Save time with professional defect management – 123quality makes it possible

Recording, documenting and tracking defects was a time-consuming undertaking for building contractor Norbert Kees from Fuchstal in Upper Bavaria, especially when the order situation was booming. In the past, he had to laboriously gather all the necessary information and photos from various sources, initiate the transfer of data to subcontractors and laboriously track the rectification of defects. This cost Kees and his site manager time and nerves – and is now a thing of the past thanks to the newly introduced 123quality app.

Dipl.-Ing. Norbert Kees is the 3rd generation to manage the construction company founded by his grandfather in 1935. Today, Amberg Bau GmbH & Co KG employs 40 people with its own planning department and is active in residential construction, particularly in the property development business. In addition, Amberg realizes projects in industrial construction and carries out smaller civil engineering works. Conversions and renovations are also part of the portfolio of the medium-sized company, whose area of operation extends beyond the Fuchstal to the Landsberg/Lech, Ostallgäu, Ammersee, Starnberg and Munich regions.

App covers the requirements of construction companies

Years ago, Norbert Kees learned about the software for mobile Time tracking and project documentation 123onsite at a master craftsman’s conference. The civil engineer then equipped his employees with smartphones on which the app was installed. With 123onsite, processes on the construction site such as employee times, Construction diary including construction site photos, materials and equipment can be recorded on the move and the data transferred directly to the office.

123quality integrated into software for mobile Time tracking and project documentation

When the Lohn-based software company 123onsite launched another app on the market in May 2019, this time for task and defect management, the contractor knew that he wanted to work with it too. The application is integrated into the solution for users of 123onsite and only needs to be activated. The advantages: the master data only needs to be created once, is maintained centrally and the users – in this case Norbert Kees and his site manager – can access all data such as daily construction reports, photos, defects, etc.

Standardized process

But even with the 123quality app as a stand-alone solution, the user can quickly photograph a defectto their cell phone, locate the tasks on the digital construction plan and assign the activities to the responsible employee or subcontractor with just a few taps. Various types of tickets such as tasks, defects, file notes, obstructions, performance assessments, supplements, remaining services and many more are quickly created. At the same time, the entire process of digital defect recordingtracking and rectification is standardized, clearly documented and leads to significantly better quality in execution. All the information is in one place and does not have to be collated. This can also be a considerable advantage in the event of a legal dispute.

Relief for documentation

At Amberg, the app is used on the one hand for logging the condition of the building used. By determining the condition, the construction company documents which components have been installed for both the TÜV and the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau. On the other hand, the medium-sized company uses the app to recording and tracking defects. If there is a defect report, the site manager photographs the defectand sends a defect report including photos to the responsible subcontractor on his smartphone with a deadline for rectification. Once the contractor has rectified the defect, Amberg receives a photo of it.

Norbert Kees has stored all processes on his computer desktop and can see at a glance which are completed and which are still open. Since all photos are assigned to the construction site and the corresponding component, the tedious search for information is no longer necessary and the site manager needs significantly less time for the process of recording and tracking defects. As the construction company works with a large number of subcontractors in its role as a property developer, the app makes the documentation and tracking of processes much easier.

Kees sees the working method as particularly advantageous in times like Corona. “Normally you make an appointment at the construction site to discuss the defect. By locating the photos on the plan, the subcontractor knows exactly where to make improvements and we no longer have to meet in person .” In this way, digital consultation protects against infection, ensures efficient, smooth processing and the desired execution quality with enormous time savings.

Picture credits: 123onsite/Timo Lutz Werbefotografie.