COVID-19 has affected our lives, including work, in many ways for most of this year. On the Estimating/Project Management side of things, it has meant fewer job walks, increased use of technology, and adjusting to working remotely. Since most companies are trying to limit large gatherings of people (including job walks), we have had to rely on photos, virtual tours, and bidding to plans/specs; to provide estimates for our clients. Also, there have been a lot more conference calls for ongoing projects. Luckily, with today’s technology, it is much easier to perform our work remotely.
For me personally, I have been able to use the remote desktop software (Azure) to access and save files that I normally would only have access to at the office. Also, there are many different types of platforms for conference calls (Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, etc.) that make it easy to collaborate over the phone or computer. I have also spent less time on the road commuting to and from the office which has made me more efficient and productive with Estimating and Project Management. Incorporating technology into the workplace has made it easier to work remotely and allows me to perform my job at a high level no matter where I’m at. Although these are very difficult times for a lot of people, we have adapted as a company and continue to move forward with hope for the future.
-Bryan Davis