How is Fieldwire Different From a Plan Viewer?

A project is built from plans and specifications. These documents are critical to knowing what needs to be installed where. With the proliferation of mobile devices, past concerns about plans - getting them dirty, damaged, or simply struggling to lug them around - have dramatically reduced since these documents can now be accessed on any phone or tablet. And plan printing costs can get pretty steep, so simple plan and document viewers can definitely save you a few bucks. But really, plan viewers don’t really change the way projects are run. To get real savings on your project, you need to address the wastes that occur - double entry, loss of information, rework, and waiting time.

There are a couple of key ways that Fieldwire is so much more than just a simple plan viewer. First, projects are always undergoing changes, and it’s critical to make sure that everyone on your team is always working off of the latest set of plans to avoid rework. Fieldwire’s version control engine makes adding new plan versions effortless. The software will read the new plan number and slip sheet it in front of the older versions, copying over any markups automatically. If you have an RFI or change order that’s going to affect an area, simply attach the file directly to the plan while you’re waiting for a new version to be issued. As soon as the file is posted on the plan, the whole team will be able to see the change.

Second, construction is a task-driven industry. Based on a study done by the Construction Industry Institute, only 29% of a tradesperson’s day is actually spent performing their craft. The other 71% of their time is spent waiting around for information, updated plans, materials, equipment, or traveling around the jobsite. Hourly labor generally accounts for over half of the costs during construction, so cutting down wasted time is how you’re going to really affect the bottom line. Fieldwire’s task and reporting features are what our clients report save them the most time - on average 5+ hours each week. Tasks can be used to quickly document an issue and assign it out to the appropriate teammate. The assignee gets notified in real-time, making sure they know exactly what they need to be working on that day or week. Rather than needing to call, text, or email someone to get a status update about the plans, simply open the app for the latest information. All comments, photos, and checklists are timestamped, ensuring you have an accurate history of everything that takes place on the project. Any issues can also be grouped together in a report and sent out automatically with the latest plans.

Construction is unique - no other industry has dozens of different companies with different processes coming together to create a completely unique product. Streamlining communication and changing how we work together on the jobsite is really what needs improvement, more than just simple mobile plan viewing. And Fieldwire’s here to do that.