This is part two of a series of three blogs. Read the first featuring a site engineer here.
Alright, before we dive into it, let’s clear something up real quick. When we say “field manager,” we’re talking about a bunch of folks. We mean the supervisors, the foremen, and even those on-site safety gurus (because we’re gonna chat about safety stuff too). Basically, it’s all those on-site bosses, boots-on-the-ground experts, who make sure everything’s running smoothly. Okay, now let’s kick this blog into gear.
We all know construction sites are dynamic, bustling hubs of activity where projects take shape from blueprints to reality. But guess what? Behind the scenes, there’s a team of professionals ensuring everything runs like clockwork. Among them, field managers stand as a linchpin, overseeing operations, solving problems, and driving progress.
Picture this: a construction site, tons of workers, machines buzzing, and stuff getting built. It can seem like chaos, but there’s someone there behind the noise, making sure work on site is organized, efficient and effective. That’s where the field manager comes in. They’re the go-to person for keeping things on track. They’re the problem solvers, keeping an eye on progress, quality, and safety. If something’s off, they’re the ones figuring out how to fix it, whether it’s organizing workers and equipment, ordering materials, or making quick decisions on the fly.
It’s a busy, hands-on job. But at the end of the day, field managers are the ones who help turn those blueprints into real buildings. So, let’s step into the boots of a field manager and explore how a typical day on the construction site is transformed using Trusstor.
Task #1: Getting ready to rock and roll for catch-ups with supervisors, project managers, subcontractors and vendors
The mantra of all field managers is, “Plan your work and work your plan.” So, it is no surprise they often arrive well before the rest of the team to assess the previous day’s work, review schedules, and plan for the day ahead. Quiet mornings (if any exist) can also be spent preparing and scheduling catch-ups with site supervisors, project managers, subcontractors and vendors.
The problem for most field managers, however, is this prep work usually means they have to spend time digging deep through documents, spreadsheets and various files, to get even minimal visibility of the progress of various activities on site.
But Trusstor is a game-changer for field managers, giving them a real-time, instant snapshot of what’s happening on site. So how does Trusstor pull off this magic trick? Well, it’s all thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT). They’ve got wearable devices scattered around the site, on personnel and equipment, and these are constantly beaming data back. It’s like having your personal data genie.
Every little detail about the project’s status gets captured on the fly, meaning you don’t have to collect daily logs and documentation. Forget creating a paper trail – everything is digitized and automated, neatly displayed on one screen, ready and waiting for you. No more fumbling through outdated info, and you can kiss those “Where’s the roll-call from the plasterer work manager I got yesterday?” panic attacks goodbye.
So, if you’re a field manager looking to step up your game and ditch the paper frenzy, Trusstor is your new best buddy. It’s like having a cheat code to being a top-notch boss in the field.
Task #2: Juggling the management of daily job-site activities
The primary role of field managers focuses on supervising teams of employees on-site. Basically, this means making sure workers are where they should be, when they should be, doing what they need to be doing, with the equipment they need. This is essential to ensure tasks begin and finish on time.
While most field managers will use some form of tool to stay up-to-date on what activities need to be done on site, this is generally based around paper documentation, spreadsheets or digital tools that were not developed to monitor construction projects. This means field managers are not seeing the real-time picture to problem solve on-site issues and communicate effectively to get them through a specific day or week. The result is they lack the visibility to know where workers are, what work is being performed at any given moment and if it is or is not according to the schedule.
With Trusstor at their side, field managers become the ultimate project wizards. It automatically monitors the progress of all projects to ensure accurate reporting of the progress of all activities. It’s easy to use, lightning-fast, and gives them a complete view of what’s happening at the site.
The best part? No more guessing games. They see exactly what’s going down, and that means they can deploy troops and gear where they are needed to ensure projects remain on track. In a nutshell, Trusstor is the ticket to field management superstardom.
Task #3: Dealing with safety when things go off the rails
Thankfully, safety incidents don’t happen every day. But when they do, field managers have to be on it. Their job is to make sure everything’s locked and loaded to handle any curveballs that come our way. But no matter how up-to-date their safety rules, gear, and training is, when a lightning bolt out of the blue strikes, it’s all about how fast they can react.
Now, picture this scenario: a worker takes a tumble from the 16th floor down to the 15th. Best-case scenario, someone’s there to sound the alarm. If not, valuable time could slip by before help is at hand. But sounding the alarm is only one part of dealing with accidents. When there’s a rush to bring a stretcher and first aid kit they cannot be found. Now that’s a total disaster.
But with Trusstor, it’s a whole different ballgame. Every worker has a SoS distress button that when pressed sends a distress signal to all managers on site and a special alert to the nearest worker and manager, so help’s on the way pronto if something goes wrong.
Plus, if the stretcher or first aid kit decides to play hide-and-seek, no worries. Trusstor’s smart IoT tags keep tabs on ’em and make sure they’re always within reach. The safety of people is always the focus on-site so when things go south, Trusstor’s monitor can enable the field manager to quickly identify where all workers are located and clear them from that area if there are safety concerns. For example, an entire floor can be cleared of workers thanks to the real-time view of on-site activities if there’s an electrical fault and workers could be in danger.
When a hoist is urgently needed, Trusstor is also there to help. The hoist can be instantly located thanks to the signals from its IoT tag, and the workers operating it are notified to bring it directly to the location where it is needed due to an incident. Trusstor’s monitor can also be used to manage escape routes if a fire breaks out on site or a structure becomes unstable, for example.
And when all is under control, Trusstor provides a clear and concise summary highlighting exactly what happened meaning scrambling to collect paperwork and documentation is a thing of the past.
Giving 360 degree knowledge and visibility
Trusstor ensures field managers have the knowledge and visibility to successfully steer the ship from the beginning to the finish line to ensure construction projects are plain sailing. They can deploy resources when and where they are needed, they can reschedule tasks to ensure the project remains on track and will always be the best informed person in a room when dealing with subcontractors and vendors.
Every field manager has a projects to complete, and Trusstor is there to make sure each project they are working on get wrapped up right on schedule and within the budget.
Discover how Trusstor can give your field managers the edge by scheduling a demo now.