Case Study - Bridging the Gap: Real-Time Field-to-Office Updates for Mid-Size Contractors

Contractor:

Mid-size general contractor 

Project:

Residential community build

Solution:

GoBuid Platform includes:

• Progress tracking & updates
• Digital forms (inspections, PTWs, incident reports)
• Approval workflows (forms & budget)

Issues:

• Field crews updating progress via texts, emails, paper checklists & spreadsheets
• Office teams waiting hours—or days—for photos, inspection reports, and safety logs (sometimes forced to visit site)
• Records get lost or duplicated across multiple channels
• Reactive firefighting—PMs only hear about issues once work has already stalled

Goals:

• Centralize all field updates into one live platform (photos, site reports, safety logs)
• Reducing communication lag so the office sees new info in minutes, not days
• Standardize reporting across projects to eliminate duplicates or gaps
• Automate alerts & approvals to remove manual follow-ups and speed decisions

Steps to Success:

1. Kick-off & Configuration

• Define which forms, projects, activities & tasks your team needs
• Recreate existing paper templates in GoBuid’s form-builder and map approval workflows

2. Mobile Roll-out & Training

• Install the GoBuid mobile app on field devices
• Learn how to update progress, submit forms (It's super easy, don't worry~)

3. Live Field Reporting

• Crews submit inspections, PTWs, incident reports, progress updates & photos
• Office teams get instant notifications and can approve in-app or on desktop

4. Review & Optimize

• Daily or weekly check-ins: review live data, tweak workflows & add new forms as needed
• Use built-in analytics to spot recurring bottlenecks and balance crew workloads

Outcomes:

• Rapid report digitization: Crews submitted 550+ digital inspection, safety, and permit-to-work forms in month 1—virtually clearing the paper backlog.
• Instant visual progress: Over 500 site photos were auto-tagged by date and location, so office teams saw exactly what was happening on the ground in real time.
• Near-instant approvals: 92% of all field forms moved from submission to approval in under a day —down from 2–3 days—keeping crews productive instead of waiting for sign-off.
• Major admin relief: By cutting out manual collation, teams reclaimed roughly 130 hours per project each month to focus on value-add tasks.
• Proactive issue closing: Automated alerts helped nip safety and quality issues in the bud, driving a 35% reduction in work stoppages.

Benefits:

• Real-time visibility lets PMs catch & resolve issues before they stall work
• Consistent, audit-ready data across all sites boosts traceability & compliance
• Reduced rework & delays by eliminating hand-off blind spots
• Stronger site-office collaboration via shared dashboards & automated alerts
• Scalable playbook to onboard new crews fast with standardized digital workflows