At Tribco, we understand the importance of streamlining processes to work efficiently with laser-focused objectives. Adopting new technology is often the best way to achieve this goal. Our parent company Heico Construction Group recently partnered with mJobTime Solutions to develop a mobile solution that allows field employees to clock in and out on iPads with scans of their fingerprints. Known as a mobile biometric time-tracking app, it’s the first of its kind in our industry, and as a result it earned Constructech magazine’s 2018 Vision Gold Award.
This summer, Tribco was proud to introduce this groundbreaking technology to our jobsites.
Screenshot of the finger-scanning mobile app being used by Tribco employees to clock in and out of jobs.
How it works
The mobile solution is a lightweight, portable fingerprint-scanning accessory that plugs into iOS devices through the Apple lightning connector. The scanning devices can be used in the field initially to record and store a digitally created fingerprint scan for new employees, and then later, to scan employee fingerprints and verify them against the database of stored digital scans.
The software provides an easy and straightforward way for employees and field managers to enter, review, edit and approve records in the field—including labor time, equipment time, per diem and daily logs. It also enables management to monitor and manage job resources better. Employees and managers are no longer tethered to the jobsite trailer or office to perform daily work tasks. Field management can perform their tasks much closer to the actual work activities and capture information and changes in tasks in real time.
What’s more, the solution eliminates spreadsheets as the primary method of tracking field hours. Doing so significantly increases our employees’ productivity by reducing the amount of time spent preparing and reconciling payroll records originating from the field and ultimately residing in the ERP system. The software also provides management real-time access to field units of activity information versus waiting days and up to a week for insight into this information.
In addition, the time-tracking application provides assurance that employee time records accurately reflect the hours each employee works. Ensuring we pay employees for actual hours worked will result in significant savings.
To sum it up, the mobile solution performs the following 10 objectives:
-
- Provide a straightforward and simple means to clock-in/clock-out employees wherever needed on a project or site location.
- Provide a simple interface for the employee, crew leader, foreman, job superintendent or timekeeper to record hours on each task performed during the day.
- Track eligible per diem by employee.
- Provide access and insight with respect to manpower on a “clock-in” basis.
- Provide access and insight with respect to work hours daily.
- Provide daily/weekly approval of hours worked and per diem earned.
- Track billable equipment hours.
- Provide GPS “fencing” capability when needed.
- Provide the ability to create electronic daily job logs and store in a searchable database.
- Be both FAST and SIMPLE!
Implementation
As with any groundbreaking feat, we understand that obstacles often lie beneath the surface. We’re breaking habits and changing the way our people operate at work. That’s not a quick and easy task.
Our transition and implementation strategy is focused on delivering a best-in-class solution to the field versus a misplaced focus on speed of implementation. As we work toward successful implementation of a solution with a great design that’s been thoroughly tested, we’re applying a truth we know from the buildings we construct: A solid foundation provides the strength to stand the test of time. By spending the upfront time to form a solid foundation, we’ll arrive at our goal. We’ll increase efficiency and accuracy while minimizing disruption, which benefits everyone on the project team.