The document discusses integrating mobile technology in the construction industry. It provides an overview of the MobiCloud project, which aims to create an ecosystem and platform to support mobile applications for the construction sector. It outlines challenges with workforce mobility and how mobility can help solve issues. Key topics discussed include developing apps for an app store, benefits of private app stores, and challenges around platforms, integration, and processes. It also highlights Costain's experience deploying tablet-based solutions like a site diary app to improve efficiencies.

1. Integrating Mobile Technology
in the Construction Industry
MobiCloud Project Webinar Series
Presented by Martin Wilson (Appear) and Katie Swanick (Costain)

2. MobiCloud - Project Overview
Founding partners
2

3. Enterprise Mobility Timeline
1996
2006-2011
1999
2003
2013 - 2020
3

4. Mobility and IT : A Time of Change (Gartner)
•
Rise of tablets
” 80% of businesses will enable workforce on tablets”
•
BYOD, CYOD
”By 2014, 90% of organizations will support corporate applications
on personal devices”
•
Enterprise stores
”By 2015, 60% of organizations will use private app stores to deliver
business apps on media tablets and smartphones”
•
Rise of social
”By 2015, 10% of your online ”friends” will be nonhuman”
•
Information Complexity
“Context-aware computing is a game-changing opportunity for
enterprises and CIOs” ..
Context - Next level of SOA (CODA/Gartner)
4

5. Workforce Mobility Challenges
•
Changing needs of mobile worker
–
Enterprise Mobility not just ”Mobile
Office”
Large IT vendor systems slow to adapt
Separation of ”Work” and ”Home”
–
•
Perceived Blurring of IT and Mobility
–
•
How to access data easily via laptop,
desktop, PDA?
–
•
Mobility requires a different approach
supporting rapid change
Lots of experimental projects
underway
–
Need more cost effective route to
support mobility projects
5

6. Mobility Solves Workforce Challenges
Social media integration,
Training apps,
collaboration, proactive
information, flexible
rostering, e.g. site diary
Apps for third party service
providers, proactive
customer information,
dashboards, ..
Record taking,
supply chain
communication,
apps for temporary
employees and
subcontractors,
collection of data and
reporting, shared project
visibility.
Construction Industry Challenges and Objectives
Customer
Reliability and
Dependability
Make it easier to collect,
distribute and
communicate data,
automatically and
proactively e.g. Defect
reporting, M2M Apps
Employees
Safety
Communication between
(nearest) colleagues, and
contractors, police, lone
worker, “emergency
button”, mass
communication, site policy,
permits
Project
Delivery
Value and
Sustainability
Value - reduce the cost of
purchasing equipment by
sharing it across the
business
Environment impact
6

7. Construction Appstore
• Site Procedures
• Project Processes, including work
assignment sign-off and quality
auditing
• Business Processes
Construction
• Incident Management and
Reporting
• Automation and Management of
Safety Permits
• Management of Assets
7

8. Corporate Appstore Benefits
Integration
App
Development
Deployment
Developers
IT Mgr
Manage corporate
mobile applications
across their entire
lifecycle, from
development to
deployment and
support
Managers
Analytics
Use
Support
Users
Diagnostics
Troubleshooting
Management
8

9. Corporate Appstore Infrastructure
Platform
SDK
Ready-made
Apps
Agile
Development
Continuous
Integration &
Testing
Change
Management
Employee Appstore
9

10. Key Technology Challenges
•
Platform vs Silos – taking control
– Early trial silos will grow and become full
production silos, so adopt a platform
approach
– It’s good to let your business units run wild
with new application ideas, but it will be
costly to let them do so without guidance
– A failed trial is one more nail in the coffin of
your mobility strategy: you only have one
chance to impress your end-users, get it
right from the start!
Platform
SDK
Ready-made
Apps
Agile
Development
Continuous
Integration &
Testing
Change
Management
10

11. Key Technology Challenges
•
Ensuring robust and cost-effective
integration with legacy systems: rich SDK
– About 50% of a new enterprise mobile
application’s code is related to the back end
integration connector
– Poorly designed connectors are a major
point of failure of the overall system
– The connector needs to support the
current back-end configuration (and any
subsequent upgrade that the back-end
vendor will implement without letting you
know!)
Platform
SDK
Ready-made
Apps
Agile
Development
Continuous
Integration &
Testing
Change
Management
11

12. Key Technology Challenges
•
Re-using existing code base: ready made
apps vs custom developments
– Forget about “there is already an app for
everything in public appstores”
– But don’t try to reinvent the wheel every
time a new business request comes and
spend 6 months building a new app from
scratch
Platform
– Best of both worlds: ready-made enterprise
app templates that can be easily
customized to your needs
SDK
Ready-made
Apps
Agile
Development
Continuous
Integration &
Testing
Change
Management
12

13. Key Process Challenges
•
Involving end-users as early as possible in
design phase : agile development
•
Keeping flexibility during deployment
phase: continuous integration and
testing
•
Ensuring end-user adoption and
compliance: change management
Platform
SDK
Ready-made
Apps
Agile
Development
Continuous
Integration &
Testing
Change
Management
13

14. MobiCloud Ecosystem
Application Developers
MobiCloud SDK
System
Integrators
MobiCloud Platform
CONTEXT
CLOUD
CROSSPLATFORM
Independent Software
Vendors
Business
Users
SaaS
Providers
14

15. MobiCloud Architecture
Connecting Back-End
Systems
To Field Service
Employees
Operations
Team Leader
Field
Employees
Back End ERP
Systems
IT Support
15

16. Cloud – Cheaper, Leaner, Faster
•
Flexible capacity
•
Switch to OPEX = immediate ROI
•
Pay as you go
•
Continuous deployment = supporting
rapid end-user iterations for
maximum benefits
16

17. Context – Enhanced Workflow
Right
Information
Right User
Right Place
Right Time
GPS: N 59°38.304’ E 17°56.368'
ID: Certified Engineer #42
Current Task: Airframe Check
External Temperature: -10⁰C
Asset Number: LN-RRB
Closest Mechanic: Larsson, Ulf
17

18. Context – Advanced Ergonomics
Context Status
Info (ex location,
route, etc.)
Context-aware
shortcuts (most
relevant
applications)
Context-filtered
messages
Context Strategy : Deliver genuine and ergonomic ‘app experience’.
Apps must deliver a true business functionality related to core business processes,
unlike many apps that are merely pared-down websites disguised as apps.
18

19. Cross Platform – Native vs HTML5
• Native, Hybrid or Web?
• Show of Hands
– How many type of OS are you planning to support: 1,2,3, more?
– Have you selected an architecture: none yet, native, web, hybrid, other?
• Mobile Development Myths
19

20. Building the Ecosystem
Membership Acceptance Criteria
Type
Community
Membership
This will be open all individuals or companies that express an interest and
provide a valid email address. They will be added to the
ecosystem@mobicloudproject.eu list and receive all public notifications
about the project
Early
Adopter
Program
This will be open to developers or customers that express an interest and fill
a simple survey form to describe their goals in joining the program. Upon
joining they will receive an account in the MobiCloud Showroom where they
can test specific demo applications. They will also receive access to the
MobiCloud SDK and documentation, without any dedicated support.
Associate
Member
Program
This will be open to individuals or companies that express an interest in using
the MobiCloud infrastructure to run their own pilots and pay a yearly fee.
Upon joining they will receive access to the MobiCloud SDK and the
MobiCloud certification training. Upon successfully completing the training,
they will be listed as certified developers or certified system integrators in the
MobiCloud Store website.

21. Join the MobiCloud
Community:
www.mobicloudproject.eu

22. Mobile cloud applications for field engineers:
Costain's experience deploying tablet-based solutions
in the field.
Katie Swanick, Costain

23. Agenda
• Costain Overview
• Current Solutions and Challenges
• Construction Appstore and Mobility Transformation
• Site Diary Application
23

24. Costain
• Global engineering solution provider
• Predominantly construction (60%), consultancy (25%), care and
maintenance (15%)
• Currently 5000+ employees
• Record future order book of £2.9bn
• Multi award winning
– Top 100 admired companies
– Contractor or the Decade
– British Construction Industry Award for best practices
24

25. Costain Expertise
Nuclear
Rail
Airports
Water
Education
Highways
25

26. Current Challenges
• Engineers and supervisors – considerable time spent on site on a
day to day basis
• Long working days
• Considerable amount of paperwork associated with site activities
• Health and Safety (S.H.E.), quality, asset management, quantity
surveying, material/plant, site diaries
• Inefficient time spent between site and office
• Lack of real-time data leading to inaccuracies in records
26

27. Mobility Transformation @Costain
•
Developing a series of user cases to help drive
efficiencies in time and cost into current
processes both on site and in other areas of the
business
•
Identifying key user cases and develop these
into working mobile applications for trial and
release across the business
•
Creating a full suite of apps to replace inefficient
paper based and disjointed processes on site,
whilst backing up data in a cloud based system
•
Offering these apps to Costain employees and
subcontractors in an corporate app store set up
27

28. Construction Appstore
• Site Procedures and Checklists
• Project Processes, including work
assignment sign-off and quality
auditing
• Business Processes
Construction
• Incident Management and
Reporting
• Automation and Management of
Safety Permits
• Management of Assets
29

29. Site Diary
UK Construction News : “The average value of
construction disputes in the UK has risen to £6.5M
[SEK 70M], while they have become more timeconsuming, taking an average of 8.7 months to
resolve”
Source : http://www.cnplus.co.uk/news/uk-construction-disputes-becoming-longer-andmore-costly/8630916.article#
Problems with Today’s Site-Diary
•
Inaccuracy of data, events not being recorded in real time
•
Separation of evidence - photos and written records are stored and filed differently
•
Project delays due to difficulties locating historical data
•
Lost or damaged records from existing paper based and non-centralised data
storage approaches.
30

30. Current Paper Solutions
31

31. Site Diary User Case
•
Simple capture, recording and review of detailed reports.
•
Pictures can be attached to events and act as important confirmation of
activities.
•
Using context, information entered into the site diary is simplified
using pre-configured choices – for example events are categorized
using flags and drop down menus.
32

32. Events timeline
10/24/2013
Copyright Appear, 2012
34
34

33. Change date
35

34. New event (1/4)
36

35. New event (2/4)
37

36. New event (3/4)
38

37. New event (4/4)
39

38. Web Back-end
40

39. Site Diary – Cost Benefit Analysis
•
Quantitative
–
Time Saved Searching
–
Improved cost effectiveness of handling claims
–
Improved oversight (accuracy) of subcontractor
billing
Time saved recording
30,000 EUR
Time saved searching
46,000 EUR
Time Saved Recording
–
Amount saved
annually
assuming 50
users
Avoidance of Litigation
–
Source of saving
Improved cost effectiveness of 590,000 EUR
claims handling
Total
•
666,000 EUR
Qualitative
–
Avoidance of Litigation
–
Safety
–
Record quality
–
Job Satisfaction
–
Process Improvement
–
Cultural Change
Case Study from
MobiCloud EU
Project developed
by Appear with
Costain and COMIT
41

40. Q&A

41. Site Diary
Demonstration

42. Try Site Diary for 30 days, free at
bit.ly/trysitediary
Join the MobiCloud Community:
www.mobicloudproject.eu