Hensel Phelps is using construction technology to improve jobsite tracking and reduce the time crews spend organizing project information.
On its $300 million Courtyard 3 Connector project at San Francisco International Airport, the contractor used Track3D, a progress-tracking platform that uses machine learning and visual data to monitor construction activity.
According to the company’s technology partner, the system helped Hensel Phelps eliminate nearly 3,000 hours of manual coordination, avoid three major instances of rework and achieve $342,000 in verified labor savings.
The results have helped push the contractor toward broader adoption of the technology. Hensel Phelps signed an enterprise agreement with Track3D earlier this year, expanding the relationship beyond individual pilot projects.
From Manual Photos to Automated Progress Tracking
Thai Nguyen, director of innovation for Diverge, Hensel Phelps’ investment arm, said the contractor’s need for better project tracking grew from a common problem on construction sites: managing large volumes of jobsite photos.
In the past, employees had to create folders, name photographs according to specific standards and organize the files manually. In practice, those standards were not always followed.
The result was a large collection of photographs with inconsistent names and timestamps, making it difficult for project teams to quickly find the information they needed.
Track3D was designed to simplify that process.
Instead of manually sorting individual photographs, project teams can use a 360-degree camera to capture a site. The platform then processes and organizes the visual information, allowing teams to review project conditions without spending hours sorting files.
Hensel Phelps Started With Pilot Projects
Hensel Phelps began working with Track3D in 2023 through a pilot project in Denver.
The technology was gradually introduced to additional projects and regions. Rather than rolling it out across the company at once, Hensel Phelps used the pilot projects to gather feedback from field teams and identify what worked and what needed improvement.
The approach eventually expanded to multiple pilot projects across several regions.
Nguyen said the company monitored usage and performance through key performance indicators. One of the measures included how frequently teams completed site walks using the platform.
The goal was to make sure the technology performed consistently across different regions and project teams rather than succeeding in only one location.
Improving Efficiency on the SFO Project
The Courtyard 3 Connector project provided an opportunity to use the technology on a major airport construction project.
For Hensel Phelps, one of the biggest advantages was reducing the time required to capture and organize visual information.
A site walk that previously could take about an hour to document and organize can now be completed in minutes using a 360-degree camera and automated processing.
The technology also makes the information easier to access.
Project teams can review visual data and use it to make decisions without first returning to an office and manually sorting through photographs.
That can be especially valuable as construction companies face labor shortages and pressure to complete more work with existing resources.
Field Feedback Helped Shape the Technology
Hensel Phelps’ adoption process also relied heavily on feedback from employees using the technology on active projects.
Nguyen said Track3D regularly worked with field teams to identify problems and determine whether they were related to user practices or the software itself.
This field-first approach helped the technology evolve based on actual construction needs rather than relying solely on a technology-driven development process.
Ease of use was another important factor.
For construction technology to gain widespread adoption, field employees need to be able to use it without extensive technical training. Hensel Phelps found that Track3D required relatively little onboarding once project teams understood the basic workflow.
Project leaders still needed to establish clear procedures and ensure employees followed them, but the technology itself was designed to fit into existing field operations.
Technology Becomes More Valuable When It Fits the Workflow
The Hensel Phelps experience highlights a broader challenge facing construction technology.
Simply introducing new software does not guarantee better project performance. The technology needs to solve a specific problem, fit into existing workflows and be practical for the people using it.
For Hensel Phelps, automated visual documentation addressed the time-consuming process of collecting, organizing and reviewing jobsite information.
By making that information easier to access, the contractor was able to spend less time managing photographs and more time using project data to support decisions.
The reported $342,000 in labor savings and nearly 3,000 hours of reduced manual coordination show how construction technology can deliver measurable results when it is built around real field needs.
As contractors continue looking for ways to improve productivity, project-tracking platforms that connect jobsite data with day-to-day decision-making are likely to become an increasingly important part of construction workflows.
