5 tips for construction crews to collect data on the go

Collecting data on the go can be tricky for construction crews.

When a crew is on a construction site, they may not have access to the same technology that they would in an office, making it difficult to gather, organize, and manage data.

But with Jotform, crews can easily build a form in seconds and collect information anywhere, anytime. Here are five tips on how to get started.

1. Create forms in advance

Waiting until the last minute usually isn’t a good idea, especially when you need to be on your A-game at work.

Since each construction site has many unknown factors, such as the number of employees who want to engage with you, machinery that needs to be checked, follow-ups to send — the list goes on — it’s important that you come prepared with all of the forms you’ll need.

To get started, you can use Jotform for desktop or Jotform Mobile Forms to build your forms. Though each construction team will need different forms for data collection, it’s a good idea to create one checklist form to help you remember everything that you need to do on a given day.

When your forms are ready to go, you won’t have to spend any extra time thinking about the data-collection process; you can just start filling out those forms.

2. Use a voice recorder

In addition to creating forms in advance, dictating your notes can help you quickly record observations when you’re at a work site. Transcribing data also reduces the chance you’ll forget a critical step or add inaccurate data.

You can easily add Jotform’s Voice Recorder widget to any form to record yourself while onsite.

Once you submit the form, the voice recordings will be funneled directly into your Jotform account for easy storage and retrieval.

3. Snap a photo

Another great way to easily collect data on the go is to snap a photo of the site or item, rather than type what you’re seeing.

For example, if you’re in a warehouse doing routine equipment and personnel safety checks, you can take photos with Jotform’s Take Photo widget to quickly, easily, and accurately document any issues.

This comes in handy if you notice broken or malfunctioning equipment that could pose a safety risk, because it takes just a few seconds to snap a photo and submit it through your form.

Just like voice recordings, all photos will automatically be included in your Jotform account for easy access.

4. Assign accident injury forms

Accidents and injuries can happen at any moment. So it’s important that all crew members have access to an employee accident report form. 

To ensure each crew member has access to the form, you can use Jotform’s Assign Forms feature to send the form electronically to everyone on the crew.

The form assigner receives notifications via email or through the Jotform Mobile Forms app, which allows them to keep tabs on accidents and injuries. This also helps them spot patterns and decide how to better prepare for the future.

For example, if you notice an increase in the number of incidents involving a particular piece of machinery, you can look into the training processes and check the machinery for issues. This reduces the likelihood of accidents moving forward.

5. Build a new form in an instant

Sometimes you may need to build a new form on the spot. This is where Jotform Mobile Forms really comes in handy. The easy-to-use app, which is available for iOS and Android, is perfect for building forms on the go whenever you need them.

With Jotform Mobile Forms, you can create a new form in seconds, and it will immediately be ready for your data-collection needs.

Better yet, if you have an existing form, there’s even a feature that enables offline data collection if you’re at a site with no Wi-Fi.

Providing construction crews with an easy solution to collect data on the go will help streamline their workflow and prevent issues from occurring in the future.