How Drones are Expanding the Project Management Industry
Over the last few years, drones have moved from a dystopian-sounding novelty to a useful tool in a variety of industries. Project management is emerging as one area where drones have the capability to be integrated, important tools that make the job more successful and efficient. Though the use of drones in project management is still very much in an exploration phase, COVID-19 has illuminated the possibilities more clearly. The next few years will see project managers and consulting firms solidifying best practices and honing the work best suited for drones. Three areas are already standing out.
Site Inspections – Efficient and Remote
After a pause in early spring, many construction projects are back on track with new safety policies in place. Periodic site inspections must still happen, but projects are often limiting the number of people on the ground at any given time. Drones offer an easy solution, allowing project managers, inspectors and other stakeholders to get a live look at progress from afar. Post-pandemic, this will mean that project managers won’t need to be restricted by location, and stakeholders can save money and environmental impact by limiting travel to project sites.
Team Updates – Real Time Communication
Distributed teams are one of the likely permanent changes to many industries thanks to COVID-19. Many companies have discovered the cost saving benefits and gotten more comfortable with flexible work in the last year. Drones can assist with keeping remote teams connected about project updates. A review of the project can be scheduled via drone, allowing everyone to view the feed together, no matter where they’re working from. Teams can ask questions and collaborate in real time based on what they’re seeing, instead of waiting for a report from the one person on site.
Site Mapping – Gather Deeper Insights
Drones can provide teams with an entirely new view of a project, both literally and figuratively. Even if an entire team is onsite together having high quality aerial images from a drone gives a true 360 degree view of project’s progress. Issues that may not be apparent from the ground can be caught early on, helping to avoid costly mistakes and delays. The images provided from drones can ultimately provide insight that will help managers keep things cost effective and on schedule.
As project managers consider the benefits of drones for their team, there are risks around security and privacy that must be considered. It’s important to consider your company’s current IT structure, capabilities and challenges. Give us a call to get the process started – we can help you select tools and software that are the perfect fit for your team.