A whiteboard in a data center construction trailer is covered in colorful, neat sticky notes, each showing a critical element of the project plan. The door opens and an invasive gust of wind sends a not-so-sticky note onto the ground unnoticed. Picked up by the boot heel of a departing worker, the detail of the project is lost on the muddy ground outside.
The planning meeting ends and the day’s plan changes are collected. Board images are sent to the back office for master plan transcription. However, now the plan does not have a critical task, restriction or expectation, delaying the project weeks.
Data center construction projects are often complex it costs hundreds of millions of dollars with incredibly tight deadlines. To address these realities, projects require a single digital source of truth that reduces risk, keeps all stakeholders abreast of changes, and enables teams to easily collaborate.
The need for speed
Large data center owners and contractors are embracing digital transformation for their accounting, communications, logistics and other core systems. However, the last mile of their journey, the planning and management of projects in the field, is often still analog.
Like the rhythm of the construction of the new data center is accelerated, so do the planning risks that analog planning brings to project delivery. It creates slippage, costing data center owners millions of dollars in lost revenue.
To eliminate scheduling risk in data center construction projects, general contractors, specialty contractors, engineering firms, and owners must replace inefficient and error-prone analog planning with construction planning software collaborative digital in real time.
Planning software for lightweight construction
The Lean Construction Methodology and their relatives Last Planner System® became increasingly popular in recent years for planning and managing large types of construction projects such as offices, hotels, apartments, factories and warehouses to name a few.
According to the traditional charrette methods, Lean Construction is most widely achieved today with planning boards and group meetings in construction trailers. With this process comes the risks of misplaced notes, bad handwriting, blurry photos, and incorrect data entry.
This crossroads creates a clear need for planning software that reduces the risks of analog processes while maintaining the many benefits of Lean Construction. In recent years, the market responded with the emergence of software solutionsincluded Touch plane from MOCA Systems, Inc.which achieves this same goal.
The significant scale, complexity and urgency inherent in data center megaprojects require a solution with features such as:
- Mobile support with highly secure user access
- Real-time data capture and sharing in the cloud
- Accelerated implementation of the Lean construction process
- Intuitive use by non-technical personnel
- Ability to share and reuse blueprints across multiple projects
- Rich visual analytics for executives and managers
- Simplified collaboration capabilities between owners, designers and contractors
Display of the last digitized mile
Instead of leaving urgent activities, milestones and constraints at risk of falling to the dusty floor, imagine a digitized Lean planning process that ensures project completion on time.
The white board in the trailer is replaced by a flat screen TV connected to the superintendent’s laptop running digital planning software. The superintendent collaborates with the commercial managers gathered to sequence activities, identify dependencies and schedule materials in the digital plan.
When someone asks about the details underlying an element of the plan, a quick pinch-zoom on the laptop’s touchpad reveals everything instantly. With a few more clicks, activities become the next forecast schedule, a process that previously took hours of manual data entry.
In the data room, a trade worker notices a potential problem with an electronic expansion valve and uses the phone to take stock of his planned activity. The superintendent can quickly re-sequence the plan to give the electrical contractor the time and space needed to replace the valve.
In the office, this team issue populates a board indicating the reasons for variances affecting the schedule. This real-time data ensures that all stakeholders can clearly understand the issues causing potential delays and quickly correct them.
From the site to the back office, the digitized Lean planning process creates predictable production plans, promotes effective handoffs between disciplines, and optimizes project flow to avoid delays that can cost the data center owner millions of dollars in lost revenue.
Plan for project success
There is too much at stake with data center construction projects to rely on analog planning methods. By digitizing the last mile of construction, everyone involved benefits from greater organization, less confusion, more collaboration and, ultimately, meeting project deadlines. The hard work involved in a project will materialize faster with drastically reduced risk.
Learn more on how the right solution can replace inefficient and error-prone analog processes with real-time, collaborative digital construction planning.
To eliminate schedule risk, general contractors, specialty contractors, engineering firms, and owners must digitally transform their planning for data center construction projects and s.put the sticky notes for less critical tasks.
