Defect reports: 10 minutes instead of 2 hours

How PlanArt optimises defect management with PlanRadar

Planart, a project management office, faced challenges in defect reporting and tracking using Word documents and email communication. They sought an efficient solution and discovered PlanRadar. After adopting the platform, they quickly recorded 1,000 defects and streamlined their defect management processes. PlanRadar’s features, including photo documentation, voice recording, and defect localisation on plans, proved invaluable. It reduced defect reporting time from 2 hours in the office to just 10 minutes on-site, leading to cost savings and improved efficiency. The platform’s easy adaptability and responsive customer service further enhanced Planart’s experience.

The challenge: Difficulty in tracking defects

As the creation of reports for defect recording and tracking was difficult with Word documents and PlanArt always wants to be professionally equiped with the latest technologies, they were looking for a suitable software that would allow them to carry out these processes more efficiently. “We always strive to develop ourselves further. The topic of defect management was the biggest challenge. It involves creating defects on the one hand, but also tracking them, which was not always easy with email communication,” explains Leon Merten, prospective construction and project manager at PlanArt. Sending deficiencies by e-mail to the responsible companies is not very transparent, the control can quickly be overlooked. 

The solution: Digital defect recording – PlanRadar instead of email

While researching possible digital solutions, management became aware of PlanRadar. After the free 30-day trial phase, initial use cases on a project and discussions with the PlanRadar sales team, the decision was made directly to adopt the product at the end of 2021. It quickly became clear that PlanRadar could do everything that was needed at PlanArt. Other tools no longer needed to be tested. 

Since then, the platform has been in daily use on various projects and just a few months later, 1,000 defects have already been recorded with PlanRadar. One example project is the construction of a canteen in Montabaur. The four-storey building houses technical rooms, a bar, the canteen with a large kitchen, conference rooms and new executive offices for the company 1&1. The project volume is 15.5 million euros. PlanRadar is used in the ongoing project for snagging, task management, site diaries and for acceptances. The ticket reports, the possibility of photo documentation and direct localisation on the plan (including markings of defects on the photos) as well as the voice recording function have proven to be particularly helpful features.

Construction managers are currently informed about the status quo of the construction project by means of a ticket report as a PDF export. For new projects, however, the building owners are also to be given access to the project data from the outset via PlanRadar’s watch function. 

Templates were first created for various use cases, which are now a great relief in day-to-day work. Although the set-up of the individual projects takes some time, the orientation went quickly and without any problems. “Even people who are not tech-savvy usually find their way around the platform quickly,” says Leon Merten. 

The result: Time savings, easy tracking and minimised costs

“It used to take us up to 2 hours to report a defect in the office, now we can do it within 10 minutes from the construction site,” Leon Merten describes the efficient way of working with PlanRadar as one of the biggest advantages of using the platform. Since this reduces working hours, PlanArt can consequently also save costs. 

Leon Merten mentions the possibility to describe a defect in detail in the ticket as another advantage. All the important information is stored in one place. Overdue tickets are displayed and contractors can be better controlled and defects can be tracked more efficiently. This also results in the potential to reduce construction time overall. 

“We have only had positive experiences with the customer service so far; enquiries are answered quickly and solutions are found. But the knowledgebase is also a great help, as many questions can already be answered,” adds Leon Merten.