Pitfalls of the Disconnected Jobsite

In today’s fast-paced construction environment, speed and accuracy are critical to project success. That’s why it is vital for construction professionals on the jobsite to stay connected to the contractor’s back office.

For many contractors, the accounting enterprise resource planning (ERP) software is the system of record for data, regardless of whether it’s accounting or operations. Unfortunately, many contractors are also utilizing a mix of manual processes and jobsite apps to record and share that don’t integrate with each other, let alone the back-office ERP. Worse yet, some contractors rely on a mix of software programs or applications that don’t use the same set of data

In order to make sense of the project data among disparate programs, a patchwork of connective tools and processes is often required. Software application program interfaces, or APIs, that serve as data connectors between programs can be unreliable and require constant attention. Spreadsheets are a common way for interchanging data between software as well, with users downloading and uploading data between systems. But this can be a cumbersome process, requiring hours of additional work and data manipulation. Other times, data captured in the field is often walked, driven or otherwise transmitted to a back-office counterpart who has to manually enter it into the ERP or software of record.

High Costs and High Risks

These manual or disjointed approaches to construction data often lead to project headaches. From delays in work on the jobsite while data gets processed appropriately to substantially higher project costs and increased risks, the pitfalls of relying on manual processes or non-integrated software are becoming harder to escape — especially as demands on contractors for more streamlined, efficient projects continue to grow.

The double or even triple handling of data between the office and field runs the risk of keystroke error or missing data, which can lead to significant miscalculations on the jobsite. In the office, delays or difficulties in capturing data from the jobsite like project checklists and inspection reports, can mean that project managers and leadership teams do not have the full picture of how jobs are progressing.

Beyond project delays while data is manually processed or reconfigured between software systems, projects can suffer from higher equipment and material costs, inefficiencies with labor, costly rework and much more.

The Integrated Field and Office

Viewpoint Field View is integrated with Vista to provide a seamless data connection between the office and field.

Cloud computing, the advance of mobile technologies for the jobsite and integrated construction management software is taking the burden of ensuring data collection and accuracy off construction professionals that need to be focused on their jobs.

Viewpoint’s Vista ERP lets contractors build forms to capture data for virtually any process. Integration with Field View, Viewpoint’s customizable field management solution, means that jobsite personnel can input data directly to Vista from the field on a mobile device. The integration eliminates double handling, duplication, keystroke error and delay. Instead, contractors get real-time field-to-office data integration.

Field View is a highly-configurable, Vista integrated field management solution that harnesses the power of mobility for virtually any jobsite process. Custom forms and tasks, reporting and operations dashboards help larger contractors with complex projects that have unique needs reduce risk, save time and deliver better projects.

Check out this video that explores the seamless integration between Vista and Field View. Or connect with us today at www.viewpoint.com.