Streamlined project communication & coordination with a digital tool
How the Handler Group used PlanRadar’s construction management tool on their flagship project HoHo Wien
The Handler Group as a general, full-service contractor, has around 400 employees working at 3 sites in Austria and a yearly construction project turnover of around 150 million euros. Their flagship projects projects include the award-winning HoHo Wien building. To ensure that communication between all the workers in complex projects such as this one was transparent and efficient in terms of time, the company implemented PlanRadar software.
The problem: Analogue project coordination results in misunderstandings and costly project delays
Peter Schönfeldinger is the Team Construction Manager for Construction Engineering. One of his key tasks is coordinating the various contractors involved in building HoHo Wien, with a focus on quality assurance of the work carried out. From clients and their requirements to architects, trades for building services equipment and all types of suppliers, there are many different stakeholders involved. This means that there is an increased likelihood of misunderstandings arising during communication. This can in turn lead to errors, delays and increasing project costs. It is also more difficult to guarantee that the implementation of the project will meet the time and budget requirements, because most trades have their own lists and standards relating to how they carry out their tasks. Collecting these different documents in one place often entails a great deal of extra effort for Peter Schönfeldinger.
The solution: a digital construction management tool makes project coordination for HoHo Wien more efficient
Within the Handler Group, the benefits of digitalising construction processes were identified early on. The organisation has now been using PlanRadar for more than 5 years as a construction management tool for consistent documentation of daily construction progress. The software standardises the recording and sharing of information during projects. Workers only receive the data that is relevant for them in a clear format. All data points are recorded as tickets on digital plans, making them easy to locate and understand. The user-friendliness of the tools is one aspect that Peter Schönfeldinger values. New information, including text, audio and images, can be directly recorded on-site using mobile devices and added to a ticket. The team’s construction manager shared his experience of this: “The more complex the project, the more we use digital options for our work. And digital does not necessarily mean complicated. PlanRadar’s construction management tool is the best example of this.” Peter Schönfeldinger was particularly impressed with the simple photo documentation feature. After viewing a photo, the manager and his colleagues can quickly get their bearings on site, can respond faster and prevent misunderstandings. Clear task assignment ensures that efficient progress can be made, with defined communication and workflows. Delays due to defects that could previously only communicated after a site visit are kept to a minimum. The simpleplan management system also impressed the team construction manager. All plan versions are organised so that they are visible in the software and differences between different versions can be shown in colour with just one tap. As a result, workers can always keep track of everything.
The result: digital project documentation and communication saves time and money
The result is a satisfied client, and a general contractor that has saved time and money on their construction project. What the Handler Group found particularly positive was the reliability of the construction management tool where project coordination and communication between all workers was concerned. Irregularities on the building site and changes to plan versions are no longer a problem with PlanRadar because every team member always has the latest information available to them. As communication between workers is more transparent, project coordinators need to spend less effort on managing individuals. This leaves Peter Schönfeldinger and his team with more time for other tasks. With PlanRadar, Handler Group are able to document defects seamlessly and address them in a transparent way. These clear structures make work faster and more efficient. They can hand over projects on schedule or even ahead of schedule: an incredible benefit in terms of reputation for every single company involved. This also applied to their flagship project, HoHo Wien. The project was handed over with no defects and on time– making it a total success.
