Special to California Construction News
Californian construction firms face intense challenges as the complexity of mega-projects continues to expand. From multi-billion dollar critical infrastructure projects like the Brightline West High-Speed Rail project and the many building facilities it requires to the ever-growing budget for Sites Reservoir, or the LA Convention Center modernization scheme, huge physical and supply chain footprints stretch managers to ensure safety and security for thousands of workers and the passing public.
From trade shortages to worker attendance, from lagging deliveries to meeting changing compliance rules, and the ever-present safety risks and site theft, issues multiply into an endless quest of chasing information to keep on top of projects. However, using smart technology and software, even the most complex project becomes understandable to hyper-busy managers and site operators.
Meeting Complex Compliance Rules Through A Dashboard
California’s strict environmental codes, worker protection rules and local and practical needs create a variety of objectives for different teams and groups across a site. Creating a digital dashboard of all the rules to be followed, assigning them to the appropriate teams brings that situation under control.
They can check in with evidence-based sign-off of each step, creating a progressive and efficient way to monitor progress, and for managers to receive alerts and enquire about late or absent compliance steps. Almost any business process is now subject to dashboard-based scrutiny, and construction firms, project managers and other partners should master this approach as soon as possible.
Similar dashboards can monitor supply chains, deliveries, and other facets of mega-projects, creating super-dashboards that provide a total overview of progress and identify regular or unique hold-ups, small or large, and the impact they will have on the project.
Building a Better Overview for Safety and Security
The larger a site or project, the harder it is to protect with traditional fencing, security cameras and access methods. Mega-projects and complex sites require dozens if not hundreds of cameras, access control points, safety sensors and other paraphernalia to secure oversize sites.
Using modern video security systems, AI can take charge of monitoring as many video feeds at a control center for unusual activity. They can track and report suspicious individuals around the site, or unusual gatherings, protests or other dubious activity at the perimeter, alerting gate or security staff to potential incidents.
Smart security systems elevate safety and security from a responsive task to a proactive one, with safety teams able to intervene before poor standards or behavior on site become a problem, or when security teams need to intervene to prevent crime, break up fights or monitor protests around the edge of the site.
Add in aerial, ground and aquatic drones, and more eyes can move faster around the site, covering remote areas and monitoring events from the best vantage points to provide advice for responders and evidence for insurance or legal teams.
Linking Data From Multiple Site and Stakeholders
Relying on dated reports from contractors, suppliers, fitters and other parts of the jobsite mega-puzzle is no longer sufficient for management. Instead, data from multiple sources is being linked together through SaaS construction applications, enterprise resource tools and APIs that link discrete applications.
The live data enables budget holders to make faster decisions to avoid delays, with AI or expert knowledge helping provide a series of options whenever there is a change in the data.
Digital twins are another approach with a complete virtual representation of the project demonstrating how every element and role should fit together within the timelines. And then, as reality bites, the most efficient adjustments can be made for the live project to support managers and operators, providing a clear understanding of any changes, and everyone responsible for it gets the latest data, extra budget or materials and access to machinery, as required.
From new villages or towns like Mountain House to office tower blocks and public facilities, the size of most construction projects grows year on year. With a massive amount of digital data and real boots on the ground getting involved as compliance, safety and security needs grow.
The software to monitor progress and escalate any issues is increasingly smart, thanks to AI, and able to respond faster, reducing risk and improving safety to save lives or avoid injury, and all those in the construction industry need to be ready to make their data accessible and leverage it to function more efficiently from the boardroom to the jobsite, large or small.
