It’s clear that jobsite management software is here and not going anywhere. Some of these platforms have a monthly payment that can rival a brand-new truck. We continue to run our jobsites with pen and paper for good reason. I have found when you’re initially meeting clients and they are walking you through their needs, wants, and expectations, and you pull out a clipboard and start taking notes, it says to them you are engaged, and what they are saying is important.
Study after study shows that physically writing down notes, objectives, tasks, and the like increases recall and memory. When we bid projects, we bid off of actual blueprints that get tattooed with neon-colored highlighters, sticky notes, and a notepad of notes. We have been successfully estimating, managing, and scheduling our projects with paper since 1948. Even if we eventually move to software for business solutions, we're not likely to move away from paper.
There’s one company that stands out for us in this space: Rite in the Rain. Based in Tacoma, Wa., the company has a rich history with the logging industry. It has been making waterproof paper since 1916. We have been using its mini-top-spiral and side-spiral notebooks in the field for over a decade.
Toby, our lead foreman, has been using the company's small planner to keep track of crew-hours and record key details of each project. What I would consider the best off-the-shelf planner for the construction industry is Rite in the Rain's large planner kit. The complete kit comes with a robust three-ring binder with a Cordura cover that zips closed and includes a substantial amount of built-in storage. The kit also comes with a bunch of other useful accessories; what I use the most is the 12-month calendar, just to write down where I was each day, and any upcoming appointments and meetings.
The weekly calendar is where I really dive into everything that happened on each project. I added the daily planner sheets to my binder, and I like to use it for any projects that we are tracking hours, or even minutes, for. I also use it for managing projects and preconstruction meetings that we are billing by the hour. Rite in the Rain makes blank sheets where you can print other documents that you may want to add, such as an incident report or a mileage record. I also like to write down all of my credit cards and banking contacts along with my cellphone provider's info, in the case something is lost or stolen. Rite in the Rain also makes some of the nicest mechanical pencils I've ever used, including ones with stout, 1.3-mm lead. All of the company's pens come with pressurized ink cartridges, which make writing in the elements a non-issue.
As of late, we have been printing the blueprints we use in the field on Tyvek. It is more durable than paper, and it handles the elements great. The only downside is that this costs more than conventional color prints. The extra expense is worth it: We've found that it’s much easier to communicate tasks and expectations on site with the aid of full-size plans. We've also found that fewer mistakes happen when plans live on site and are easily accessible to everyone.
