Update: Our crew in Charlotte just finished a job using a new concrete scanning app

Honestly, last week we were doing a slab demo in an old warehouse district. The plans showed one main conduit line, but the app flagged three extra spots. We dug carefully and found a whole nest of abandoned electrical lines from the 70s. Tbh, it saved us from a major shutdown and probably a five figure repair bill. But my lead guy, Mike, says it made the crew too cautious and added a full day to the schedule. He thinks old school pinging with a handheld scanner is faster for 90% of jobs. I see his point, but missing one of those lines could have been a disaster. Has anyone else had a crew push back on new tech because it 'slows things down' even when it clearly prevents bigger problems?

3 comments

3 Comments

max_ramirez483mo ago

Look, Mike has a point about the schedule. On that warehouse job, adding a full day blows the budget and pushes every other project back. Most of the time, those old lines are dead and a basic scanner works fine. You can't let fear of a one in a hundred problem turn every simple slab into a full archaeology dig. The crew's time costs real money, and being too careful on every job means you lose bids.

sullivan.abby3mo ago

Mike's not wrong about speed, but that extra day is nothing compared to the chaos you avoided. We had a similar fight over a new moisture meter that added steps. The old guard always grumbles until the new tool stops a huge mistake. It's just hard to see the problem you prevented.

jenny_sullivan971mo ago

@sullivan.abby gets it exactly right. That saved day is invisible to the crew but it's real. Had a similar fight with my own small team over adopting a new scheduling app. The old guard hated it at first. Took forever to punch in hours and notes. But three months later? We stopped double booking jobs and missing client updates. The time you lose upfront is an investment in not having a nightmare later. Mike's frustration is valid, but that one bad hit pays for a lot of careful days.