Seven reasons to use digital checklists on your next construction project

Checklists are one of the most effective tools that employees can have, but checklists and paper reports provide zero visibility.

Checklists are crucial for keeping construction projects on track, and keeping various actors and stakeholders up to date. In addition, they automate the workflow and help you have a full overview of the progression of tasks and deviations.

The risk-exposed construction industry is a place where digital checklists have the most impact. It is crucial for construction managers to use checklists to maintain both productivity and safety on the construction site.

Using a checklist app in the office or the field has made workers more mobile, productive and agile than ever before. When you have access to digital checklists right in your pocket, on your smartphone, you are never far away from all the information and documentation you need at all times.

There are many benefits to using a checklist app on your smartphone or tablet:

#1. Tailor-made reports or standardised report templates

It is easy to generate reports with a checklist module such as Next Field Forms. With tailor-made digital reports, there is much less duplication of work, and you can stay focused on the result without unpleasant surprises along the way.

#2. Easier to handle long checklists

Many construction projects are extensive and complex. With an interactive checklist tool, you do not have to keep track of a writing pad with hundreds of handwritten notes and dots. Instead, you can expand lists and link tasks to reports without compromising usability.

#3. Go through safety rounds with digital checklists

Proper HSE on construction sites is no easy task. The ideal number of accidents or adverse events should be 0, but it takes effort and focus on achieving such a high level of safety work. If you use digital checklists, you will avoid time-consuming paperwork and, at the same time, ensure that nothing goes under the radar. It will be easy to find in the documentation jungle, and you can keep all parties involved informed about risk factors and deviations without having to pull out a 5-kilo ring binder.

#4. Standardized report templates save time

With a module like Next Field Forms you can select standard templates to generate reports. This module saves you valuable time and ensures that the report you create has a layout in line with industry standards.‍

#5. Less paperwork

Thanks to digital checklists and reports, among other things, the dream of a paperless society is not so far away. You get rid of ring binders and forms, scanners and printers. With digital checklists, you can keep a complete overview of all documents you might otherwise have dragged with you out in the field and between the construction site and the office. You can post and update everything anywhere, and therefore you will not have to do paperwork or punch in data afterwards – or even worse: at home, after work!

#6. Real-time data

Access to real-time data is the alpha and omega of construction projects. During an inspection or protection round, it is essential to have an overview of progress or areas with potential for improvement. With a checklist / report module such as Next Field Forms, you can focus on quality assurance and tick off tasks as performed, one by one.

#7. Photos in the report

With a checklist module such as Next Field Forms, you can take photos with your smartphone in the field and add them directly to the report you generate. You are no longer dependent on bringing your camera and sending photos around by email. The recipients will easily understand what you are referring to with the images, and they will have easy access to the data you collect in a handy format.

Digital checklists and reports help keep the construction project on track. With a module like Next Field Forms, your business can generate reports at record speed, anywhere – in the office or the field.