Build Me Up: Streamlining Construction Processes with Diggsly

The construction industry is fast-paced and always evolving – but it has traditionally lacked the technology to streamline the complicated processes, from scheduling, to time tracking, to payroll.

Brent Ramsey and Harry Beckwith saw the need for a tool that worked specifically for the challenges of construction, so they invented Diggsly, a cloud-based tool that is designed to be flexible to meet the needs of both field and office workers. They worked closely with Kraus-Anderson’s Director of Lean and Process Improvement Karen Norman to troubleshoot and develop the tool to meet specific company needs. Employee input was an important part of the process, and KA General Superintendent Dan Braaten was an important voice in ensuring Diggsly worked to make field workers jobs easier.

On the latest episode of KA’s Build Me Up podcast, Brent, Harry, Karen, and Dan discuss the process of implementing new construction technology.

About Diggsly

Brent grew up surrounded by the construction industry, with his father owning a company that performs earthwork, demolition, and deep foundation work. Brent and Harry have worked in the tech industry together for years, and they noticed a lack of technology that can standardize and simplify construction processes. About 10 years ago, they began working with Brent’s father’s business on simple solutions like creating forms for online access. Their work continued to evolve and become more complex, leading to the creation of Diggsly, a customizable tool that simplifies scheduling, time tracking, payroll, and many other complexities that arise in the construction industry.

Creating Simple Solutions

Karen was searching for a customizable solution for Kraus-Anderson’s timecard and payroll system when she heard about Diggsly. At the same time, they were looking to simplify Dan’s process of field labor scheduling, which is an incredible complex process. Previously, Dan would schedule labor on over 100 jobs tediously through Microsoft Excel. Now, he has simple solutions for tracking hours and distance to job sites with the click of a button. What once took hours of coordination has now been simplified and automated.

Diggsly makes time tracking, job site locating, and payroll very simple for the end user, with all the resources employees need available on their phone, computer, or tablet whenever they need it. But Brent, Harry, Karen and Dan spent countless hours of trial and error to make this happen. They slowly rolled out features for jobsite superintendents to test out and provide feedback. From there, they would tweak the system to meet their needs. For months this process continued, with constant communication between the team to ensure the end product made employee jobs easier. As with any new technology, there was some pushback as employees adjusted to a new work flow. But the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Diggsly’s technology hasn’t made their jobs more complicated – it has simplified their processes so they can focus on the complexities of construction, rather than being weighed down on small details.

To learn more about Diggsly and the process of implementing new construction technology, tune in to the latest episode of Build Me Up. You can subscribe to Build Me Up wherever you listen to podcasts.