ANNUAL MOBILE DEVICE ISSUE - Online in Real Time - Going Mobile!

Sep 11, 2026

Annual Mobile Device Issue focuses on how TUG members adopt mobile solutions for construction operations, highlighting real-time access to information as the leading impact. It traces common starting points such as remote payroll/timecard entry, FTP-based document management, and project or service management workflows. The issue also reviews data security considerations, tablet and device selection, remote client options, practical downsides like durability and technical limits, and what users plan to implement over the next six months.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

ANNUAL MOBILE DEVICE ISSUE

Online in Real Time – Going Mobile!

Protecting Your Mobile Investment

TUG Online WebEx Training and Open Forums

Mobile Business Intelligence

Tablets – What You Need to Know

Sage Construction Anywhere and Data Security

Getting Started – On-Screen Takeoff Integration

Development Partner of the Year Awards

From the Estimating Guru

Local Chapter Check-In

Print Inquiries

Earn TUG Bucs and Pay for Your TUG Membership

Paperless Credit Card Expenses

What Was Your Starting Point?

What Are the Biggest Impacts?

Who is Using Them?

What Are You Using?

Downsides?

What’s Next?

ANNUAL MOBILE DEVICE ISSUE Online in Real Time – Going Mobile!.....1 Protecting Your Mobile Investment.......3 TUG Online WebEx Training and Open Forums .........................3 Mobile Business Intelligence................4 Tablets – What You Need to Know ........5 Is Your Data Secure with Sage Construction Anywhere? ..............6 Getting Started – On-Screen Takeoff Integration .......................7 Sage Announces 2012 Development Partner of the Year Awards...........9 From the Estimating Guru.....................9 Local Chapter Check-In ...................... 10 Did You Know That You Can Print Inquiries? ............. 10 Earn TUG Bucs and Pay for Your TUG Membership...........11 Paperless Credit Card Expenses.........13 Online in Real Time–Going Mobile! by: Eire Stewart JP DiNapoli Companies Have you gone “mobile” yet? A survey of TUG users shows that more than 60 percent are already well on your way, and more than a third, when asked to rate their where they are in the process of implementing a mobile solution would give themselves a six or better. While the investment in time and effort, as well as in the monetary investment, are no small matter, the need to be real time all the time seems to be the driving force. Where Did the Process Start? For most of us, the process of going “mobile”started with automating Payroll or Timecard entry from field sites. Another frequent starting point was the launching of a FTP site for document management, especially for bid documents. As one respondent put it,“They now have no excuse for not having seen the latest drawing.” Project Management and Accounting remote data entry were other popular choices, followed by Service Management tasks, such as dispatching and Scheduling. Most users who have the process underway have invested in Sage Business Partner Solutions Providers with hh2 Web Services being the most often cited, followed by About Time and Data Maxx. Other providers also named include Prolog-Mobile, Time Trak, Network Commander, HCSS and Cognos TM1 . Several invested in custom solutions written by independent vendors, but with mixed success. On the FTP/document access side, Drop Box, Microsoft SharePoint, [Box.com](Box.com) and iWork were all mentioned. A helpful article on iPad applications for document collaboration is available at ReadWriteWeb: [http://www](http://www). [readwriteweb.com/enterprise/2011/05/7-](readwriteweb.com/enterprise/2011/05/7-)[document-collaboration-tools.php.](document-collaboration-tools.php.) What Are the Biggest Impacts? When asked to rate, in order of preference, the three biggest impacts that TUG members had achieved or hoped to achieve in implementing mobile solutions, the hands-down winner with the most votes was “access to real-time information.” The other big winner, What Was Your Starting Point? Payroll/Timecards Remote Data Entry Other Project Management Scheduling FTP Site Service Management getting almost 48.6 percent of the second-choice votes, is “improved communication of information.”Cost savings, reduced duplication and better use of employee time were also popular choices. “We make better informed decisions because we aren’t relying on o Continues someone’s best guess. We have the data,”says one user. Another volunteers,“It connects our field employee – they feel more a contributing part of how we report on information.” One of the advantages of field mobile devices is the real-time visual tools. Site conditions can be quickly addressed because they can be seen and assessed by management quickly. “The superintendent can take a picture, mark it up, draw big red arrows, circle it a couple of times, and everyone gets it. You can’t do that on a phone call.” Biggest Impact Real-Time Information Reduction of Duplication Improved Communication Better Use of Time Cost Savings Who is Using Them? The biggest users are the superintendentsand facility eng

FAQs

What drives the adoption of mobile solutions according to TUG users?

The strongest driver is the need for real-time access to information “all the time,” supported by goals like improved communication and better use of employee time.

How did many users start their mobile process?

Many began by automating payroll or timecard entry from field sites, launching FTP sites for document management, or enabling remote data entry and service management tasks like dispatching and scheduling.

What are common downsides reported by users?

Reported downsides include durability and fragility of tablets and smart phones, technical limitations such as inconsistent service/access and scanning issues, and costs related to service plans and custom application development.

Sep 11, 2026

Uploaded by Bill Black