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Construction Field Productivity Tracking: How KMI Construction Eliminated Triple Data Entry with a Single Tablet-Based App
Overview
KMI Construction, a Wisconsin-based masonry and restoration contractor, promises “no headaches, lower your blood pressure” services to its customers. However, manual field tracking was creating internal pains that grew worse as the business expanded.
Field data relied on a slow paper-and-photo workflow. Foremen filled out handwritten cards and texted photos of them to the office, where staff re-keyed the data into three separate spreadsheets. By the time weekly reports were compiled, the data was already a week old.
Ticomix replaced this outdated process with a custom, tablet-based productivity app—delivered in half the expected development timeline.
The result: Foremen now enter data directly from the field. Production numbers automatically sync with accounting and project management, giving decision-makers real-time visibility a full week faster than before.
Industries
Construction, Masonry, Field Services
Technologies
.NET, SQL Server, Telerik Reporting, Microsoft Azure, iPad
Services
Custom Software Development, Excel Replacement, Construction Field Productivity Tracking
Challenge
KMI’s construction field productivity tracking workflow started with a pen and paper. Foremen handwrote jobsite data on cards, and then texted or emailed photos of the cards to the office. The data was then manually input into three separate spreadsheets before the weekly production and job cost reports could be compiled.
Sometimes cards went missing, photos didn’t arrive, or an error arose from triple data entry. Because the reports took days to compile, KMI was always looking at last week’s numbers to make this week’s decisions.
As project volume grew, so did the bottleneck. KMI needed a system that field crews would actually use, eliminate redundant data entry, and deliver production data to the office faster. Off-the-shelf apps weren’t an option, as most were too cumbersome for daily field use.
KMI is one of several field-driven businesses we’ve helped move beyond spreadsheets. See how our custom software development services help companies eliminate manual data entry and get information to the right people, faster.
Designing the Solution
Two constraints shaped Ticomix’s design from the start: ensuring immediate adoption by field crews and integrating seamlessly with KMI’s existing tools.
The solution focused on:
- Minimizing field data entry by condensing quantity, labor classification, and hour logging into a single-screen interface designed for the fewest possible user inputs
- Integrating Foundation Software via ODBC to automatically pull job, budget, change order, and labor classification data into the field application
- Restricting user views so field foremen only see assigned jobs pre-populated with relevant line items, eliminating manual searching and data selection errors
- Replacing three legacy spreadsheets—specifically the completion percentage, production, and job cost reports—with automated Telerik reports driven by a single source of truth
- Automating report distribution through a scheduled delivery system that routes updated project data directly to key stakeholders each week
Developing the Solution
Ticomix built KMI’s new application using a modern .NET and SQL Server stack hosted on Microsoft Azure, pairing a tablet-optimized iPad interface with an automated reporting engine.
The upgraded solution:
- Replaced handwritten cards and photo-text workflows with a cloud-based web application accessible directly from the jobsite
- Standardized field entry on a single-screen interface engineered for minimal taps, allowing foremen to log a full week of work efficiently
- Integrated live data sync via ODBC to pull jobs, budgets, change orders, and labor classifications directly from Foundation Software
- Automated weekly Telerik reporting for completion percentages, production, and job costs, distributing insights from a single source of truth
- Eliminated a patchwork Excel ecosystem, replacing three disconnected manual spreadsheets with a single, integrated workflow tailored to field operations
“[Our process] became a complete time suck. What Ticomix did was streamline everything, eliminating double entry and getting information to our office and PMs a lot faster. We’ll know where we are on a project a week earlier than we did before, which lets us pivot a lot faster.”
MIKE KINATEDER, PROJECT MANAGER, KMI CONSTRUCTION
Results
The transition to a custom-built platform optimized KMI Construction’s field tracking and office workflows and delivers what KMI needed to scale beyond its Excel-based workflow.
The new system:
- Eliminated triple data entry by automatically flowing production numbers from field entry into project management and accounting systems
- Accelerated project visibility by a full week, providing leadership with weekly cost and production insights early enough to pivot on active jobs
- Established a scalable data foundation that removes administrative bottlenecks and supports KMI’s long-term operational growth
- Cut development deployment time by 50%, delivering a production-ready application in roughly half the client’s expected timeline
Explore more legacy application modernization and custom software development case studies, including our BP Aerospace FoxPro to .NET modernization — where a customer-measured time study showed a 50% reduction in engine teardown data entry.
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