4 Benefits Of Using Time-Lapse During Construction Projects
Innovators have been looking for ways to improve project management and execution in the construction industry. Their efforts have not gone to waste, for today, time-lapse technology has revolutionized the way these projects are handled. Time-lapse technology involves the use of still photos taken on your site at regular intervals, which are stitched to form a video showing the changes in your project in a short span of time. Previously used in photography and research, it has proven to be effective in construction, too.
As a construction consultant, project manager, or client, are you wondering about the importance of time-lapse in construction? Here are four of its benefits:
1. Aids In Project Monitoring
Project monitoring is important in the execution stage. You want to know that everything is going according to plan, and a time-lapse camera can help you accomplish that.
When you install a construction time lapse camera on your construction site, you can easily access the camera footage remotely on any gadget. From these images, you can pinpoint various aspects of your project. For instance, you can check material supply and storage or your workers' on-site productivity. If your contractor is storing material in a way that can interfere with the quality of the final work, you can advise the contractor on how best to do it. If there’s a lot of lag with the workers, you can inform the contractor to take action as they deem necessary. As a result, there’ll be no material wastage and unproductivity, ensuring you finish the project on time.
In addition, this innovation is beneficial if you have many sites to monitor. You don’t necessarily have to visit each site for inspection or monitoring. You can do it remotely and inform the contractor accordingly on what to do.
2. Enables Marketing
Marketing for construction companies is always a challenge. Most marketing content shows the finished build instead of the entire process, and one such reason for that is that the construction process is too long to document and present to the relevant parties. Viewers can lose interest after a short period when you’ve barely begun showing your final product.
Adopting time-lapse technology more or less counters this. The technology enables you to capture the entire process, from the beginning to the end, without the video being too long. As a result, you’ll improve your marketing and showcase your proficiency to investors within minutes to win them.
It’s good to point out that you can store these videos and use them when needed. You can also pick important sections based on your current need, enabling you to sell your services effectively.
3. Acts As A Source Of Reference
Most construction projects tend to be similar, but some companies choose alternative materials over traditional ones to execute projects. In such cases, it makes sense to document the process.
With the project execution in your archives, you can use it to train new workers and staff on how your company executes works. With this knowledge, the project manager or contractor will be able to instruct the workers on the work they need to do, including the procedure. As a result, there’ll be no errors that impact the project deliverable.
Suppose a client wants to understand a new technology you want to use in their project. With past videos from the time-lapse technology, you can show the client the entire procedure for their approval. Without such references, it'd be difficult to convince a client to adopt an innovation, and you’d be stuck in the old ways of project execution. You might even lose clients which you don’t want.
4. Aids In Performance Assessment
It’s believed that you can only attain success by continuously improving. You’ll only know if you’re improving if you have a reference point, like performance standards.
The discussion herein has established that time-lapse provides a point of reference for your projects. As a project manager, you can take advantage of this feature and use the records as your performance indicators.
Here, you’ll compare previous similar projects, preferably in your near past, to your just completed one. Compare the statistics between the two projects. Are you performing better than in the past, or are things worsening? If you’re headed for the worst, have your team tell you the issues they’re facing that negatively impact project execution. This way, you’ll find solutions to eliminate the bottlenecks and improve your project performance.
Most construction projects start with a work program depicting each activity's execution. Since the time-lapse technology also works in real-time, you can use the records to check if you’re on track with the scheduling. It’s best to do this after a month, quarterly, and so on; you want to provide enough time for progress before comparison. If you’re behind schedule, find solutions and if you’re within the schedule, ensure you maintain the status quo.
Conclusion
Many benefits come with the use of time-lapse technology in construction projects. With the benefits mentioned above, project managers, construction consultants, and other stakeholders can decide to adopt this technology in their projects and experience this innovation in the construction industry.
