What do you do if technology failures disrupt your construction management?

Quando ocorrem falhas tecnológicas que impactam a gestão da construção, é vital identificar a origem do problema, avaliar suas consequências e comunicar-se com todas as partes envolvidas. Implementar soluções temporárias, contatar o suporte técnico para assistência e aplicar medidas corretivas são passos essenciais para resolver o problema. Após a resolução, é importante aprender com a experiência e manter-se atualizado para prevenir problemas futuros, mantendo planos de contingência e sistemas de backup como medidas preventivas.

Business technology tools have come a long way and are very stable with few disruptions. When technology fails, its time to "over-communicate". Pick up the phone, use your chats, emails, use the printer, meet in person. Every team member needs to be kept updated on the project progress/issues and likewise on when normal operations will be restored.

Assess the Situation: Determine the scope of the technological failure and its implications for construction management procedures, workflows, and schedules. Determine whether systems, tools, or applications are affected, as well as the important processes or activities that are at risk. Notify stakeholders. Notify all relevant stakeholders, including project team members, clients, contractors, and vendors, of the technological failure and its possible impact on the project. Provide clear and honest information regarding the problem, its core cause, and any urgent measures made to remedy it by Activating contingency plans: Implement contingency plans to reduce the impact of technological failures on construction management operations.

En cas de défaillance de la technologie, la première étape consiste à évaluer l’ampleur de la perturbation. Déterminez quels aspects de votre projet sont touchés et à quel point ils sont essentiels à vos opérations quotidiennes. Par exemple, si votre logiciel de gestion de projet est en panne, considérez les tâches immédiates qui nécessitent son utilisation. En évaluant l’impact, vous pouvez hiérarchiser vos actions et vous concentrer sur les problèmes les plus urgents. Il est également impératif de communiquer avec votre équipe au sujet de la situation et de l’échéancier prévu pour la résolution afin de maintenir la transparence et de gérer les attentes.

•Quickly assess the impact of the technology failure on ongoing projects and deadlines. •Prioritize tasks based on their criticality and potential impact on project timelines.

Manual means of communication outside of the centralized platform can be a lifesaver. Utilizing the phone, email, print media, in-person meetings and note taking can help cushion the effects of the disruption. Having process templates to fall back on are also very helpful.

•Have backup plans in place for manual processes that can be implemented in case of technology failures. •Train staff on these manual procedures to ensure they can continue working efficiently without relying on technology.

Having a good relationship with my IT support specialists has saved me numerous times. I have seen firsthand how this influences their response time. Over time, I have also created contingency or backup IT emergency plans just in case the issue cannot be resolved immediately.

•Reach out to your technology vendors or IT support team for assistance in resolving the issue promptly. •Consider outsourcing certain tasks or functions to external contractors or consultants if needed to alleviate the burden on internal resources.

In the face of technology failures, having alternative tools and systems readily available can mitigate disruptions and keep operations running smoothly. Invest in backup software solutions or manual processes as contingency measures to ensure continuity in project management activities. This proactive approach enhances resilience and minimizes downtime caused by technology failures.

Communication Protocols should be put in place. These will help in situations where communication is offline; protocols should be clearly defined. This could include setting up a central spot for printed copies of plans and reports, or it could entail designating phone trees for important updates.

•Identify alternative tools or software solutions that can temporarily replace the malfunctioning technology. •Ensure these alternative tools are compatible with existing systems and workflows to minimize disruption.

This is where being taught properly when starting your career in earthworks/Civil and working your way up the chain to eventually get a seat in the machine and with the knowledge you have learnt all ties in with the rest of the crew as they came through the same procedure even staying as labourers everyone is on the same page and work flows smoother than any form of paperwork that you fill in of what your plan is because things change and alter and with communication on the Ground the alterations of your work continues to flow so I think the paperwork is just a way to make someone in that side of it feel all fuzzy and good and tick boxes.

Investing in data management resources can save your business. Using industry recommended data management practices help mitigate the risk of knowledge loss.

•Regularly back up critical project data to prevent loss in the event of a technology failure. •Implement robust data backup and recovery processes to ensure data integrity and continuity of operations.

Have backup systems or redundancy in place for critical technologies. Ensure data backups are regularly updated to prevent loss.

After every incident, be sure to review your IT emergency plan based on the challenges experienced and lessons learnt. This document can also be helpful in the development of future business technology solutions.

•Conduct a thorough review of existing processes and workflows to identify any underlying issues that may have contributed to the technology failure. •Implement improvements or updates to prevent similar failures from occurring in the future.

Something else to consider is you can throw your hands up and walk around the office moaning about how technology is terrible, and ruining your life. Then throw a few things around and go home early! LOL

Analyze the root cause of the failure. Implement preventive measures to avoid similar disruptions in the future. adaptability and quick problem-solving are essential to minimize the impact of technology failures in construction management.