Construction Field Operations
Management Automation
Igor Starkov, Vice President, Latista
Email: istarkov@latista.com
703-391-1070 extension 116
www.latista.com
Why Focus on Field Operations Automation?
Demands for higher worker productivity and/or cost cutting
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More work is demanded of fewer qualified subcontractors and
employees because of either constraints of a growing market or
emerging cost cutting initiatives by builders.
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Fewer workers require higher levels of quality and safety because
reduced error rates lead to freed up resources to focus on building.
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Fully 84% of best-in-class companies said that they are striving to
do more with less.
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More work with fewer field workers is only achievable through waste
reduction and increased productivity per worker.
Key Performance Category
Average Improvement
Worker productivity
27%
Customer
satisfaction/retention
19%
Overall profitability
17%
Source: Aberdeen Group, December 2005
Why Focus on Automating Quality/Safety at Jobsite?
Governments Compliance and Penalty Reductions,
Litigation Support, Insurance Premium Reduction
Government compliance can be enhanced through standardization
of processes, procedures, and documentation to help meet OSHA,
LEED, SPIRIT, and new regulations and guidelines in addition to
state and local and foreign governments regulations
Government penalties can be reduced in certain areas of
construction if company is proven to have implemented systems for
quality and safety improvements
Litigation support and avoidance through the use of digital images
(properly formatted and coded) and documentation
Insurance premiums may be reduced through improved reporting,
analytics and resulting improvements in performance for safety /
quality functions
Automate Field Operations Management to Reduce Rework
Measuring and Classifying Construction Field Rework: A Pilot Study - Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Alberta May 2003
Why Focus on Work Order Management?
Fast and efficient work order resolution improves profitability
Faster response times and more first-call
resolutions are building blocks of increased field
technician productivity.
Source: Aberdeen Group, December 2005
Impact of Poor Field Operations Management
Issue
Impact to the Process
Phone-based
communications
between dispatchers
and field workers
•Superintendents/QA managers dispatched late or in error
•Excess travel time incurred
•Fewer work orders completed per day, per employee/subcontractor
•Emergency service calls not escalated properly
Inadequate access
to customer and
project data
•Service orders issued with errors
•More time spent figuring out the problem
•Best practices for scenario resolution are not captured and shared
•Missed revenue opportunities from targeted cross-selling
Inadequate
reporting
and analytics
•No visibility into employee/sub/vendor performance (i.e. time spent
at the construction site, # of defects, travel time etc.)
•Inability to track and monitor productivity
•Missed opportunities for performance based incentives
Paper-based or
simple systems
of record
•Excess time spent closing job tickets and receiving new tasks
•Missed opportunities for organic process improvement
•Error-prone data management processes
Critical Success Factors in Jobsite Automation Solutions
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Issue (error) or Corrective Actions Capture:
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Issue or Corrective Actions Resolution:
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Communications:
•
Equipment Should be Tailored to Environment:
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– Fast, accurate and easy
– Standardized descriptions
– Automatic checking and rechecking to ensure completion
– Tracked and noted for cycle times and redundancy
– Automatic and full-proof wireless synchronization
– Take into consideration locations w/out Internet (local client with
synchronization capability)
– In native language of subcontractors (i.e. Spanish)
– Two-way (both builder and sub have involvement)
– Involves customer (if appropriate)
– Outdoors – used in direct sunlight and rain
– Rugged – expect drops on concrete and tough treatment
Enterprise Approach:
– Organizational-wide involvement (reporting, status)
– Allows for coordination of schedules and effective dispatching
– Must integrate into your existing back-office systems
Which Device is Best for Field Operations?
Hardware
Smart Phones /
Blackberry
Tablet PCs
Number of devices
500
500
Per unit cost of each device
$500
$2000
Total annual cost of devices
$250,000
$1,000,000
OS and related software, device/year (excludes other applications)
$75 / month
$100 / month
Total software costs, per year
$37,500
$50,000
Voice and data charges, device / month (data only for Tablet PC)
$122.50
$55
Total connectivity costs, per year
$735,000
$330,000
Employee average wage (IT fully burdened) cost per hour
$50
$50
Hours of training per employee / month (excludes field employee time)
7.5
4.0
Hours of support per employee / month (excludes field employee time)
10
6.0
Annualized training and support cost
$437,500
$250,000
Year I Total Cost of Ownership
$1,460,000
$1,630,000
Year II Total Cost of Ownership
$1,022,000
$537,900
Year III Total Cost of Ownership (avg. life of blackberry 18 months)
$1,460,000
$537,900
Total Cost of Ownership Over Three Years
$3,942,000
$2,705,800
Software
Connectivity
Support
Total Cost of Ownership
Sources: Gartner, Forrester
* Other cost issues: lost additional income during training, wide availability of
additional software for Tablet PCs, easier upgrades for Tablet PCs, etc.
Note: Smart Phones and BlackBerry-like devices are useful for work order
notifications for subcontractors and superintendents, where small screen is OK
Rugged Equipment and Mobility
• Used in bright sunlight conditions
• Wireless synchronization with back-office systems
• Water tight (can handle pouring rain, submersion)
• Handles extreme shocks (drops plywood, concert)
• Handles extreme climates (temperatures)
• Full PC functionality
• Supports Industrial Use Including Unique Docking Stations,
Carrying Options, Hand Straps, etc.
• Handles Future Needs Such as Integrated GPS, Bar Coding
Latista:Field Solution Overview
Latista:Field Framework
Tablet PC-based solution (local client) for field related personnel that
synchronizes wirelessly with a HQ server web-based solution for office
personnel and dynamically generates work-orders to be sent via fax
and email (and optional vendor portal) in English-Spanish to
subcontractors
**
Latista:Field Core Features
Feature
Feature Description
Benefit
Tablet PC Synchronization
Engine
Local client on tablets synchronizes
with office central server
Uninterrupted field work without
requiring Internet connection
Work Order and Corrective
Actions Management
Dynamically generate work orders,
assign to subcontractors and track
Saves time, increases accuracy,
and measures performance
Job Completion Tracking for
Work Orders and Tasks
Tracks which jobs have been
completed and handles escalations
Reduces response times and
ensures job completion
Foreign Language Translation
for Work Orders
Dynamic translation English-Spanish
and 10 other languages for subs.
Saves costs and time by reducing
errors in repairs
Resource Assignment and
Dispatching (Leveling)
Dashboard view of all resources in the
field and if desired even subs.
Increases productivity in the field
and coordinates activities
Customer Management and
Jobsite History
Creates full history for all customer and
job (issues) related information
Fast customer resolution and
jobsite history for sub’s ratings
Operations Reporting Built-in
Daily office and jobsite (tablet)
operational reports
Fast and accurate jobsite status
and work order statuses
Subcontractor Management
Setup, rate and manage subcontractor
work orders
Accurately manage current
performance and rate past issues
Document Management
Add project documents such as CAD
drawings, plans, specifications
Eliminate the need to carry heavy
rolls of plans and documents
Workbench or Task
Management
Assigns task to appropriate system
users for completion / follow-up
Keeps employees focused on
tasks at hand and follow ups
Integration Engine to Backoffice Systems
Integration engines to back office
systems such as JDE, SAP, Timberline
No double entry or management of
data – ability to account for chargebacks, etc. for subs.
Case Study: Clark Construction – Galen Center
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Project: Galen Event Center
City: Los Angeles, CA
Owner: University of Southern California
Cost: $100,000,000+
Size: 210,000 SQF
Summary: Phase two of the project - construction of the
Athletic Pavilion, consists of a 75,000-square-foot, two-story
structure with coaches’ offices, administrative space, meeting
rooms and storage space on the lower floor. The upper floor
will house practice courts. The Pavilion will connect to Galen
Center at both levels.
Case Study: Clark Construction – Galen Center
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Contractor: Clark Construction
Description: Founded in 1906, Clark Construction
Group, LLC is today one of the nation's most
experienced and respected providers of
construction services, with over $2 billion in annual
revenue and major projects throughout the United
States.
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Field Management System: Latista:Field
Application Areas: project closeout, punchlists, work orders
management, quality control checklists, etc.
Some Facts:
– More than 20,000 issues recorded in the field
– Issues dispatched wirelessly to the central office
– Work orders generated at midnight and emailed/faxed to
subcontractors
– Extensive use of digital pictures embedded into issue
description within the work order
Results:
– Closeout Phase reduced by several days
– Improved quality of construction
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LATISTA - Company Overview
• History: Doubling in size every year since founding in 2001
• Industry Focus: Construction and Real Estate
• LATISTA Focus – number one in field operations automation
software solutions for construction
• LATISTA Services – Consulting, Software, Customization,
Training, Implementation and Support