Transforming On-Site Progress Tracking into Actionable Insights
Project managers often face the challenge of effectively tracking the progress of on-site teams. Unlike offsite teams who may routinely update their status on project management applications, on-site workers are less inclined to do so after a demanding day. But what if there was a solution that could transform this tedious task into a streamlined process?
The Problem with Conventional Progress Tracking
In many project management platforms, progress is tracked via timesheets. But many of the timesheet utilities only drill down to the project level. ProjectContexts (as do other platforms) adds two further levels:
Level 1
Drill down to the Project Level. (good enough for payroll)
Level 2
Drill down to the Task level (Unfortunately, this is still common though this level only allows progress as logged time compared to a Task’s budget which might be obsolete)
Level 3
Ask the assignee to add a value for an Estimate of the Time to Completion. (As do fewer other platforms, and even if so, it may not be universally enforced by the PMO).
Essentially the % completion is measured with a revised and updated budget as a basis. At ProjectContexts, we call that EAC – Estimate At Completion= Logged hours + ETC (Estimate to Completion). ETC is filled in by the assignee on his / her timesheet.
For the individual assignee, it is expected that he/she or the project manager has a rational way of estimating his/her part of the Task’s ETC.
The additional problem with Progress Tracking at a construction or installation site
Typically, a site team consists of a crew leader and assigned crew members.
Traditionally, on-site progress tracking falls on the shoulders of the Foreman (Crew Leader), involving paper timesheets or Excel files. This method not only consumes valuable time but also introduces the risk of human error, particularly when transferring data to a master file—a painstaking process often riddled with complex formulas.
But in addition, this is a level 2 tracking. A true progress tracking requires a level 3 tracking.
Introducing the Crew Module
Level 2 tracking
ProjectContexts introduces the Crew feature, designed to revolutionize on-site team progress tracking. Imagine the Crew Leader logging into a tablet ProjectContexts app, entering the day’s work for each crew member, and submitting it for approval—all within minutes. The project manager then reviews and approves these digital timesheets, with the approved hours automatically updating the project’s (Level 2) progress.
Level 3 tracking
For level 3 tracking, we need to introduce metrics into the timesheet. A metric could be “concrete poured”, and the measure of the metric could be ft3 of concrete poured today.
A metric must be defined on a timesheet so that ultimately, PC may associate labor with a metric. However, the interval for recording the measure of the metric could be different from the interval for measuring time: Hours may be recorded daily for a week ending on a Sunday or more practical on the Fridy night, The ft3 of concrete poured could be recorded weekly for the same week. Only at the end of that week, PC can calculate the Work Rate: how many hours were required for a quantity of concrete poured.
Work Rate
Work rate is the estimated number of hours required to install a unit of metric.
Metrics are usually defined by engineering or architectural drawings in which the total measure is defined.
For example, the foundations require 3,000ft3 of concrete. If the work rate is defined (say 100ft3/hour), then the number of required manhours for the task is a given. (=3000/100 =30 hours). PC will (auto-) calculate 3.75 days for the duration of the task [pour concrete] and transfer that Task’s duration to the schedule. The schedule includes critical path tools to optimize allocation of tasks and labor.
For planning (e.g. to prepare a quote), that rate will be estimated from previous similar projects. PC includes a schedule module which in turn allows the creation of cashflows, milestones, terms of contracts, resource planning etc.,
During the project, that rate is updated automatically at the end of the record-taking interval. (In the example above, on the Sunday, in most practical cases on the Friday night.). This allows re-allocations of labour to increase efficiencies, meeting Customer deadlines etc.
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