Replacing manual processes with an automated system can help to enhance workflow, accuracy, quality and safety on construction projects.
The Australian construction sector is fraught with efficiency, workflow and quality challenges.
Many of these difficulties stem from ineffective data flow and sharing, impacting the accessibility of critical information, said Trent Field, Autodesk Construction Cloud Technical Consultant at ARKANCE.
Chasing up data or working with out-of-date design versions has a range of flow-on effects.
“Delays are incurred between trying to find information, and making sure it’s relevant and validated, leading to cost implications,” Field said.
“If the onsite team is working on a different version of the design, this may lead to incorrect construction or installation of equipment, which corresponds to lost time and money to fix.”
When quality of works is impacted – for example when cracks appeared in Sydney’s newly constructed Opal Tower, or when a combustible facade was used for the Docklands LaCrosse towers in Melbourne – the outcomes can not only be dangerous, but reduce confidence in the sector altogether.
Integration and collaboration are the keys
Streamlined information that can easily be shared across all stakeholders – whether responsible for the specification, selection, installation or maintenance of a project’s materials, components and systems – can help to reduce the frequency and impact of construction missteps, identified a 2023 report conducted by the University of Melbourne in partnership with Autodesk.
This is best served by utilising a “single source of truth” on projects, which enhances team collaboration, automates workflows and aggregates data across all stages of construction.
Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) houses all project data in the one place, so teams don’t need to subscribe to multiple software licences.
“Customers don’t have to worry whether information is siloed in one area that they might not have access to,” Field added.
Onsite benefits
Having the latest information allows project teams to understand the construction requirements, with searchability ensuring they have the right information at the right time.
This was the case with a project Field recently worked on for a government water plant in New Zealand which required site inspections of the design works. By having a platform where real-time data from site inspections could immediately be passed on to the design team, 10 per cent of the project budget was saved within six months, equating to $60,000.
“The team was able to visit the site, take photos of the works and make sure what had been installed matched the design,” he said.
“Using ACC, they could immediately identify what needed to be rectified, task it to someone back in the office, and action the changes straight away.”
Having access to live data also eliminates the need for manual input and handling of information.
“Our teams were doing a lot of manual rework with spreadsheets or attempting to extract information from a team member’s computer when they weren’t there,” Field said. “But when using live data via ACC, reworks could be followed up immediately.”
Future efficiencies and risk management
When a project winds up, ACC’s reporting functions – which allow for easy extraction of data and analytics – can also be used to further project development and ensure future projects are more efficient by tailoring actions and activities.
“Whether it’s delays to construction, a risk issue, or health and safety, ACC can provide a report that provides real-time analytics to the right stakeholders, which helps with compliance and reduces on-site incidents.”
Join Trent Field as he discusses ARKANCE’s partnership with industry leader STOWE to implement ACC and transform project management in the Engineers Australia hosted webinar Thought Leaders Series: Revolutionising project management with Autodesk CC. Register to attend the free event, held on 28 August 2024.