While I loved playing with Lego as a kid, I wouldn’t say that working construction was my childhood dream. By the time college came around, however, I had developed a keen interest in the industry.

In fact, my favorite subjects were mechanics and economics, and this led me to specialize in Construction Management at grad school (UC Berkeley) at the intersection of both fields.

Following my studies, I joined DPR Construction to get more industry experience. During my time as a Sr. Project Engineer, I led BIM coordination meetings and managed work packages on large corporate campuses, such as the new Apple Park in Cupertino, CA.

While I loved the pace and very tangible aspect of building a project from the ground up, I found myself frustrated by the adversarial nature of the industry. Traditional project delivery methods were doing very little to promote collaboration across companies, resulting in a lot of inefficiencies, disputes, and unnecessary paperwork.

From fieldwork to Fieldwire

Living in San Francisco, I became curious about the tech industry and how it could be leveraged to foster collaboration in the construction space. And it was this fascination that inspired me to join Fieldwire.

While tech and construction are very different industries, my transition seemed pretty seamless. I was immediately drawn to the fast-paced environment of working for a startup, which reminded me of the close-out phase of construction projects.

As the Director of Product, my role is to translate and prioritize requests from customers into features that my engineering team can build. An example of that would be the recent addition of private markups. Many of our customers have been requesting to let field users add private notes on plans to mimic the way superintendents used to mark up their printed set of blueprints. After conducting customer interviews and brainstorming internally, we decided to introduce a new private markup color (purple) to visually tie markup colors to privacy. The feature was then implemented across the Fieldwire platform within a month and released in August.

I find my role at Fieldwire to be very similar to a project manager role at a general contractor, transcribing requirements from the owner and architect into directions for the field teams. In both instances, these user groups speak very different languages so it’s the PM’s job to translate and funnel the requests.

My biggest advice for anyone considering making the switch from construction to tech is to pick a company that is solving a problem you’ve experienced first hand. This will help you bring value to your new team and make you feel empowered to solve problems for others.

Fieldwire is actively seeking professionals with industry backgrounds to work alongside me on the Design and Engineering team (we also have open roles across all other teams). Apply and make the leap today!

From a young age, I was always drawn to math and art (such a cool kid, I know). But I had no idea how to combine these two passions into one career. Until one day a teacher said to me: “Have you considered engineering?”

Ha! No one in my family was even remotely affiliated with the construction industry. Not only had I never considered engineering, I also wasn’t sure I understood the difference between an engineer and an architect. But after falling into (and loving) my engineering degree, I ended up working as a structural engineer in Australia.

I absolutely loved (and still love) the construction industry. The work is a fantastic blend of creativity, math, and science — everything I was hoping for. The projects are extremely collaborative and the people (whether they’re tradespeople, designers, or project managers) are highly skilled, extremely practical, and down to earth.

From Engineering to Construction Tech

When I moved to San Francisco from Sydney to further my career, I stumbled upon Fieldwire. The company’s mission to empower the fieldworker, improve construction productivity, and essentially make the lives of construction folks easier, really resonated with me — so much that I immediately understood the product. From the minute I picked up the Fieldwire app, I could see how it could have helped me and my entire project team. Despite having zero tech or startup experience, I knew I wanted to be a part of this movement.

Still in San Francisco, I currently work in Fieldwire’s Business Operations team. Probably the most surprising thing about this transition was the overlap between my current and previous roles. The operations team is responsible for delivering projects and managing stakeholders — not too dissimilar from my responsibilities in construction. And the best part is, the skills I gained while working in construction around problem-solving and finding practical solutions have been extremely transferable. Oh, and the people are okay too ;)

If you’re interested in switching to technology from construction yourself, I’d love to hear from you! We’re actively seeking people with industry backgrounds to join our various teams around the world. Apply online and make the switch today.

Hi there! You haven’t heard from me since our last product update but I’m back with some exciting things to share. Whether you’re on the jobsite or in the office, these new Fieldwire updates are sure to make your life easier. Let’s get straight to them.

Sheet compare on mobile. Pro users can now compare any two sheets to see plan changes on mobile. You can compare different versions of the same plan to see scope changes or overlay different sheets (such as reflected ceiling and lighting plans) to identify potential clashes or design issues. This feature is now available on iOS and Android!

Private markups. Now, any markups you draw in purple will be private to you, meaning no other users on the same project will see them. You can access your private markups from any device (web, iOS, and Android) and filter all of your markups by color.

An easier way to plan work. In June, we improved our Gantt View of tasks to provide more details and a helpful overview. Now, you’ll see each task’s estimated man-hours in addition to its start and end dates. We’ve also provided an overview of all the work estimated for a specific period of time, rolling up each day’s man-hours into a line graph so you can easily see how many workers you’ll need onsite as well as where to make adjustments.

Read more about manpower on Fieldwire’s Gantt View in the help section.

Filter plans by version set. Need to find a specific plan quickly? You can now filter plans by version set to pull up sheets from a particular set of uploads or revisions.

Try Fieldwire Pro or Business for free. Remember, you can still unlock advanced features like mobile sheet compare and unlimited sheets and projects with a 14-day free trial of Fieldwire’s Pro or Business plans. Compare all plans and get free access now.

For a full list of new app features and updates, check out our support page. If you have any ideas for future Fieldwire enhancements, please email us at support@fieldwire.com or submit a request. We’d love to hear from you!

Looking forward to receiving your feedback :)

Construction technology, according to the Construction Institute, refers to the collection of innovative tools, machinery, and software used during the construction phase of a project. Examples of construction technology include mobile apps, VR headsets, automated machinery, drones, and more! Two of which we’ll get to later…

In a nutshell, technology refers to the products and processes you use each day to efficiently accomplish tasks. When technology is absent, productivity flatlines and projects often get delayed. Hence why there is a push for craftspeople to adopt construction technology at a much faster rate. Although, you shouln’t rush out to buy the latest gadget just because it looks ‘cool.’ Research and evaluate the different types of construction technology available and find something that works for you, not against you.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the whole process, seek professional advice from construction technology companies like Fieldwire that are here to help you adapt to change and progress with real confidence. It’s important you know that while new technology might seem overwhelming at first, it is the key to longevity in this industry. In fact, 70 percent of construction companies that don’t adopt technology will go out of business, meaning it’s more critical than ever before to embrace tech that’s revolutionizing construction.

Here are two examples of construction technology that are changing the way our industry operates.

Construction Technology Example #1: Mobile Apps

With 93 percent of craftspeople already using a mobile device on-site, it’s clear why mobile apps have one of the highest adoption rates in construction. Mobile construction apps give jobsite teams the tools they need to efficiently accomplish tasks. With Fieldwire’s mobile app, for example, craftspeople have the ability to:

• Communicate in real-time to accelerate decision-making and resolution
• View and manage plans from the field even without an internet connection
• Instantly share important data (files and photos) with the office team to ensure everyone is always on the same page

This way, projects can progress without any miscommunication that has real costs — far worse than many construction companies realize. In the U.S. alone, an estimated $31 billion each year and four hours each week is lost to rework caused by miscommunication. Mobile construction apps that support the real-time flow of information have the power to reduce this loss significantly!

Construction Technology Example #2: Drones

No longer just a high-tech military device, drones (or unmanned aerial vehicles) have emerged as an essential part of the construction process. Not yet fully autonomous, but almost there, today’s drone technology can be scheduled at select times to monitor and record site activity across multi-billion dollar construction sites, including Microsoft’s Redmond campus. From capturing aerial videos to transporting equipment and materials, there are many uses for drones across a variety of industries. In the construction industry, the technology has become particularly useful for monitoring project progress and tracking material quantities.

DroneDeploy CEO and Founder, Mike Winn, said the two most broad ways of thinking about how drones are used on a construction site include “understanding construction progress — using drone photos, drone maps, and 3D models to map exactly what’s happened on a construction site, and using drones to help with site modeling — understanding the topology of the land before something gets built.”

With an estimated market value of over $127 billion in commercial applications, it’s clear that drones are making the transition from novelty item to indispensable business tool.

Synchronize and standardize to optimize construction technology

Without standardization, the positive impact of construction technology is lessened. If you have contractors and owners using different software, communication will be disconnected and the prevalence of double data entry will sky-rocket.

In fact, a recent study by Dodge Data & Analytics found that 42 percent of contractors use both the owner’s project management system in addition to their own, which increases the likelihood of risk as contractors duplicate efforts.

Without synchronization and standardization there is a real disconnect on the jobsite. Construction companies should look for technology with open API architecture that can seamlessly integrate with other systems to streamline and simplify daily tasks.

Burnham Nationwide, a building permit expediting and code compliance consulting firm, uses Fieldwire’s open API to integrate directly with its ERP system in order to manage access to each project and set of documents the company is working on.

As investor momentum continues to build for construction technology, examples of construction technology will continue to emerge and propel the industry forward. If you’re excited to start working with construction technology that’s easy-to-use and affordable, please request a free demo of Fieldwire’s mobile app today.

Listen to “The ConTechCrew 189: Service Time, Not Scooter Time with Yves Frinault of Fieldwire” on Spreaker.

Starring in The ConTechCrew’s 189th episode was Yves Frinault of Fieldwire! In this episode, Yves spoke about his professional experience in the military and tech and expressed his strong opinions on amateur scooter riding.

Until just recently, there had been 3 years and 160 episodes between Yves Frinault’s appearances on The ConTechCrew podcast…

And boy have things changed in that time!

Since Yves last spoke with host James Benham, he’s raised a record amount of funding and become a U.S. citizen; news James thought was well worth opening with:

“We’re thrilled to have you as part of the American team and we’re excited to have you back on the show.”

Throughout the latest ConTechCrew episode, Yves spoke about his career in tech, military experience, approach to developing Fieldwire’s app, and more! You can hear all about it online.

Don’t have time? Here is a list of key takeaways, quotes, and insights from the podcast:

• It wasn’t until Yves served a year in the French military that he learned the importance of efficient communication.
• While working in tech at Ubisoft, Yves realized there was a high bar set for products in Silicon Valley. He said: “I realized a product must be enjoyable to use. So when Javed and I started Fieldwire we told ourselves we were going to make a product that’s truly enjoyable for craftsmen on-site.”
• Yves is a strong believer in ‘the Freemium model,’ confirming that there will always be a place for small teams to use Fieldwire for free.

• Fieldwire’s task dashboard is used to track any piece of work that needs to be dispatched and inspected. When talking about Fieldwire’s task dashboard, co-host Rob McKinney told Yves: “It sounds like you’ve taken the two-week lookahead, the project plan, and even some lean methodology and baked it into this new online experience for the office and field to convey productivity and profitability.”
• Yves and his staff use Fieldwire internally to manage and view all of their tasks by priority each day.
• Fieldwire is used on a variety of projects to track and manage the construction of airports, hospitals, highways, and even prefab structures.
• Originally, Yves pitched Fieldwire as ‘the Jira for Construction’ due to its open API which allows one piece of software to integrate with another. Yves said this capabilty is being more utilized as construction companies start to hire in-house developers to build integrations.
• Yves predicts that the convergence of construction hardware and construction software is coming and that it has the potential to take a lot of burden off field-workers.
• By 2025, Yves predicts that 80 percent of Fieldwire’s revenue will come from subcontractors.

• Yves believes there are better long-term financial benefits for skilled craftspeople than Uber drivers, who tend to focus on the immediate deposits in their bank accounts rather than the depreciation of their car.
• Fun fact: Yves is not a fan of electric scooters. He said his co-founder, Javed Singha, once rented a scooter and face-planted in the streets of Oakland, CA.

Want more? Listen to episode 189 to hear more from Yves about founding Fieldwire, plus his fresh-takes embedded apps, scooters, and more!