Why Whatsapp and excel are not fit for construction projects?

Managing large construction sites with so many people has never been easy. As a construction manager, you must be able to plan and manage a large group of people. Most project managers’ tasks involve attending meetings, making calls and writing reports. This took up to 40% of their time per day. It can be exhausting, especially when they have to rely on technology that isn’t adapted to the construction industry.The Construction Industry is still reluctant to use new technologies in their daily activities. Today, let’s discuss the one thing that most construction companies are not doing right: using Excel or WhatsApp to track the progress of a project.

WhatsApp is one of the most personal forms of communication. It allows friends to chat and share information. It is being used to monitor construction projects and project management.

Why Whatsapp and excel are not suitable for construction projects?

The construction industry needs to increase the use of sector-specific digital tools to support the delivery of economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable projects. This is a great time to review the industry and make changes to prepare for recovery. It’s time for the industry to abandon its old habits and embrace digital transformation with the right support to improve project workflows and processes. 

Let us see why Whatsapp and excel are not suitable for construction projects:

1. Standardization is impossible

The process itself is 80% the same. Standardizing the process of designing, collaborating, and executing is an option. It will also relieve you of a lot of pressure, prevent mistakes from happening, and alert you to potential problems early.

To achieve that, you need a construction-specific tool that will help you manage a large amount of historical data to gradually identify your projects’ development patterns and put together an effective plan of action. This is a sensitive process that WhatsApp cannot support. This is due to the lack of a single source that can easily link information with specific tasks.

2. Doubtful source of information

Nearly 40% of project managers spend their time creating endless reports or chasing down updates. It shouldn’t be this way. Project teams shouldn’t be trapped in lengthy meetings just because some of their participants don’t have visibility into what’s happening at the site. This creates distrust between the teams and encourages a blame culture across the supply chain. As a Project Manager, this is the last thing you want.

This is why you should take a second to think about your lookahead planning. You can spend more time on administrative tasks if you have one source of truth that is constantly updated. You can’t rely on Excel and WhatsApp to help you.

3. You are at risk of being sued

It is essential to document construction. You must be able to retrieve important information from any location to respond quickly to claims. It cannot be easy to use tools like WhatsApp or Excel.

Instead, you can rely on a digital solution built for construction that protects your projects from claims by ensuring that the Site Supervisor and Project Manager are in complete alignment. Without delay, you can retrieve any information instantly and establish seamless communication among all project stakeholders. You can also increase accountability and take responsibility for your tasks with the application.

4. There is no connection to the plan

No matter the size of your construction project, there is one thing certain, your tools must be connected in real-time to the plan so that information does not get lost or is delivered late.

WhatsApp is a great tool for sharing your information quickly, but there’s a problem. WhatsApp, Excel, email and other data-sharing tools can be dangerous as it is not connected to the master plan or the schedule.

This small but critical detail makes it difficult for you and your team, Project Managers, to evaluate the importance of any update as soon as it is received. This is something only an app designed for construction can provide.

5. WhatsApp is not fit for construction

While Excel and WhatsApp are great tools for many other occasions, they don’t provide the visibility you need for your site. They don’t offer a shared, real-time view of the project site. They do not connect to the master plan. It is difficult for people to see the overall status of things, how they are progressing, what’s next and who owns what. The reporting process is hampered by information being spread to unneeded platforms.

It becomes apparent quickly that the wrong tools can significantly impact your lookahead planning. The project will not be visible to your teams in real time. There will also not be any accountability for the actions of others. This can lead to poor decision-making and slow progress.