Israeli firm Buildots has unveiled AI-assisted planning and tracking tools to battle construction delays.

Called Plan Tracker, the suite of tools uses site-specific data to facilitate accurate progress-based plans and targets, continuously improve performance, and adapt to dynamic realities on the ground.

The suite lets managers plan and track weekly activities and milestones accurately using project-specific data. It monitors the progress of plans and measures effectiveness, facilitating continuous improvement in performance and adapting to changing realities on the ground to avoid construction delays.

The suite, designed to be seamlessly integrated into existing management processes, comprises two new tools – Workplan and Targets – both of which are driven by real-world site progress data and AI algorithms.

Workplan helps project managers break down project plans into smaller tasks, set realistic due dates for each, share the plan with the respective trades, compare actual progress against plans, and use the system-provided feedback to improve performance continuously.

Targets enables managers to set critical milestones in the system and accurately track the progression of the project towards meeting these goals, including subcontractor performance and supply chain issues. Users can add operational and contractual targets, assign related tasks and activities, and set due dates in one place. This functionality helps easily identify issues early on and take corrective measures to protect these milestones, preventing work stoppages and delays, while fostering accountability within the team and with subcontractors.

“With Buildots Plan Tracker, I can pinpoint critical milestones and actively monitor our progress towards them,” said Chris Masse, senior superintendent at EllisDon, an early adopter of the technology, who is using it for construction of the 24,000m² Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre at the University of Toronto. “It keeps us focused and helps to course-correct if needed.”

The suite’s intuitive management experience draws from lean construction methods, offering a high level of interactivity, encouraging methodical planning, enabling managerial autonomy, and improving accountability with teams and subcontractors. Lean construction, known for its emphasis on control and predictability through increasing value and reducing waste, is particularly suitable for project teams seeking to streamline processes, visualise progress and make data-driven decisions.

“Plan Tracker gives our customers greater control and more ways to interact with and gain value from the unique dataset generated by Buildots,” said Aviv Leibovici, Buildots CPO. “Since we started, we have taken a close look at how customers use the platform to identify opportunities to add value. We realised there are countless situations and decisions construction managers face that could greatly benefit from the data collected on-site. Plan Tracker presents a bridge between these invaluable data and the managers who need them, providing unprecedented insights that will now help them manage projects even more effectively.”