For any construction project, the daily management of unforeseen problems can quickly become overwhelming, often cascading into significant disruptions that affect the entire project timeline.
This was a familiar scenario for the field personnel of a mid-sized general contractor who often found themselves bogged down by a relentless tide of construction issues and the associated repercussions like project holds, Vendor Purchase Orders (VPOs) and chargebacks.
What compounded their frustration was the knowledge that many of these issues were entirely preventable. This case study explores how the contractor transformed their approach to managing jobsite issues, achieving remarkable improvements in both project execution and quality control.
To combat the chaos, the company adopted FTQ360, a software platform designed for growing contractors to digitally streamline inspection and QAQC best practices to dramatically reduce construction issues in construction projects.
The 4 Steps
Here’s how the GC company implemented this transformative tool to regain control over chaos on their jobsites:
1. Digital Communication of Construction Issues
The cornerstone of their new strategy involves streamlining the effective communication of work to complete and deficiencies. Each day, field personnel use FTQ360 to log all quality issues as they are encountered on the jobsite. Self-explanatory photos and descriptions are dynamically added to daily reports or work-to-complete punch lists. This not only aids in providing clear instructions for corrective actions but also for future reference.
2. Automation of Follow-up and Accountability for Corrections
To streamline communication, the company automates the notification of each subcontractor’s new open issues daily. At the end of the week, a consolidated punchlist of remaining open issues are emailed to the respective responsible party.
This system ensures that everyone involved is promptly informed about the issues that they are responsible for correcting, thereby accelerating response times. Automating these processes eliminates the personal emails and manual follow-ups that previously consumed significant amounts of time and effort.
3. Deficiency Prevention and Continuous Improvement
A key feature of FTQ360 is its deficiency count dashboards, which the company uses to identify and analyze top recurring issues. By targeting one specific issue per trade specialty each quarter, they create a focused approach to problem-solving and quality improvement.
This proactive strategy is supplemented by using the same dashboards to monitor the success of implemented solutions, ensuring continuous improvement.
4. Proactive Measures for New Projects
As new projects commence, the project team reviews the history of deficiencies with the vendors and subcontractors, setting the stage to preempt potential issues. This preparatory step ensures that vendors are aware of common pitfalls the company has experienced in the past, helping to mitigate risks from the outset.
Tangible Results and Future Plans
Within the first year of implementing FTQ360, the contractor is on track to halve the number of deficiencies encountered across their projects. Looking ahead, they plan to introduce checklists designed to further enhance the inspection focused on potential deficiencies before they evolve into significant problems.
This case study exemplifies how embracing innovative technology and systematic processes can profoundly impact construction management, turning chaotic jobsites into models of efficiency and control. For those interested in adopting similar measures, FTQ360 offers a robust solution to the perennial challenge of gaining control of the jobsite chaos by proactively getting ahead of construction issues before they overwhelm the project team.
To learn more about how FTQ360 can help you manage and prevent jobsite issues, visit their website and explore the tools and features that can help you stop the chaos on your construction sites.
Learn how contractors are using FTQ360 tools to stop the chaos caused by everyday jobsite construction issues.
