Snagging App – A Must-Have Tool for Construction Pros

The humble snagging app – why aren’t more construction professionals using one?

As of this moment, there are 2.23 million apps available on the App store and 3.3 million apps on the Google Play Store ready for someone to download. We are all on our phones most of the time daily, tracking our sleep app or creating digital to-do lists for personal errands. Since our phones are such useful tools in our private lives, why shouldn’t construction workers be comfortable using a snagging app?

When it comes to a construction site, any team member can detect a defect that might disrupt the delivery date or the overall work process. However, it’s even easier for these team members to notify senior managers by using mobile snagging software to communicate. That way, site inspections don’t have to be a one-person job. Whether you’re a project owner, engineer, or construction manager, you can ensure snagging is done efficiently by getting your team to work with a snagging tool.

Importance of a snag list in construction

PlanRadar’s construction tracking software app for defect management is a digital way to track any error detected on site. For example, when a contractor on the site sees a crack in a wall, they don’t need to call a site manager to log the snag. A site snagging app gives that contractor the ability to create a ticket right away, with a photo attached and the ability to record an explanatory voice note. Each ticket also contains a chat function allowing the assignee to ask for any other information they need to understand the task. Not only that, our software digitally integrates the collected data and turns it into a snag list (or punch list, in the US). For site managers, it’s also easy to get an overview of the open and completed responsibilities for each contractor.

By far the best snagging software around

Using an app that lets all parties work pro-actively to solve problems can give your company the edge. Construction projects are often complex and one mistake can disrupt plans considerably. However, you can reduce that risk by using a construction snagging app that alerts you to problems as they arise. Here are four reasons why you should consider using a snagging app on site:

1. Cloud-based access centralises all data and synchronises automatically across various devices. It allows you to keep your whole team aligned without having to print and share paper plans every time they’re updated.
2. Confirm that your team is working on the most important tasks and isn’t being held up by other tasks running late.
3. Follow-up on the current status of defects digitally and get a documented trail of all communication with subcontractors.
4. Enjoy transparency and speed when sharing the project’s overall status with the owner.

When it comes to snagging lists, it’s clear that having inspections earlier in a project can reduce the final number of snags. Detecting defects early gives you time to identify the error, track the repairs, redirect the task to the responsible person and monitor progress. When site inspections happen frequently, not only do you have more control over the time frame and the project’s schedule but you also avoid overspending. You can also protect your firm’s credibility by delivering on time and on budget.

How a construction snagging app saves you money

Globally, construction costs are increasing at a rate slightly above inflation each year, with an average 4.2% jump in 2018.

Source: Turner & Townsend

One of the largest concerns when it comes to construction projects is a cost overrun. With most projects running on very tight profit margins, any unexpected overspend can be disastrous. On any construction site, there are many interlacing factors that could lead to unexpected spending. Digital solutions can be key to saving time, money and effort, ensuring that problems are spotted before they get out of hand.

If you decide to use our site snagging app, you can easily stay on top of your costs and deadlines. Naturally, the bigger your construction site is, the more tasks you will have. That’s when a documentation and defect management tool can really prove its worth.  With an app on your phone, you’ll reduce time spent doing follow up, while ensuring that you have distributed all tasks to qualified team members.

Digital technologies are capable of reducing the cost of the construction project by up to 45%. Despite that, many construction companies are hesitant about embracing software solutions. However, not all apps will suit all teams.

Read more: Are snagging surveys worth the effort?

A snagging tool helps you get the basics right

While an expert will find the most complicated issues during snagging, there are some snags that are incredibly common. With a snag app like PlanRadar, any team member visiting the site can take action when they spot something wrong. That means that snagging management isn’t just the site manager’s responsibility – everyone shares it.

Regular users also don’t need in-depth training to log snags. Instead, they can add a ticket that contains all the elements needed to thoroughly log a snag, from the date and time discovered to photo and video evidence. At the end of every week (or at the project’s end) you can run a complete snagging list of everything added to the system. And with an app to standardise data collection, you can be certain your snagging list contains everything that it needs to.

How digital is your company?

According to McKinsey & Company, each company needs to study its needs and capabilities before implementing new software and allowing all team members to use it. Some companies frequently acquire and implement software solutions, while others are very inexperienced. Identifying where your company falls can help you to create a strategy for future development.

Most companies fall into one of these three categories:

• Type A: Companies that are digitally nascent. They don’t have specific digital managers or a clear digital strategy and invest very little in digital solutions.
• Type B: Firms that are digitally emerging. They have recognised a basic need for digital solutions and have started creating a strategy to find them. They tend to invest in one-off solutions for specific problems, so their strategy isn’t always cohesive.
• Type C: Digitally capable companies have made the largest and most cohesive investments in digital strategies. Their chosen solutions work together well, integrate across all different parts of their business. They are also scalable across different projects at different points in their life cycle. This is the rarest category, but this is where investment in digital solutions really begins to pay off. 

How to pick the right snagging app for you

The market for snagging apps and snagging software is saturated, which can make it difficult to identify the best option for you. Here are five things that you need to look out for:

1. Ease of use. 

   A snagging app that is difficult to use, won’t get used. That’s especially true for the less tech-savvy members of your team. According to subcontractors, it takes less than 10 minutes to learn how to use PlanRadar, and that’s the kind of ease you should be aiming for.

2. The right balance of features.

   Every app is different. Some are extremely simple and only cover snagging lists, without offering you the ability to share plans or generate reports for more detailed documentation. Others come with far too many project management features that complicate the user experience. You need to select the snagging app whose features fit your process.

3. Cost-effective. 

   Whether you’re a small company or a large one, you shouldn’t waste money on software that doesn’t deliver a return on investment. For PlanRadar users, who can save up to seven hours a week, that saving comes with the additional tasks and projects they can take on thanks to the time they save.

4. Usable by a range of people. 

   If the only people using your snagging software are site managers, then you’re missing a trick. By giving your subcontractors access to your snagging app, you can ensure that work is documented at multiple stages. As a result, you can track when a mistake happened and who is responsible.

5. Can generate reports. 

   There’s no point in having a snagging app if you can’t extract the information from it and use it productively. Using an app like PlanRadar, you can generate reports for internal use, plus progress reports that are suitable for clients. With a flexible reporting feature, you can save yourself hours on paperwork alone.

Is there free snagging software?

Many snag list software advertises itself as being free. In reality, however, most tools only offer free trial periods or severely limited features to free users. When choosing your snagging tool, the cost will obviously be a major deciding factor. If you choose PlanRadar, you can give subcontractors free access to the snagging list app. That means that you can manage a large team with just a single licence – a very cost-effective choice.

Which snags can you track and resolve using PlanRadar?

When it comes to snagging software, PlanRadar is one of the most flexible options on the market. While we offer a basic snagging template, the real value comes when you begin customising your own forms and reports.

You can track all of the most common snags, including:

• Issues with window installation
• Low quality finishes on painting and decorating work
• Mistakes and damage to plumbing
• Uneven plastering
• Roofing and guttering issues
• Missing elements that were in the contract or agreed design

Whether it’s a major structural issue or a small cosmetic defect, any construction company that values its reputation will want to rectify snags quickly and cost-effectively. By snagging as you work, you can fix problems way before you get to the handover stage. You can also include all kinds of tradespeople in your PlanRadar account, adding them free of charge as subcontractors. That means that you don’t have to waste any time on paperwork.

See a snag, make a ticket while on-site, and immediately assign it to the best person for the job. Then just wait for your subcontractor to send you a message in the app, complete with photos of their finished work, and you’re done. You can also use a defect list app like PlanRadar to generate reports with all of your snags, including photos and other notes. It just takes one click to pull your collected data into a customisable template.

If it sounds too good to be true, then you’ll just have to try it yourself to see!

A simple way to use PlanRadar for snagging

Snag list software: an essential tool

As an industry, construction lags behind in terms of digitisation. Most companies are digitally nascent, some are digitally emerging. Only a small percentage are described as truly digitally capable. As a result, the construction industry is missing out on some of the major benefits of a digital workflow.

All construction companies want to minimise errors and defects. They all want to save time and reduce the amount of work for their site managers. With a snagging app, you can ensure that you’re managing your workflow in the most efficient way possible.

And you can finally forget about spending hours struggling to compile a snag list after an inspection.

• Construction
• Facility Management
• Project Management
• Real Estate