Efficient construction documentation via app
How construction company SWIETELSKY has standardised data collection on building sites with PlanRadar
SWIETELSKY, a leading construction company in Central and Eastern Europe, faced a challenge with time-consuming analogue construction documentation processes. Snags were recorded manually with pens, paper, and various devices, creating inefficiencies in communication and documentation.
To address this issue, SWIETELSKY conducted extensive market research, analysed 12 products, and chose PlanRadar for its intuitive use and robust functionality.
Using PlanRadar on the “Wohnoase am Wienerwald” development in Vienna, SWIETELSKY streamlined snagging and construction documentation for 26 users, including the building owner, on-site construction teams, subcontractors, and the architect.
As a result, SWIETELSKY saw improved communication, reduced process times, and enhanced transparency.
The problem: analogue construction documentation is time-consuming
Arthur Schönwälder is the Group Manager for Mobility and Data Science at SWIETELSKY. He is responsible for digitalisation and mobile solutions and also for ensuring continuous data availability throughout the whole construction process. He analyses the data obtained and uses it to develop more efficient processes for operational staff. One important topic is defect management. He explains what has changed, “In the past, snags were recorded with pens, paper and smartphones or cameras for construction documentation. Workers then had to save the photos on PCs in the office and assign them to the correct location and client in Excel lists. This took a long time and was not transparent for people working on the construction project. For example, when construction managers wanted to communicate with technicians, site foremen or subcontractors to find out the current status of a snagging task, this was not straightforward.”
The solution: more efficient construction documentation using the PlanRadar app
To make these procedures more efficient, Arthur Schönwälder and his team carried out in-depth market research and analysed 12 products. The intuitive use of tools and a good range of functions were the key selection criteria, and these led to the company choosing the PlanRadar app. The software is used for various construction tasks at SWIETELSKY. The company generally uses PlanRadar for communication and documentation related to snagging, but also for handovers and acceptance processes too. After a comprehensive needs analysis and evaluation of user feedback, the software was rolled out across the whole company at the end of 2020. One project managed by SWIETELSKY and supported by PlanRadar is the “Wohnoase am Wienerwald” residential development in Vienna, Austria. Four residential complexes with a total of 48 new homes and a floor space of 3,740 m² are currently being erected for this construction project. Oliver Steininger, Quality Manager at SWIETELSKY in the area of property development, described how the software is used: “In total, 26 users currently work with PlanRadar for snagging and construction documentation. In the course of the handover to the future owners, the protocols for the flat handovers will also be created using PlanRadar. The users include the building owner, on-site construction supervision teams, specialist construction supervision teams, the general contractor, 16 subcontractors and the architect.”
The result: using PlanRadar brings the benefit of more efficient processes and higher quality
Project workers have an overwhelmingly positive impression of the product. The building owner emphasized that using PlanRadar as a construction documentation app for snagging enabled high quality requirements to be met. Oliver Steininger, summarised the benefits: “The ease of use, even on a small smartphone, is the key to the high level of acceptance internally and at our subcontractors. Communication is faster and it is easier to keep an eye on all the tasks.” With PlanRadar, SWIETELSKY employees reduce the time they spend on processes and enjoy more transparent communication between project workers. The decisive factor here is that tickets for data entry as well as templates for report generation can be adapted to the company’s requirements. This enables the structured processing of information. “We benefit from this for follow-up work in particular. Digitalisation with PlanRadar means that old time-consuming processes are no longer needed or are only used for limited applications,” Arthur Schönwälder noted.
