Lean Construction Ireland Annual Book of Cases 2021 57 l f s s 2 QR code to ensure compliance and reduce waiting time for operatives on site.We are using QR codes and custom forms for further HSEQ applications. d. Implementation of a custom template for standardised forms to allow collaborative production of fully formatted reports by site teams. e. Collaboration with Email and SharePoint by allowing users to save sent emails automatically and fill in relevant data prior to saving in the appropriate areas within the system.This can also happen for all received emails, further improving the communication and collaboration between staff at a site and management levels. Separate to the above, we had already implemented full Software as a Service (SaaS) technologies for our core Accounts / HR / Estimating / Procurement andQS departments thus totally removing servers from theWalls IT environment and providing safe and secure access to all staff from any location on any internet enabled device. The additional control provided by Azure AD and InTune further enhanced our security and manageability. The extended use of Microsoft Teams and its integration with SharePoint and Office 365 provided further improvements to the business function during covid, allowing for ease of access to collaborate betweenWalls staff, design teams and contractors in a simple and secure platform. All of these changes to our business and the adoption of technology in such a manner has allowed us to greatly improve collaboration and teamwork not only within our own business,but also in howwe interact with others as part of our construction and development projects. In the ever-growing drive for energy efficiency, we have removed the need for vastly power intensive server and infrastructure hardware and associated cooling energy consumption, leading to a more environmentally friendly operation in terms of our IT energy footprint. We are constantly adding PowerApps and streamlining solutions to this platform to provide further business benefits as and when identified. Due to the transparency of the system to end users, we can provide these solutions with the direct input of the individuals to ensure the business needs are met with targeted additions to our overall technology and procedures. Lean Initiative Improvements & Impact The implementation of these solutions has provided several key improvements from a company and staff level such as: a. Increased efficiency of staff due to standardised forms and custom flows within applications which reduces the steps and time required by staff in the course of their duties. b. Improved communication between staff on projects, therefore removing misunderstandings and the associated stresses and potential costs that come as part of this miscommunication. c. Dynamic access to data enables all staff the access the latest information required to efficiently carry out their duties. d. Created a more controlled environment and added several key benefits primarily with regards to HSEQ and covid documentation. e. Reduced central IT cost overheads with regards to the constant maintenance and associated upgrades required to maintain an efficient, stable and secure IT platform. f. Reduced the administrative IT overhead with regards to backup and disaster recovery requirements for the business. g. Improved the overall acceptance and adoption of technology within the business as the benefits are designed with real world situations relevant to our specific business needs. Summary and Lessons Learned Initially, the Covid pandemic helped drive the adoption of cloud technology due to the demands for remote working.Now that the technology is in place, it has opened the eyes of users and staff in general to the overall benefits from a cost and efficiency perspective of these technologies. With constant communication between departments, we have learned to constantly develop and adapt both our systems and our work procedures with direct input from the end user.These developments are, by design, one of the key components in changing how we work for the better with regards to efficiency. Technology in itself is constantly evolving, and the key lies in the marriage of technology with business needs, to make it a better work environment for all. Case 13
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