Data Entry Isn’t That Bad… Or Is It?
July 10, 2018
We hear it all the time. Ernie the Project Engineer used Excel to create a submittal log. Paul the Project Manager printed out stacks of papers for the project manual. TrackVia and ConstructionDive recently conducted a workflow survey and found that 47% of construction managers still use manual methods of data collection like pen and paper as well as Excel to collect, store, and manage critical job information. The process of creating a submittal log is usually a combination of going into BlueBeam or hitting the “CTRL + F” function on a PDF file and spending hours, if not weeks, creating an Excel document to put together a log that will serve as the project’s Bible when the shovel hits the ground. Everyone admits it’s a painful process – but for a process that feels like pulling an all-nighter to finish writing a thousand-page term paper that nobody fully reads or pays attention to, projects aren’t always graded on the accuracy of the submittal log until it becomes a problem on the job site. But what exactly are those problems? What risks do General Contractors expose themselves to when the Excel doc they haphazardly created doesn’t fully capture the submittals and requirements needed on the project?
Revealing the Hidden Cost of Manual Entry
In the last month, of the more than twenty companies I’ve talked to, just shy of 15% preferred their current manual entry process to automating the submittal data extraction process. But to what risks are they exposing themselves by doing this? TrackVia’s survey revealed that, because of the manual data entry process, 61% of executives had to make decisions on the project with outdated data, with 70% of executives identifying challenges in identifying potential issues with their data before they become big problems. Another 66% of executives say that the manual entry process results in inaccurate data needed for compliance or audits. Ultimately, checking the project manual should be done with a fine-toothed comb to meet contract compliance, yet Project Engineers often go through it with broad brush-strokes. Because of this, over 45% of managers and 50% of executives surveyed say one out of every five claims cannot be properly substantiated due to holes and gaps with reports and proper documentation.
Project Value & Compliance
The value that Pype adds on every project is not only one of efficiency, but of compliance and peer collaboration. Not only are we increasing efficiencies and shaving down the 1,300 hours annually spent on gathering our customer’s submittal requirements, we also save them time by integrating into leading project management platforms. Our integration with Sage Project Center and StratusVue, together with our already strong partnership and integration with ProCore, make construction projects start up faster, meet contract compliance, and close out stronger.
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