Hennity Plastering Contractors faced challenges in capturing data in the field, leading to missing documentation, illegible handwriting, and significant time spent searching for job site information.
Began using GoFormz to digitize their existing triplicate forms to enhance their data collection and accuracy in the field.
Dayworks Form
Record of Site Operations
Quality Inspection Form
Purchase Orders
Timesheet
Operating primarily in the United Kingdom, Hennity Plastering Contractors specializes in ceiling and wall partitions. While originating from the plastering industry, Hennity Plastering has conducted work for the British Embassy in France, hotels in Monaco, Brussels, and much more!
It’s no secret that the construction industry operates years behind other industries in terms of incorporating technological advancements. However, understanding that Hennity Plastering Contractors were operating in a fashion of inefficiencies, Conline Morrison, Civil Engineer for Hennity Plastering Contractors, knew he needed to seek a digital solution to enhance data capture taking place in the field. “Most of the data capture wasn’t being done and anything that was being done was being conducted on triplicate books,” explained Morrison. Conor Bartley, Site Supervisor for Hennity Plastering Contractors chimed in to say, “that book usually ended up in a bucket of water destroyed on-site.”
“Data was written down in the book and then a copy would be for us, the contractor, and a spare which remained in the book,” explained Morrison. Recognizing that critical information was being passed between collaborating parties, Morrison sought out GoFormz.
The first form Hennity Plastering Contractors built out in GoFormz was their Dayworks Sheet. “Any work that wasn’t originally in our contract needed to get recorded so we could get paid for additional work completed,” Morrison continued on to explain the purpose of the form, “then the form would get completed on site and once the field member clicked complete it would route back to myself in the office so I could send it to the client.”
However, the rest of the team didn’t accept this newly digitized document very well. “When I was introduced to the company the initial reaction was ‘Who is the new guy on the block and why is he making us fill out these forms? We aren’t very good on computers,’” Morrison continued to explain, “that was the culture we were up against.”
Adopting change is never easy and often comes with initial resistance and uncertainty. “When you have the pen and paper in your hand you have control over it but when you press the send button you aren’t in control,” Bartley continued to explain, “there’s a fear of crucifying yourself with information.” The transition to digital data collection can be intimidating for teams who are not familiar with the digital space, as it ensures a higher level of accuracy.
“Having project managed for multiple years, I would estimate that 10% of the income is lost for contractors because they don't have a digital data capture system...”
– Conlin Morrison, Civil Engineer, Hennity Plastering Contractors
One of the benefits Hennity Plastering Contractors is experiencing is through the Duplicate feature. This feature enables teams to duplicate forms, allowing field teams the opportunity to copy the same form from the previous day and change out a few pieces of information – further streamlining data collection. “When we create a Daywork Form and you see guys in the field create another the next day and all they have to do is change the date and work description, it saves a lot of time in the field,” Morrison expressed.
Additionally, the Image field is used to capture proof of completed work within the Daywork Sheet. “We’re never exposed using GoFormz,” Morrison continued on to say, “we have that field set up at the bottom of our Daywork Sheet to provide proof of completion.”
While significant benefits already exist, securing acceptance from the rest of the team continues to be a challenge. “I don’t think the guys in the field quite see the benefit of GoFormz yet because they don’t see what happens with the form after it’s completed,” Morrison explained. Once forms are completed, all the information lives in the Cloud and is easily accessible and retrievable. “I can go load them by job, copy and paste them to email, and save them to OneDrive,” Morrison explained. Since everything is routed to one place, retrieving data is further streamlined, saving significant time.
“Having project managed for multiple years, I would estimate that 10% of the income is lost for contractors because they don't have a digital data capture system,” Morrison continued on to explain, “even for small exercises, like surveying rooms to establish the scope of work, we can reference that same form when the work scope changes. We can detail exactly what the changes were with Image fields and get paid for that work.” Digital data capture not only allows for streamlined data collection but also establishes vital audit capabilities that make referencing previous data simple. “We’ve been able to do some intricate things thanks to GoFormz.”
The largest obstacle for Hennity Plastering Contractors is securing buy-in from the rest of their team. “We need the employees to use what we have,” Morrison continued on to express, “we need to be able to implement what we have so we can do more with GoFormz.” As a result of this conversation, GoFormz intends to schedule further meetings to walk the rest of the team through the platform, with the aim of gaining acceptance of their digital documentation processes.