Data collection for infrastructure projects: How digital checklists improve transparency, safety and process reliability
Large infrastructure projects such as the 5G network expansion have one thing in common: they consist of hundreds of construction and testing measures that are scattered across the country. How can cross-measure quality management and central project controlling be established with little effort? Digital checklists and project management are useful tools here.
It usually takes one to two years for a new mobile communications site to go online. It is much quicker to expand a site, but either way, the central project management team manages and controls hundreds, if not thousands, of smaller and larger construction projects in parallel. Depending on the location, trade or antenna technology, a wide variety of requirements have to be taken into account – from municipal building law and the topography of the location to the question of how much data traffic should ultimately pass through the mobile phone mast.
Precise site preparation
Switzerland is currently leading the way in the expansion of its 5G networks. One use case in which digital checklists accelerate project processes may play a role here: The intelligent forms, which can be completed online as well as offline on any mobile device, support site managers in preparing construction projects. During the site inspection, they carry out a thorough analysis of the conditions and document all details precisely with the help of the digital checklists.
The digital checklists react dynamically to inputs and branch out into various subsequent processes, as the following example shows: if the new 5G antennas are to be installed on a building, for example, the system asks whether it is a flat or gable roof. Can you stand on the gable roof? No. How many roof hatches are there? Is a crane with a lift truck required? Yes. Can it stand in front of the house?
Route and construction site inspections with image documentation
Route and construction site inspections are also carried out in Switzerland with the help of digital checklists. Quality managers check on site at regular intervals whether the respective trade has been carried out properly by the contractor and whether the construction phase has been completed correctly. Any defects are documented by photo and integrated into the checklist. In this way, Central Quality Management ensures that all steps have been carried out properly and that errors have been avoided. Those responsible always have notice that the overall project is being implemented according to plan and can react quickly if problems arise. Nothing gets lost.
Transparency, security and process reliability
If the data for site preparation and route and construction site inspections is recorded digitally right from the start, this ensures a high degree of transparency, speed and process reliability: no task is forgotten and the collected field information is automatically synchronized with the central project database. It can then be read out immediately and used for construction project-specific and cross-project evaluations and reports. The data is available centrally and can be used for subsequent project steps just as quickly: for example, the crane and lift truck mentioned above can be ordered and the official road closure can be requested for the day in question. Necessary safety precautions can be taken in good time, which increases the safety of everyone involved.
Your added value
- Simple, intuitive operation. Create electronic checklists in a standardized form, manage them centrally and make them available to authorized employees. Adapt to new requirements or legal changes at any time with just a few clicks.
- Interactive forms. Adapt dynamically to all types of stationary and mobile IT devices and can be completed using a keyboard, pen or touchpad. Platform-independent.
- Fast and reliable workflows. Electronic checklists are assigned to the departments that need to process them as part of the operational processes. Assign deadlines to tasks and process steps, monitor response times.
- Multi-stage processes. Digital checklists support cross-departmental and cross-company processes.
- Multilingualism. Checklists can be created in several languages at the same time. In Switzerland between German, Italian and French, language selection by user.
- Electronic signature. Signature pads for integrating the name of the employee responsible for the check. This also enables audit-proof filing without additional paper printouts. Time and cost savings
- Audit-proof archiving and documentation. All changes are continuously updated and the data is archived in an audit-proof manner in a central database. The data can be exported in various formats, for example to Excel, for evaluation. Connection to common master data and reporting systems possible
Technical details
- Intuitive designer interface based on the drag & drop principle for self-created, high-quality checklists
- Online and offline-capable app for Android, iOS and Windows, optimized for use on the construction site, without an existing Internet connection. Automatic synchronization.
- Web application for central management of checklists, assignment to employees and reporting
- Interfaces to Excel, ERP and reporting systems. Integration of technical plant data, SAP plant structures, external further processing
Get in touch!
Would you like to know more about our solutions? Then please write us using the contact form. My colleagues and I look forward to exchanging ideas with you.
Dominik Weggler
Head of Sales Germanedge