Top Tech Tools to Mitigate Risks in Construction Projects

The construction industry accounts for more than 8% of Australia’s GDP. Like all businesses, the construction industry is working towards improved processes and business efficiencies. Construction projects are complex and have many stakeholders – it is important for project management to follow proper processes and be ready for all kinds of challenges.

A good construction project management plan will always have thoroughly identified risks and a risk management plan. Risk management is the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks. The objective of risk management is to assure uncertainty does not deflect the endeavor from the business goals.

The “Mitigation of Risk in Construction: Strategies for Reducing Risk and Maximizing Profitability SmartMarket Report” published by McGraw_Hill Construction has identified the following factors as the most significant risks facing the industry:

• Changes in schedule/ scope creep
• Budget/cost overruns
• Project process approvals
• Safety
• Site Conditions

Risk Management Strategies for Construction

On closely observing the risks listed above, we notice that many of these factors are under the direct control of the project firm.  This reinforces the fact “that mitigation strategies can directly have a positive impact.”

The recommendations that emerge from the McGraw_Hill report offers practical solutions:

• Address risk early in the project to reap its full benefits.
• Communicate with other team members throughout the project.
• Implement a rigorous risk assessment and mitigation process.
• Embed risk management into your firm’s culture.
• Engage in activities that reduce the likelihood of litigation.
• Build a strong project team and assess the value of more formal collaboration, such as integrated design.

Ultimately, the report states “good project management must include good risk management”.

In this post, we discuss the top technology tools that can help you in managing and mitigating risks on construction projects. Risk management tools and techniques can be used at various stages of construction – from concept design to final site execution and even in the operation stages to determine whether business goals are being met. 
  
So let’s jump in and get started…
 

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/blog/tools-techniques-for-construction-risk-management/

The Viability of Drones in Construction

Drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are utilised extensively within the infrastructure and construction industry for a number of different reasons. Drones are used primarily to take advantage of their ability to fly freely within any three-dimensional space, providing builders with a number of applications that were once expensive and impractical to implement.

Quadcopters are the most popular form of drone in use today, due to their durability and low cost. Propelled by four, manually shifting rotors, quadcopters are incredibly nimble and can move quickly within the air. Quadcopters are considered cheaper and more durable than conventional helicopters, as well as being safer due to their smaller blades which possess less kinetic energy.

Drone technology is used for a variety of different applications within the construction industry, especially for use in aerial photography. This is because drones can reach incredible heights within the sky, reaching more than 100 metres above ground in typical use cases. These are heights which are inaccessible from people without expensive manned solutions. This footage can be used for marketing collateral, to showcase a construction with an array of beautiful images and grand perspectives.

Taking a closer look at Building Information Modeling

While Building Information Modeling has been around since at least the 1970s, the proliferation of digital technology over the past ten years has allowed Building Information Modeling to gain traction in the realm of building and construction. Building Information Modeling (otherwise known as BIM) is a concept that revolves around the automation of building tasks into representative digital spheres, as a method of promoting efficiency and control over our construction processes.

This ample recreation of our physical and functional assets into digital representations allows us greater control over every single aspect of the building process. This is important from a project management perspective, as it not only promotes efficient hierarchical organization, however also allows for greater communication between managers and on-site workers.

BIM can help assist in the detailed planning of a building’s internal layout, visualize the impact the construction of a building maintains on its surrounding infrastructure, as well as fine-tune relevant high-level details of a project, such as the quality and quantity of material being used in construction. This allows all employees, from CEO to supervisor, to stay on the same level and create greater accountability over what is taking place on a project.