On any given day, project managers and general contractors have a list filled with tasks and small details — and documenting what happens on the jobsite can be a time consuming part of their day.
Keeping project records is more than a compliance or customer-enforced rule. It's how contractors can show progress and roadblocks, protect themselves from disputes and prevent miscommunication.
While field notebooks, quick texts and email updates are great for capturing the action in close proximity, there is an easy tool that can document the jobsite without manual oversight. Construction cameras capture the big picture and key details about what's happening on the project, creating an unbiased record teams can rely on for information.
Professional camera systems generate a photographic memory of the jobsite and further automate the documentation process in a few key ways.
Send routine reports automatically.
Jotted down notes can leave out a lot of detail, creating room for misjudgment and miscommunication when reviewed later on. General contractors can help eliminate confusion and keep clean records by using images and artificial intelligence-analysis to communicate with stakeholders.
Using the right program to remotely monitor your sites makes the biggest difference in your reporting capabilities. One-click share features, project management software integrations and automatically generated reports are key to streamlining communication. When general contractors use a job site camera equipped with A.I., they have the unique capability to monitor productivity, safety and equipment utilization through the project's life cycle. They can easily schedule updates of specific images, custom time lapses or video recordings in one place, leaving little room for forgetfulness or errors.
An automated process means clients still get the details they need on their investment while freeing workers to focus on what matters most.
Show weather history and notable conditions.
It's not just what contractors do on the site that matters, how the weather impacts materials and progress makes a difference. Documenting bad weather isn't as simple as merely stating it rained. Were specific milestones blocked? Labor hours shortened?
Conditions that may interfere with job site progress can be captured by a construction camera. With charted weather conditions alongside job site images, project managers can see when, where and how a project was impacted by weather and take action as needed. This helps teams easily navigate unmanageable disruptions that get in the way of project completion.
Create a single source of truth.
As the jobsite progresses, the landscape changes. What used to be a patch of grass may now be the beginning of a storefront. Within an advanced construction camera, contractors can review the project's history in multiple ways. Teams can access images from any time and date, use image comparison tools, or markup details as needed.
Using these visual data tools, teams can communicate key data points about the jobsite without manual review of days and months worth of archived information. Contractors can track what happens in the field quickly and easily. And project managers can measure progress in the past five minutes or five months — creating a better, error-free way to document the job.
