited to see is Katalyst.di. [[email protected]] Their position that predictable supply chains generate predictable construction projects is spot on, and the way they are going about it is exactly right. Enabling collaboration across supply chain stakeholders by integrating data and workflows is much needed in the AECO space. Using a planning platform like Touchplan to forecast demand coupled with a supply chain platform like Katalyst.di is how projects will be delivered with more certainty in the future.