Do away with the paper chaos: digital civil engineering with SitePlan

Paperwork for documentation

Modern construction methods in civil engineering, paperwork in documentation?

Many civil engineering companies know it all too well:

Measurements are still taken with the measuring wheel. Notes are scribbled by hand somewhere on a piece of paper.
Photos are sent via WhatsApp.

And later?

Half of the information is missing or nobody knows what was actually meant.
Unfortunately, paperwork still prevails in many places. And it is somehow understandable:

The processes on the construction site are tightly timed. What counts is the construction progress - not the photo with the time stamp.

Nevertheless, we realize:

If the documentation is done directly on site during the work - simply, automatically, comprehensibly - it really saves time, money and nerves.

And that's how SitePlan came about - our app for digital measurements in civil engineering 📲:

➔ Measurement 5x faster than with the measuring wheel
➔ Accurate to the centimeter incl. comprehensible photo documentation
➔ All information is transferred directly from the construction site to the office and the measurement report is created with just a few clicks

That's why I sometimes ask myself:

Why make it complicated when it can be so simple?

Because let's be honest:

👉 How much construction time do you actually lose for documentation and rework?

 

Labor productivity in construction grows slowly

Fact: Global labor productivity is growing by 2.8 % annually.

Under construction? Is it only 1 %. Where does the deficit come from?

What sounds like little at first glance is actually expressed in concrete figures:

USD 1.6 trillion (= USD 1,600 billion!!) passes through the construction industry's fingers every year. According to McKinsey, this accounts for around half of global infrastructure requirements.

And a large part of this affects us in civil engineering:
In other words, where water pipes, electricity, gas, broadband and sewers are laid.

The real question is:
Why is there still so much inefficiency in (civil) engineering?

According to McKinsey, there are 3 problem areas:

1. fragmented project structures
Many participants, little consistency, often on demand.

2. paper processes instead of digital systems
Plans without coordinates, measuring wheel instead of GPS, photos without context.

3. high proportion of non-value-added work

Studies show: Only 30 % (!) of the time is spent on actual construction.

And the remaining 70 %?

Are used for preparation, coordination, searching, waiting, coordination ...

And all of this has consequences:

- Teams are slowed down
- Projects take longer
- Planning, execution and billing do not match
- Costs are getting out of hand

McKinsey assumes this: With more clarity, better coordination and digital support, infrastructure expansion could be accelerated by 15-30 %.

This does not require mammoth projects or castles in the air.

How could we achieve this? With:

- Devices that withstand dust and weather.
- Software that every foreman can understand in 5 minutes.
- processes that fit into everyday construction work.

One thing is certain for me:

Productivity in civil engineering begins on the construction site.
And this is precisely where there is still a lot of untapped potential.

 

Paper plans and paperwork

Eight men, two bulldozers - and two large-format paper plans in the middle of the construction site.
The picture is from the 60s. And yet it is very contemporary.

Because things are still similar in many places today:

- Printed plans are brought to the construction site
- Changes lead to new versions - often several times during a project
- Different versions circulate on the construction site - it is not always clear which one is valid

And that's exactly what makes it difficult for everyone on site:

Paper plans are large, unwieldy - and you are constantly looking for orientation:

Where is the top? Which axle? Which version? Is the legend missing?

Especially for larger construction projects with many plans, this costs time, coordination and nerves - and involves risks:

- Incorrect execution due to outdated plans
- Uncertainty about validity and changes
- Partial sections without complete information (scale, legend, north arrow, etc.)
- Lost overview due to lack of plan reference

📌 The result:
What is considered "secure on paper" is often the opposite - confusing, fragmented and impractical.

The technology to solve this better has long been available.

What is needed is continuous access to the valid plan status, including guidance - directly on the construction site.

Without guesswork. Without queries. Without a rummage table.

Learn more: GNSS stakeout for foremen & site managers.

 

From the diary of a young site manager: "Crap. The plan is in the office."

🗺️ A single forgotten plan - and the entire process on the construction site is at a standstill. Site managers in civil engineering are familiar with this:

Three projects are running in parallel. Everything was prepared the day before for an important implementation plan.

Printed out, put down - "don't forget", it still says in your head.

🧱 The next morning:

An early start, an hour's drive to the construction site.
Everything runs on site. Measurement begins.

Then the foreman asks:
"Did you bring the new plan?"

And right at that moment it becomes clear:
It's still in the office.

What now?

▶ Drive back? Two hours lost.
Come back tomorrow? The foreman is standing.

▶ In any case:
Half the day is gone - even though everything was actually prepared.

A single piece of paper upsets everything.
Unfortunately, this is often the case when plans still exist on paper.

Turning point:

📲 It works differently with SitePlan.

Simply load the plan into the app via your cell phone or PC
You see the plan immediately in the project, as does the foreman
The foreman opens it - and stakes it out directly from the plan with GNSS antenna.

⏱ Conclusion:
-2 hours travel time
-0.5 hours Coordination with the foreman on site
= 2.5 hours saved

💰 At 100 €/h site manager costs = 250 € saved

+ No frustration. No "I'll come again"

 

Goodbye paper, hello GPS

"When I pick up the pile of paper plans for the existing pipelines, I already know that it will take time."

Find the right page first.
Then measure to scale where the pipe is located.
Convert twice because the scale does not quite fit.
With the measuring tape to the reference point, stop the second person and measure.

That's how we did it for years.

Everyone knows that this costs time, nerves and money.

Today, all I have to do is look at my cell phone - in SitePlan I can immediately see my location on the map, down to the centimeter.

And can unplug directly, without waiting or measuring.

 

From the diary of a young site manager "The measurement chaos."

Asphalt construction. Three columns in action.
Two days of pulling through - now it's time to settle up.
At the same time: new offers, old projects, five open to-dos in my head.

So we start early. First area for the offer:
A quick measurement, two photos - onwards.
Next stop: Another offer, quickly note down a few figures.
Then to the columns: three construction sites, three measurements,
a few notes from the foreman, maybe a few WhatsApp photos.

- All on the same block.
- Everything in the same cell phone album.
- Everything on the back seat.

Back in the office:
Which note was what again?
Was that a measurement or an offer?
And where was this fugue?

Sure, you'll figure it out -
but only after 20 minutes of guesswork. Or tomorrow. Or the day after tomorrow.

And you know:
Another hour lost - just for re-sorting.

🛠 It would be easier with SitePlan:
- Measurement saved directly with the project
- Photos automatically assigned & GPS-located
- Offers & construction projects clearly separated

Everything digital. Everything findable.

📌 No chaos of notes.
📌 No guessing game.
📌 Simply structured data when you need it.

💬 What many say:
"My passenger seat used to be full of measurements - today everything is digital and right where it belongs."

Digital measurement for site managers, foremen & accountants - find out more.

 

An open word on the shortage of skilled workers in civil engineering

A frank word on the shortage of skilled workers in civil engineering:

We are at a turning point.

And the situation will come to a head:
Over the next few years, many experienced employees will retire - their knowledge will disappear and the gaps will widen.

This means that fewer and fewer skilled workers have to manage more and more construction sites.
Time pressure, costs, responsibility - everything is spread across smaller teams and the question is: how do we deal with this?

More overtime, more stress, more pressure?

Or: processes that are so simple that every employee can work productively from day one - without lengthy training and special equipment... The shortage of skilled workers is a reality. But it does not have to lead to a standstill.

The decisive factor is whether we organize our work in such a way that fewer people can do more.